In light of the water shortage that has characterized the first semester at the University, student recycling coordinators have extended their roles to include water conservation.
As part of the effort, University Recycling, University Housing and Residence Staff have organized an upcoming conservation contest to encourage first-year students to conserve water more actively.
This Wednesday, Oct. 30, University Recycling will meet with first-year residence hall conservation representatives to discuss the logistics of the contest.
The contest will include a T-shirt design competition as well as an assessment of what each residence hall has done to reduce water usage and increase awareness of water conservation within the building.
University Recycling Student Educator Gina Casciano said the contest was oriented toward encouraging students to devise their own ways to conserve water.
"We are basically looking for creative ideas on water conservation" in which first-year students take initiative, Casciano said.
First-year College students Megan Hammond and Elizabeth Ferreri both said their halls had been making the basic water conservation efforts, but there were not any organized attempts to go beyond these basic measures.
"There has been a conscious effort to not use as much water," said Hammond, who lives in Lefevre House. "But there has not been much organization so far" to constructively reduce water usage.
Ferreri added that she and her hallmates generally are aware of the shortage.
"We take shorter showers and have been buying bottled water, but we haven't been doing anything organized to conserve water," she said.
Casciano explained that the contest would act as an organized effort to increase first-year conservation efforts and general awareness of the situation.
First-year Balz House resident Hana Hassan said her suite only had started to conserve water when they heard rumors that "everyone would have to go home" because of the water shortage.
Although some students have not made special efforts, second-year Lile House Resident Advisor Debarshi Mandal said his residents have made as much of an effort as could reasonably be expected.
Conservation "really depends on the person," Mandal said. "My suite in general has been making an effort to turn the water off when we brush our teeth or shave."
Mandal added that "it has been difficult to get used to the whole 'if it's yellow, let it mellow' concept. Sometimes you just find yourself flushing and then afterwards realizing that you should be conserving water."
He said if every person makes a conscious effort to do his or her part, the water situation eventually will lessen.
"I cut my hair so that I can take shorter showers," he said. "If everyone does a little, put together it will become a lot."
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