At the beginning of this school year, the entire student body was excited for the new residence hall, Hardesty.
But the obvious main event was the completion of the million dollar fountain that was built as the centerpiece of the courtyard in the middle of Hardesty Hall.
The masterpiece comes with flashing lights, different ways for water to spill out, and even mist that emerges from the top of the fountain. To top it all off, the fountain even looks like a hurricane, representative of the University’s completely Oklahoma-relevant label, the Tulsa “Hurricane.”
One of the biggest advantages to the giant fountain, however, is its use for drinking water. In response to the large amount of money and water used for the fountain, the halls of Hardesty were built with no drinking fountains or sinks.
Arthur Curry, one of the lead designers of the Hardesty fountain, told State-Run reporters he realized that “College students don’t want to use regular, boring water fountains.” In designing the hall and its fountain, Curry stated his motivation being the students’ best interests. “Kids these days need excitement in every aspect of their lives,” said Curry, “including filling their water bottles.”
“The fountain in the courtyard doubles as a drinking fountain and an interesting show,” he continued. “In every way, it is better than regular water fountains.”
When asked about the possible lack of convenience of the location of the sole source of water fountain for the entire residence hall, he explained his reasoning.
“Kids in America are becoming obese. It’s just a fact. Therefore, we decided to give the residents of Hardesty Hall a kickstart to a healthy life by giving them a walk to get water. In Africa, kids have to walk miles to get water. I think these college students can walk down a few flights of stairs to fill up their water bottles.”
The students’ reaction to the extremely costly water fountain are all-around positive.
Jessica McKeever, a 3rd floor resident at Hardesty Hall, stated that she “[finds] normal drinking fountains to be quite humdrum and unimpressive.” With this new and improved water exhibit, she said, “I anxiously await the times when I finish the water in my water bottle so that I can walk down two flights of stairs, fill up my water bottle, and walk back up two flights of stairs to my room.”
Another student living in Hardesty Hall enthusiastically said that he could “think of no better use of the 50,000 dollars [he’s] spending yearly on tuition than a flashy presentation of water, lights and mist!”
This seems to be the general consensus of the student body. It is always heartening to see students and faculty alike stopping by the gargantuan fountain to get a cold drink of water before their class.
What will be the next innovative project for the University of Tulsa administration? Will they get rid of all water fountains in every building in exchange for larger, more awe-inspiring sources of drinking water? Will they throw out the idea of trashcans and recycling bins in order to create massive art sculptures of the trash of TU for everyone to see?
Everyone at the University waits with bated breath for the next inspiring and magnificent idea for the betterment of our campus.
