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After 60 heat-related incidents - 18 of which resulted in hospitalization - UCF officials announced Tuesday the decision to begin installation of water fountains in Bright House Networks Stadium.
The goal is to have at least 10 water fountains installed in time for Saturday's Memphis game, with a total of 50 to be installed over the next coming weeks, said Grant Heston, a UCF spokesman.
Currently, there are no water fountains in the Stadium as the building was approved under the 2001 state building code that makes water fountains optional. The amount of planned water fountains "exceeds" current building code standards, Heston said.
Prior to gameday, Al Harms, vice president of strategic planning and initiatives, said his gameday committee had consulted with Orange County Fire-Rescue to determine what would be needed to deal with the excessive heat.
Even so, water was at a premium during Saturday's home opener against Texas. Though gameday officials expected a record-breaking crowd of more than 45,000 fans, only 28,000 bottles of water were available for purchase for $3 each.
"Bottom line is the service that was provided Saturday wasn't up to UCF standards, so we're going to be doing a better job this Saturday," Heston said.
Harms addressed UCF's water woes in a Game Day Coordination Committee meeting Monday.
Harms said UCF President John Hitt has authorized one free bottle of water to be given to all fans entering the Stadium this Saturday for the game against Memphis as an act of good faith.
Fans will show their actual tickets and students will show their IDs for the free bottle of water, Harms said. However, the offer is only good for this game.
"We've also tripled the amount of water stocked, bringing the total to more than 90,000 bottles, and tripled the amount of distribution points within the Stadium for the upcoming game," Harms said.
Michelle Mercado, a freshman education major, was one of the 18 fans hospitalized because of the heat.
"I started feeling some weird pressure in my chest while waiting what seemed like forever to get in the Stadium," Mercado said. "I collapsed after that, and next thing I knew, paramedics were carrying me away."
Mercado was brought to a special air-conditioned room in the Stadium where she found five other people who had fainted from the heat, one of whom was suffering from convulsions.
Paramedics determined that Mercado needed to be sent to the hospital. She spent the next nine hours waiting and having tests done, she said.
There was no long-term damage, but Mercado is still feeling weak and said she feels afraid to go outside.
"They should also look into selling water outside the Stadium if lines to get in remain that long," Mercado said.
A Facebook group, "Knights for Free Water," begun by business major Nathaniel Dorn and marketing major Carlos Capiro directly after Saturday's game, quickly ballooned with angry, parched Knights fans.
Dorn and Capiro said they left after the third quarter because they were sick of buying hot water bottles. The concessions could not keep up with the demand for cold water and started selling them straight from the package.
Several members of the Facebook group commented on their displeasure toward the concession stands.
Junior marketing major Brennan McNell asked one of the concessions for a cup of ice. "They tried to charge me $3," he said. "I didn't give in."
Junior political science major Will Lusk is a Student Government Association senator for the College of Sciences and plans to bring up the water issue at the SGA Senate meeting tomorrow night.
"I support their [Knights for Free Water] cause," Lusk said. "I spent $20 on bottled water, and, even though I expected to spend that much, it's a shame they couldn't meet the demand."
Harms said he is confident that the Stadium will have enough water bottles for Saturday's game, and is also looking into the idea of installing industrial fans.
He said that it is too short of a turnover to put in misting stations, like many students are suggesting, before this game, but they are looking into that for the long-term.
Despite what different ideas arise, many students - like Knights for Free Water - said they will not rest until water fountains are properly installed so the fans can be hydrated to enable them to support their team.
Members of the Facebook group attended the Open Forum with President Hitt on Tuesday to get their voice heard. UCF officials responded with confirmation of everything Harms said but no long-term solutions.
UCF is scheduled to kick off against Memphis on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Memphis football ticket lottery has not sold out and is currently still open for students to register. Registration for the Louisiana-Lafayette game on Sept. 29 is scheduled to run until 11:59 p.m. tonight.
Students must present their valid UCF student IDs at gates 2-9, 11-15, or 18 at the Stadium for admission to the game.
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