UAlbany fountain will be turned on in May

Graduating University at Albany seniors will get one final chance to splash around in the fountain before the school’s commencement ceremony next month.

Spokesman Karl Luntta said workers are preparing to activate the central campus landmark at some point prior to UAlbany’s graduation on May 14, but he declined to discuss exactly when the massive water jets will roar into action. He said the university administration always intended to turn it back on, despite cancelling UAlbany’s annual Fountain Day celebration in response to an off-campus booze-fueled melee on March 12.

“Back when we suspended Fountain Day, we never suspended the fountain,” he said Thursday. “Our goal was never to leave the fountain off.”

Student Association President Justin Wax Jacobs was assured that the fountain will be turned on sometime during finals next week. He said administrators are refusing to divulge the official date in an effort to prevent students from organizing a mass gathering at the fountain.

“That’s what they’re trying to avoid,” he said.

The campus was abuzz this week when more than 266,000 gallons of water were piped back into the fountain. On the Albany Student Press Twitter feed Wednesday, a writer confirmed that the fountain would spring to life next week but also speculated that it wouldn’t be turned on “on or before Cinco de Mayo,” a Mexican holiday that has become synonymous with boozing at many colleges.

Wax Jacobs said many of his classmates are relieved to hear that the fountain will be on again, even if it’s for a few days before the summer break. He said the student body generally felt like the administration was “holding the fountain hostage” as a punishment for the “kegs and eggs” riot on Hudson Avenue the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day.

“I understand this wasn’t a punishment, but it conveyed a sense of punishment,” he said. “That perception kind of proliferated throughout the student body.”

Long rehab coming

The fountain will remain on until the cold weather arrives in the fall. After it’s drained, crews will begin a massive reconstruction project that will keep it empty until spring of 2014.

By that time, all of the students who celebrated UAlbany’s last Fountain Day in 2010 will have graduated. Administrators aren’t certain whether the annual rite of spring will ever be the same massive celebration it was last year.

In a letter announcing Fountain Day’s cancelation last month, UAlbany President George Philip called upon students to develop ideas for a new spring event. He suggested they consider the success of the school and the reputation of their education in devising a new tradition.

“I call upon each of you to work together during the next academic year to develop a spring event that can become a meaningful, safe and fun tradition,” he wrote. “We must stand together in our resolve to forge the future we envision together.”

Fountain Day was established in 1978 but wasn’t always the behemoth event it became over the past five years. For decades, the water jets were turned on mid-week and student participation was loosely organized.

The event also featured a large number of students drinking alcohol by the fountain. In April 2004, more than a dozen students needed medical attention during the celebration, with others appearing highly intoxicated.

Negative publicity caused campus officials to consider scrapping it altogether. But ultimately, administrators decided to ramp up security around the fountain and force students to sign a pledge before allowing them to participate.

Organizers also moved the event to Sunday in an effort to involve some of the school’s faculty. The annual live-music Park Fest celebration was combined with Fountain Day, bringing a carnival-like atmosphere to the campus.

The changes significantly bolstered student attendance — an estimated 9,000 students participated in last year’s event. But they also did nothing to stamp out the role of alcohol.

Wax Jacobs said the administration made it clear that the culture of the event needed to change. He remains uncertain about the future of Fountain Day but seems assured that it will never be the same.

“I think they will bring Fountain Day back to its original intent, which was a celebration of spring,” he said.

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