By Tavi Stallings ’27, staff writer

A strict dining hall rule was recently put into effect and has drawn student outrage and raised various questions.

The dining hall beverage rule, known as the water rule among the campus community, doesn’t allow students to refill their water bottles with water at the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. To help students understand, Tim Hartlieb, general manager of Metz Culinary Management, offers insight into the rule.

“This has always been a rule, and it’s also a state-mandated issue,” Hartlieb said. “This was also done due to safety and health issues of cross-contact with dirty cups touching the spouts and possible contamination from cup to dispenser to person.”

Weeks before the beginning of classes, many students had been unknowingly refilling their water bottles using the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, which caused many students to assume that the rule was new.

Students were unsure of the direct consequences of taking their refilled water out of the dining hall. Some students say they were asked politely to dump the water out, not wanting to see the consequences for refusing to do so.

“Students who violate this policy will be referred to Student Affairs for disciplinary action,” Hartlieb said. “Since students now understand the rationale behind this policy, we don’t expect the need for formal disciplinary referrals.”

“We appreciate everyone’s compliance and continued efforts to stay healthy by keeping personal cups out of the dining hall,” Hartlieb said.

Hartlieb would like to remind students that there are water refill stations all over campus and several near the dining hall in the Mund College Center.