By Clare Roth
Some University of Maryland students are frustrated about the Robert H. Smith School of Business’s addition of nine water bottle coolers to the first floor of Van Munching Hall. The water bottle coolers are part of the school’s new sustainability initiative, aiming to cut costs and eliminate waste.
The water coolers, introduced this semester, aim to reduce the business school’s plastic waste produced from different events hosted by the school, Darell Claiborne, the Director of Operations at the business school, said.
The initiative also allows for reservable water dispensers and compostable cups for meetings, programs and other events, according to a memo from the Sustainable Future @ Smith Team.
According to sophomore finance major Nathnael Mekonnen, the water coolers work by selecting the setting of your choosing and then holding down the pour button. They also feature hot and cold settings that give people more variety.
Junior accounting major Audrey Kovacevich expressed frustration and confusion about the new water coolers. Kovacevich recently tried the water coolers for the first time, but the machines did not work.
Kovacevich said a line formed behind her at the cooler, so she informed others that it was inoperable. She then tried the regular water bottle filler attached to a water fountain next to the cooler, but that also did not work.
“We don’t have water in the business school today,” Kovacevich said.
Uyen Nguyen, a sophomore information systems major, thinks the new additions are nice, but seem a bit unnecessary.
“They are pretty cool, but is it not the exact same thing as just like the old water bottle fillers in the first place?” Nguyen said.
The difference between water coolers and water bottle fillers the school currently uses is that most water fillers do not always purify water and have pre-treated water, which affects long-term water quality, according to Wells Singapore’s website.
According to the Culligan Quench Website, the coolers also connect to Van Munching Hall’s water source and filter out any contaminants, such as lead and microplastics, and are infused with minerals to allow for greater hydration and taste.
Claiborne said the program has not officially been unveiled to students as the water coolers are still being installed and worked on, but despite this, his team has not received any negative responses.
“We’re in the transition phase… There are no complaints, and you still see students using them,” Claiborned said. “We know for all of the student groups in the building that they are requesting them for all of their programs and events. And so it really is a smooth transition operationally.”
Claiborne said this new initiative is not related to the old water bottle fillers, as those fall under the campus’s purview rather than the business school.
Despite the criticism, Mekonnen said he uses the water coolers every day. He said he was confused in the beginning and thought the machines were broken, but after a few tries, he managed to use them.
He thinks students just need to get adjusted to the new additions instead of getting frustrated.
“It’s a new system, so it does take time to master and I feel like in a couple weeks or a month it will be perfect,” Mekonnen said.
Featured Image: A new Quench water cooler sits next to a water fountain on the first floor of Van Munching Hall on Dec. 4, 2025. Photo by Christian Lee.