OUR VIEW: Stop with the lame pranks on the fountain

Stop. Just stop. Please.

The fountains located near the Taggart Student Center patio give Utah State University a stately, rich air. Flowing water is sometimes incredibly relaxing to study-wearied minds. Students who wish to wax philosophical about the fountains can imagine how the stair-step features symbolize progress from the freshman to senior year. The fountains are great as they are.

So why do some seemingly unwise and childish people see the need to add to them?

Over the last few weeks, suds have started appearing in the fountains’ cool, clear waters. Does this really need to happen here? Can there be some semblance of campus pride?

Students and faculty alike will greatly appreciate the lack of soap in the fountains. Suds detract from their beauty and class. This is one of the few times soap and water don’t go together.

Someone else who will appreciate students’ care of the fountains is the guy from Facilities whose job it is to clean the suds from out of the fountain. There is already enough work for the Facilities crew to do without having to clean up someone’s unimaginative, overused and childish prank.

Lonny Jensen, a plumber with Facilities, said to keep in mind too that in order to clean the fountain, Facilities workers first need to add an expensive defoamer to the water. Then, the fountains are drained, cleaned and refilled. About 8,000 gallons of water are lost each time this happens.

So leave the fountains alone. Let their natural beauty be a joy instead of a disgrace. The icy blast and chills of winter will soon set in – a time in which USU cannot enjoy the fountains, as they will be filled with snow.

Take advantage of having fountains while they are in operation. Sit by them. Think by them. Nap by them. And if someone is seen adding a little something that doesn’t belong to the water, maybe that person should be added to the water, too.