The daring tradition of wading in all four of Elon University’s fountains without being caught has left trails of wet footprints for years.

In a Pendulum survey of 112 students, 98 percent indicated they have jumped or plan to jump into one of the Elon fountains before they leave. But as the number of students who choose to engage in the tradition rises, the potential for injuries and property damages does too.

Maintenance 

On a typical workday, plumbing maintenance staff member Eric Biebel crosses off numerous tasks on his extensive to-do list. Some of those jobs related to the fountains include checking water levels, measuring chemical and pH balances, cleaning large filters and removing debris.

According to Biebel, fountains are basically large electrical pumps that push water into different valves, out of jets and into the air. The equipment required for this to take place, he added, requires a good amount of maintenance.

Biebel’s to-do lists are longer on some mornings than on others. On top of the work required to regularly maintain all four fountains, a slight damage to a single piece of equipment could lead to more work and an increase in water waste.

“If a light is knocked over causing damage to one of the jets, for example, it would lead to a loss of at least 22 gallons of water,” he said. “To fix the damage entirely, we would then have to drain the whole fountain as well.”

For Chandler Fountain in front of the Koury Business Center, that would mean draining 80,000 gallons of water.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the same amount would provide an average U.S. family of four with 200 days of water usage.

To avoid water waste, the university purchased two pumps in 2005 and 2007, eliminating the need to drain the fountains for cleaning. According to the Office of Sustainability, the vacuums save 186,720 gallons of water annually.

That is, unless, damage is caused and fountains need to be drained.

According to Biebel, the potential for equipment damages when students wade in fountains are endless: lights can be broken, jets can be moved or dented and metals and pipes can be stepped on. In addition to damages to property, he stressed the potential for physical injury is just as high.

“I know it’s tempting to give in to,” he said. “But consider the possibility of hurting yourself, the amount of water you would waste if a damage was caused and, not to mention, a hefty fine.”

Fines

A variety of rumors circle the monetary fine of jumping into the fountains, including the popular “pay-by-limb” theory, which suggests that students pay a fine based on how many limbs were submerged in the fountain.

According to Elon’s 2014-2015 Honor System, no wet limbs are counted. Instead, point 2014.36 states that sanctions for swimming or wading in restricted areas normally include “no less than an official warning and possibly disciplinary probation; campus restitution hours, education program or project.”

Associate Dean of Students for Leadership and Honor Code Jodean Schmiederer said monetary costs are only charged when physical damages are made to the property.

“For example, last year, damages were made to both Chandler Fountain and Fonville Fountain over the course of one weekend,” she said. “The students were fined solely the amount of money it took for the utilities department to repair the damages.”

Trends and Awareness

While wading in fountains is listed as a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, special events have contradicted the rule, such as when the Senior Class Giving Campaign offered students who donated the chance to have their picture taken in Fonville Fountain last year.

One alumnus who attended the event, and wished to remain anonymous, argued that this contradiction reflects poor administrative decisions and is a threat to the tradition.

“It was basically saying if you spent money on Elon, you can break a rule,” he said. “It just weakened the tradition because it wasn’t nearly half as fun as jumping in during the middle of the night.”

One surveyed student pointed to the event as a reason to lift the ban.

“Events like that just show that Elon is seemingly OK with people wading in fountains,” the student wrote. “It just shouldn’t be restricted.”

A majority of the surveyed students indicated that they would only jump with the protection of their senior-year status.

“I think Elon knows that everybody is going to do it, especially as a senior,” another student said. “They should just lift the ban.”

For other students, the existence of the ban plays no role in their decision to participate in the tradition.

“Nobody actually seems to get in trouble unless they break something,” the student said. “So just don’t be reckless.”

Other students said the ban is the reason why the tradition is so popular, as the exhilaration caused by the idea of breaking a rule is what makes it so worthwhile.

“Without it, people would just be chilling in fountains after class,” the student said.

But the primary concern that the administration holds when faced with lifting the ban is that the possibility to injure oneself is high. While more than half of the surveyed students indicated that they did not get hurt in the process of jumping, 20 percent of students indicated that they were under the influence when they jumped in the fountain.

“I was so drunk,” a surveyed student confessed. “I don’t even know if I hurt myself or damaged something.”

But Schmiederer stressed that, even for those who are fully aware, causing damages to equipment isn’t as hard as people think it can be.

“It doesn’t take a lot,” she said. “You only have to move something a little for it to shoot way off.”

Still, it is clear that the tradition is important to many students.

“I think the fact that we’re not allowed to do it and that we could hurt ourselves makes it more exciting,” one student admitted. “The tradition is here to stay.”

Of 112 students, only one thought otherwise.

“Elon puts so much work into landscaping. It just seems wrong.”