But unlike N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill, where students challenged each other to reduce water consumption starting in November, the small women's campuses in Raleigh aren't limiting their efforts to students.

Beginning Feb. 11, Meredith and Peace will ask their students, faculties and staffs to sign pledge cards with water-conservation plans.

Melyssa Allen, spokeswoman for Meredith, said the schools decided to include employees, too, to encourage off-campus conservation.

Meredith, with 2,100 students and 600 faculty and staff members, has a raw numbers advantage over Peace, with its 692 students and 150 employees. So the contest will be based on percentages.

Peace spokesman Mike Hobbs said the students and staff are up for the challenge.

"We beat them in basketball just recently," Hobbs said. "So we'll do our darnedest to beat them in this, too."