Correction: Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of Media Relations for SJSU, did not say the sprinklers will be shut-off for only two days.
The water sprinklers went off on the lawn surrounding the San José State Victory Salute statue, where students have set up a pro-Palestinian encampment Monday night.
Director of Student Involvement Jon Tucker told students that the sprinklers would be turning on at 10:30 p.m. via megaphone outside Clark Hall at 8:46 p.m.
“University operations are going to be going off tonight,” he said to the protesters, before walking back into the building.
Jon Tucker refused to comment or answer questions from the Spartan Daily.
Following Tucker’s announcement, protesters put buckets and gallon water jugs over the sprinklers to prevent their tents and supplies from getting wet at the encampment.
At 10:30 p.m. the sprinklers turned on, and students rushed to cover any previously unseen sprinklers.
Senior Director of Media Relations Michelle Smith McDonald said there was an effort by the administration to quell the sprinklers, but the valves were not shut off in time.
Environmental studies professor Rachel O’Malley said that the sprinkler system can be shut off at any time, and SJSU administration had more than two hours to shut off the water system, which works on a cycle.
“The fact that the students were warned that the sprinkler system was going to come on, suggests that the administration knew that there was a risk there, and that they had a choice,” O’Malley said.
Faculty in justice studies Sang Hea Kil said she believes the administration purposely turned the sprinklers on the protestors as an intimidation tactic.
“I was there, and I witnessed it,” Kil said.
She said that even though all communications between protesters and the administration have been directed to her after the incident with the sprinklers, she has yet to receive any communication from the SJSU administration.
Kil said the university was using “dirty water tactics” on students, because the water was endangering students, especially those who have health vulnerabilities because the water is not approved for contact with eyes, mouths, noses or open cuts and is not potable.
“I don’t think anyone got sick from the dirty water tactics, no,” she said. “I heard no reports of damage and I spent the night there that night. My tent got soaked and needed to be moved but nothing inside got wet thankfully.”
McDonald said the water is designated as “purple pipe” water, meaning that even though it is not potable, it is not gray water, and is chemically treated.
O’Malley said that even though the water is chemically treated and approved for agricultural use, it is not treated for human standards.
“Unfortunately, it is not safe – It's not it's not authorized for human consumption or human contact,” she said.
McDonald said on Tuesday the sprinklers would be shut off for two days, because any longer than that, the grass will start to get damaged.
“It has been communicated that the lawn area can only go without irrigation for approximately two days without causing significant and irreparable damage,” she said.
O’Malley said that it would take much longer than two days for the grass to get damaged.
“Not in this weather,” she said. “We’re not in a situation where the grass would die in 48 hours.”
O’Malley said that water shouldn’t be on a cycle and that the grass only needs to be watered as needed, especially because of the water shortage in California.
She said that the possibility of damage to the grass is the least of the campus’ problems because the real concern is about free speech.
“In this case, there's no question that irrigation could have been stopped in order to prevent the students from being exposed to the recycled water,” O’Malley said. “It wasn’t a mistake.”
