In addition to deep Carolina pride, one of these traditions is a history of dealing with water shortages and droughts on campus.
Throughout the past 40 years, UNC officials and students alike have been challenged to change their consumption habits.
In the fall of 1968, water levels reached the lowest since University Lake was created in 1930, forcing UNC officials to enact heavy water regulations to prevent suspending classes for the semester.
Unable to completely meet daily consumption needs of the entire county, UNC officials began regulating much of the water use on campus.
But some restrictions in the 1960s were more severe than those UNC has seen so far this year. Only janitors were able to flush residence hall urinals, which they did two to three times per day.
The University's physical education classes were suspended to eliminate the large amount water used in showers following the classes.
Rich Matthews, a 1968 graduate who now lives in Atlanta, remembers the challenge the water crisis placed on the entire campus community.
"There were a lot of complaints about officials turning off the toilets in (residence halls) since they weren't flushed very often," he said. "But overall we were lucky because I think that was our biggest inconvenience."
UNC received relief to its problem in October 1968 when Hurricane Gladys brought Orange County's water levels above emergency levels.
But once again, in 1976 water levels dropped and the University had to act quickly to conserve campus water.
To help deal with this shortage, Orange County sought aid from Durham and made plans to obtain water from its reservoir. A 12-inch pipeline was laid to connect the areas and pump 2 million gallons of water daily into Orange County.
Maggie Lewis, a 1978 alumna who now lives in Charleston, S.C., said water restrictions in 1976 were probably enforced just as much as they are now.
"Students were asked to help, but there is only so much that officials can do to regulate water without literally standing over people as they brush their teeth," Lewis said.
On-campus residents in 1976 were asked to limit their laundry washing to only necessities and only on weekends, and snack bars stopped serving coffee, tea and hot chocolate because of their mixture with water.
Instead of canceling physical education classes, the University temporarily planned to save water by turning showers off in Woollen Gym. But officials realized that students still used the same amount of water when they returned to their residence halls to shower.
Lewis said that these measures were understandable and that there were no large inconveniences to students besides officials regulating laundry.
"Eating on paper and plastic was fine, and our showers were never cut off. Carolina students in general are conscientious people," she said. "We do what we can to help."
Steve Allred, associate provost and UNC alumnus, recalls creative steps that students took in the 1970s to limit their water usage.
"Contests were held between dorms to see who could use the least amount of water," he said. "People would find alternative places to get clean -- such as the rock quarry in northern Chapel Hill, where students regularly swam in the free water."
In 1968, Winston Residence Hall and Kappa Delta sorority won the "Dirtiest Dorm" contest and received a $30 gift certificate for their water conservation.
Allred also said that it was not uncommon to see student-posted signs suggesting: "Save water, shower with a friend."
"It was the wild '70s," he said.
"Anything went."
When consumption restrictions were lifted in 1977 and the drought was over, officials held meetings to establish a list of regulations for future campus conservation that would find a balance between saving water and maintaining good sanitation on campus.
This year the University has taken measures similar to those in the past. By asking students to limit their shower times to four minutes and limiting laundry washing, the UNC community is using guidelines that were successful in previous droughts.
Ray DuBose, UNC director of facility maintenance, said the University is actively engaged in making permanent changes in its water use while also working to meet the 25 percent water reduction goal set by Nancy Suttenfield, vice chancellor for finance and administration.
"With the value of water to the University, we can't afford to go back to the way things have been," DuBose said. "If anything, the public's attention is being brought to many of the issues that officials have been trying to address for a while."
Dubose said students are choosing to get involved as well. "The response from students has been tremendous," he said. "With the establishment of a Student Water Use Task Force and a Drought Forum, I sense a lot of activity is going on in student areas."
With future preparations such as this, UNC students and officials are increasing their readiness for the continuation of the drought tradition.
The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.
