Washington State University - Chinook Yearbook (Pullman, WA)

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It took extensive media coverage and the dust in our throats to convince many WSU’ers that the drought was real. But, once realized, some steps to save energy were taken. Half the lights in the mall and other campus areas were per¬ manently turned off. This, and other ef¬ forts by the administration to save en¬ ergy, set an example for students (or maybe it was the other way around) and WSU managed to cut back on its energy usage by 23%. The required cutback for state institutions was a mere 10%. During the worst of the drought, anx¬ iety concerning crop (and money) losses, forest fires in the summer, and damage to fish, prevailed. Although a wet May dampened these fears slightly—experts predicted that this was only the begin¬ ning of a permanent water shortage, while WSU students foresaw a new life¬ style of constant conservation.

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A small man, perhaps in his late 30s, appears, walking slowly down a trail. He is dressed some¬ what conspicuously in a long raincoat. The man stops, scans the area carefully, then pulls out a small tape recorder. He sets the ma¬ chine down and pushes the “play” button. “Good morning. Dr. Hobbs,” crackled the recorder. “As you have probably heard, the West Coast is experiencing one of its worst droughts in history. “The Cascade snowpack is at a record low, farmers fear the lack of irrigation water will doom their crops and power companies are worried about reduced levels of hydroelectric power gen¬ eration this summer. “Something must be done.” “The governor has repeatedly boasted that hers is not a ‘do nothing administration’. However, she has on several occasions been accused of doing nothing about the weather. “In a top secret cabinet meeting this month, the governor announced that the time had come to do something about the weather. “Your mission, Dr. Hobbs, should you decide to accept it, is to make it rain in Washington state. “The governor has made arrangements to ap¬ propriate $125,000 for a cloud seeding project.” “Of course, you will be paid, regardless of the outcome of the project. Good luck.” “This tape will soon dry up and blow away.” Stephen Woodruff © in Weather— A Dry Situation 10 Expressions

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6 ) IN Government: Carter Shades Ford... The 1977 presidential race included Jimmy Carter’s exclusive interview with Playboy maga¬ zine, where he revealed that he had an occasional lust for the ladies. Carter’s comment caused quite a stir in the nation, and prompted one WSU stu¬ dent to observe of the campaign, “Now I guess we have a choice between a ‘luster’ and a ‘lack-lus- ter. 12 Expressions