Dear Campus Community,

Welcome back, we hope you enjoyed your fall break and are feeling refreshed for the last stretch of the fall semester.

Over the past few weeks, Housing & Residence Life received reports from student leaders in the Canyon Residence Hall buildings who noticed an unusual taste in their tap water and were understandably concerned about what might be causing it. We immediately began looking into the issue and tested the water.

Late last week, we received and carefully reviewed the official lab results with the testing laboratory. The results confirm that the water continues to meet established health and safety standards. While no corrective action is needed, we want students to feel confident in their water quality, so we are taking proactive steps to improve its taste. 

With this in mind, the Housing and Facilities teams will soon begin installing water filters at kitchen sinks, water fountains, and bottle-filling stations in the Canyon. Once the filters are in place, students should notice a clear improvement in taste and overall water quality. Faucets in the Canyon kitchens will also be replaced during winter break, and we will proactively conduct regular spot testing in the Canyon and other residence halls across campus during breaks. 

Canyon residents have been notified about this process, and we will continue to keep them updated. This is a great example of our shared governance processes in action. Students used the structures in place for feedback and advocacy to bring a concern to our attention, and it led us to verify that no health and safety concerns existed and to take steps to address the taste issues. We are sharing this with our broader campus community because we know students often bring their concerns to those with whom they interact regularly, and we wanted to be sure you had the same information.

Thank you to all who work to ensure campus residences remain safe, comfortable, and enjoyable.