DeCafé stopped stocking Liquid Death Mountain Water, the only available option for packaged still water on campus since the College reinstated a ban on single-use plastic water bottles in August 2024. In response, students have expressed concerns about the impact of this action on accessibility of water and resulting student wellbeing.

College fourth-year James McCreary has been surveying students to gauge their response to the absence of packaged water on campus, and is advocating for an alternative to water fountains and tap water. Out of the 56 students he surveyed, 54 voted “Yes — DeCafé should have at least canned water for purchase.”

Thom Julian, senior associate Dean of Students, wrote in an email to the Review that canned Liquid Death still water was accidentally delivered by AVI Foodsystems’ distributor when canned Liquid Death sparkling water was unavailable, and more was not purchased after the initial delivery ran out because it was not a regularly-stocked item. The distributor has since resumed the delivery of canned sparkling water, which is now back on shelves in place of the still water.

Julian also noted that canned water had not been evaluated based on the College’s sustainability goals, and expressed interest in including student voices when determining the offerings in DeCafé next year. Since the College’s policy only prohibits single-use plastic water bottles, McCreary’s push for an alternative form of packaged water is viable within current guidelines. 

In response to concerns about access to water, Sustainability Manager Heather Adelman highlighted Oberlin’s commitment to providing safe drinking water on campus. Adelman noted that there are over 50 water-filling stations around campus using filters that are tested and certified to meet the National Sanitation Foundation and American National Standards Institute’s standards, particularly NSF/ANSI 42 and NSF/ANSI 53 standards for lead, class 1 particulate, chlorine, and odor reduction. 

Additionally, Adelman wrote that the Office of Energy and Sustainability received “almost all positive feedback” about the plastic water bottle ban.  

McCreary’s survey, however, suggests that some students continue to prefer packaged water options.

“You can throw all the statistics you want at me, but that doesn’t change people’s experiences,” McCreary said. “That doesn’t change that people don’t like this water and aren’t drinking it.”

Although canned still water is no longer being stocked, other canned beverages continue to be available at DeCafé.

McCreary and survey respondents noted that water should be prioritized when selling canned items. 

“I’ve had students that have just told me, like, ‘I am now drinking soda for every meal,’” McCreary said.

Survey respondents acknowledged the importance of the sustainability policy, and pushed for alternative forms of packaged water. McCreary has been engaging with College third-year and Student Senate Housing and Dining Committee Chair Lluvia Munoz and College second-year and Disability Equity Committee Chair Zaire Robertson to amplify student voices and gauge their needs.

Resident Director for AVI Foodsystems Joe Jacobs noted dining services’ efforts to address students’ concerns and sustainability efforts.

“[Instead of] single-use plastic items being used for anything, finding a compostable alternative or just finding a different way to deliver that product in a vessel that is not a single-use item … can be reasonable,” Jacobs said.