First and foremost, if you have not yet cast your opinion in the Brandeis Water Bottle survey, I highly suggest that you do such right now. Thank you.
For those of you who have voted, you were greeted with the following question to which you casted a vote:
Recognizing the social, environmental and economic implications of bottled water, should Brandeis University reduce the sale and distribution of bottled water on campus?
It is difficult to deny that this question is biased in its wording. To me, the phrasing of “Recognizing… implications” prior to the question at hand suggests that whoever wrote it was angling for more “yes” responses. Personally, I support a reduction, if not elimination, of the sale and distribution of bottled water on campus. Still, I was more than a little dismayed by the bias that this question exhibits.
I feel like they put that there in order to give some context as to why we are considering getting rid of water bottles. Would you like the question to just say, “Should Brandeis limit water bottle use?” The inevitable answer, if one were not entirely up on campus issues (which would obviously never happen) is why? Luckily, this survey answers that question before it happens.