Cameron Crazies have been painting "Duke" on their bodies for years, but this year University of Georgia students are starting a new trend, spelling "Conserve Water" across their chests for games.
Severe drought across the Southeast has made universities in these areas implement a number of measures to conserve water.
To reduce water consumption, Duke, Emory, UGA and Georgia Institute of Technology have set their toilets and urinals to low flow, installed low-flow showerheads, reduced watering of athletic fields, turned decorative fountains off, installed waterless sanitizers, improved irrigation systems and enacted a number of other initiatives.
The involvement of students in water conservation efforts, however, has varied.
Duke Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Tavey McDaniel has worked closely with the Environmental Alliance, a student-run organization, to spread awareness of the drought, said sophomore Kelsey Shaw, co-vice president of EA.
The University has also posted ongoing stories for Duke Today, an online daily publication, created fliers for wide-spread distribution and sent e-mails to students with tips to conserve water.
"Students have been very active in sending tips to the water conservation Web site and contacting staff with questions and concerns," McDaniel said. "While not all students at Duke are actively engaged in this issue, I think when you hear 30 to 40 days left of water as we had in December, everyone begins to sit up and pay attention."
While Duke has made efforts to urge student participation in lowering water usage, other southeastern universities have launched formal campaigns to raise awareness.
UGA is in the process of beginning its "Every Drop Counts" campaign and student interest is high, Kathy Pharr, co-chair of UGA's Ad-Hoc Task Force on Water Resources, wrote in an e-mail.
"Public service announcements from coaches are played at all sporting events, including basketball and gymnastics this winter in our coliseum," she added.
UGA will also soon engage students in "water wars"-competitions between residents of buildings or floors to reduce consumption of water.
Georgia Tech students have initiated their own education campaign with the theme, "Slow the Flow, Save H2O," Marcia Kinstler, chair of Georgia Tech's Campus Water Conservation Task Force, wrote in an e-mail.
Georgia Tech also debuted a public service announcement from Gov. Sonny Perdue during the Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech football game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, attended by 52,000 fans, she added.
Emory has launched a "Be Water Wise" campaign and put stickers above all faucets on campus to urge their community to conserve water, said Ciannat Howett, director for sustainability initiatives at Emory University.
It also sponsored a competition to reduce water usage among residential dorms and will soon have a competition among all the major buildings on campus, she added.
"[The drought] is such a big issue and it's in the news everyday," Howett said. "I think almost all our students know we're in a drought situation-the biggest challenge is to help them feel empowered to do something about it."
Durham County is in an exceptional drought and there are now 185 days of water supply left, according to the city of Durham. Athens, home of UGA, and Atlanta, home of Georgia Tech and Emory, are also experiencing a historical drought, although it is unclear how long their water supply will last.
"Athens draws water from an actively flowing river and as long as its level is available to pump, the city does not face a limit on the number of days in the municipal water supply," Pharr said. "If the river drops to a point where the county cannot make draws... the reservoir can provide water for 60 days."
Atlanta's main water supply is Lake Lanier, which is controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The city and state's estimates of how much water is left and the Corps of Engineers' estimates are different, Howett said. "Whether it's 90 or 190 days, it's still a situation everyone is having to take very seriously."
Hon Long Chu contributed to this story.
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