No, Union College Spring Water does not come from Hans Groots Kill, the “brook
that bounds.” Nor, as one has suggested, is it the melted ice shavings from the
Zamboni at Achilles Rink.
The bottled water sold in Dutch Hollow and the Convenience Store is from an outfit in
West Seneca, N.Y., that offers “certified spring water” to a number of
organizations – hotels, colleges and conference facilities, according to Steve
Pearse, director of dining services. And the firm adds the Union College labels at no
additional cost.
Pearse says the idea came up in Dining Services last fall as a way to promote school
spirit that was “something that would make us different from other schools,”
Pearse said. “I would be curious to see what people from other schools think about
it,” he added.
It's fairly popular, holding its own alongside brands such as Evian or Saratoga,
he says. They have been moving between 30 and 50 cases per week since it was introduced at
the start of winter term.
In other news from Dining Services, spring is just around the corner, Pearse assures.
The mobile food cart, FRED – Fast, Ready, Easy, Dutch – and its friendly driver,
Cathy Georgelas, will be on campus with the arrival of warmer weather sometime next term.
“We're checking with the robins and the groundhogs,” Pearse says.