It’s over 100 degrees and it has been for days. As we drove through Texas on our way back to school, we noticed signs of the serious drought.

The grass has brown patches and signs asking for volunteers to turn off their water.

But then, we reached our oasis.

As we drove down the Boulevard, the landscape finally changed.

The grass was a brilliant green and everywhere we turned a fountain was flowing. The drought has clearly hit everywhere in the state…except SMU.

Is this what our increase in tuition pays for? Green grass and beautiful refreshing fountains?

And what about SMU’s increased environmental efforts? We are all encouraged to recycle, recycle, recycle, but it seems that conserving water in drought would also be important to the “Green” movement.

It seems rather paradoxical that we promote innovation and creativity through the Lyle School of Engineering’s Living Village project, yet, we are too concerned with our pretty campus.

A quote by SMU President R. Gerald Turner hangs on the wall of The Daily Campus office, “Life’s too short to go to school on an ugly campus,” and clearly we are upholding this even when the rest of the state is encouraged to cut back.

But this is not the first time SMU has shown an unwillingness to partner with the environment.

Last year when Engineering Without Borders hosted a World Water Day event, SMU only conceded to turning off the main fountain for one hour.

One hour…on a day dedicated to raise awareness about the necessity of water and how wasteful we can be in this country.

And, only the main fountain. What about the other fountains found throughout campus?

Though it was nice to come back to school to see the lush green landscaping in front of Dallas Hall as well as the new trees planted on SMU Boulevard, it appears SMU focuses a little too much on the external.

Yes, the beauty of one’s campus can be a reflection of a thriving academic environment, it can also boost the stereotypes that SMU students often face.

So SMU, while we know we have many projects and celebrations drawing visitors to campus, we should probably consider joining the rest of the state in conserving water and doing all we can in this drought.

It’s a new year and we are welcoming our centennial class, why not encourage this new generation to actually be conscious of what we throw away, how much water we use and how many lights we keep on when we head to class?

Ashley Withers and Sarah Kramer are seniors majoring in journalism. They can be reached for comment at [email protected] and [email protected] respectively.