It's coming. The ever-popular fall reading days are just around the corner. Commonly termed fall break, this weekend will provide us a four-day break from classes to use as we see fit. Whether you have midterms to study for, or a desperate urge to let out your party spirit, respect the water shortage and spend your reading days outside of Charlottesville.
Charlottesville is currently experiencing a massive water shortage. With 53.9 percent or less remaining in our total usable water supply, students need to take steps to help the larger Charlottesville community. Go out of town for the four-day break. Go visit friends at other colleges, visit your families, or go on a trip somewhere, and take your laundry with you. Students need to take advantage of the reading days as much as possible while also showing a sense of responsibility to the community that does so much for them throughout the school year.
Granted, we did see some considerable rain last week. That was good, but it's going to take a lot more than a few days of showers to end this drought. "If we don't get rain this winter -- if we think summer is bad, it will be worse next year," University Director of Utilities Cheryl Gomez commented at a Sept. 20 press conference at U-Hall. Don't let a day or two of rain fool you into no longer conserving water. All of central Virginia is facing an extreme drought and Charlottesville is in one of the worst areas.
Taking shorter showers, turning off the water when brushing teeth, and buying bottled water all are good ways to help preserve what water there is left. We can do more. Students have been presented with an opportunity to really cut down on water usage for a four-day period. With the 50 percent increase on all usage above 4,800 gallons per residence per billing cycle, students living off-Grounds are probably feeling the brunt of the drought and should welcome this opportunity to leave town and make use of someone else's water supply, without surcharges. Charlottesville is doing what it can to mandate less water usage. We should not only respect that, but also do what we can to go beyond the city's requests.
There are many ways to use your reading days. One attractive option would be to go home to Mom and Dad. Eat a home cooked meal, take a long shower, and do all the loads of laundry that you saved up while trying to conserve water here in Charlottesville. Four days of using water elsewhere is a small but meaningful contribution which we should all be willing to make to the Charlottesville community.
As easy as this may be for in-state students, not everyone can go home for the break. A plane ticket home could cost four times as much as potential fines for using too much of the Charlottesville water supply. Also, let's not forget that some students are Charlottesville locals. Urging them to go home to their families just down the street from the University would not really help the cause much either. For these students, and those students that just don't want to go home over reading days, there are other choices.
Option number two would fall under the category of taking a trip. Get out of Charlottesville and explore the greater world of usable water. Go visit friends at other schools and find out how their laundry facilities and showerhead pressure compare to ours. Gain culture, travel with friends, and, if you need to study, find new and exciting libraries. Do something fun and adventurous or go home to comfort and relaxation. Just don't stay here in Charlottesville.
Charlottesville is a university town. The businesses and services cater mostly to students' needs. From student discounts at Harris Teeter to the budget-friendly prices of Corner restaurants, there is no arguing that this city centers on student life. Now it is our turn to give back. The University isn't the only one suffering and taking measures to save the water supply; the crisis extends beyond our University bubble.
Even with the recent rainfall, it will take a lot to rid Charlottesville of this drought. A four-day break may not solve the problem, but it certainly won't hurt it either. If thousands of students take it upon themselves to leave town and give the water usage here a break, water will be saved for later days. We have this chance to help Charlottesville conserve a good amount of water. Leaving town would not only be a refreshing change of scenery, but it would also be beneficial to the community at large.
Be a good citizen. When fall break comes, get out of Charlottesville and experience different places, ones with different water supplies. Don't expect shorter showers and less toilet flushing to end this drought. Take bigger steps
-- steps that will lead you out of this city. Have a good break.
(Alex Roosenburg's column appears
Mondays in The Cavalier Daily.
She can be reached at
aroosenburg@cavalierdaily.com).
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