It seems that everyone these days, such as Dr. Phil, Oprah and the others in the Harpo Productions line-up, is telling us to examine our values. Since coming to college, I’ve learned that we should be thinking about our conceptions of reality. How can we construct values without a clear picture of our surroundings? The college experience forces us to build our sense of reality. However, this is not accomplished without the discovery of misconceptions.

This dilemma has become apparent in recent discussions regarding the alcohol culture at Drake. What is the reality of our culture?

When I first came to Drake, I was shocked by the amount of drinking that took place each weekend. I was not exposed to this in high school and did not expect it to be so forthcoming in college. I became convinced that this practice had permeated the institution’s culture. Like others, I assumed that people engaged in these activities, waiting for individuals to prove me wrong before believing they did not drink. There were the people you knew that did not drink and then “everyone else” that you assumed did. When people said they spent last night at “the library,” I had to ask whether they were referring to Cowles or the neighborhood bar.

I have been told by authoritative sources that national data indicates this perception does not reflect reality. Students do not drink as much as we are led to believe, they said. And yet all of the knowledge I gained as news editor last semester seems to prove otherwise. I edited stories that covered charges of hazing and threats to students’ lives, and read through security reports of the incidents that occurred on campus. (And we know these are not written about rules being followed…)

However, in attending the Spring Leadership Conference last weekend, I began to think differently. The keynote speaker kept telling us that we should no longer be bystanders and pretend that incidents of drinking and other inappropriate behavior are not happening on our campus. He said we cannot tell ourselves that Drake is not like other universities. It was hearing this that made me believe otherwise.

Much like President Obama said about his optimism for our nation in his State of the Union address, I must say that I have never been more confident in this school. We are not a normal university. I remembered that this is the reason I chose to attend Drake. Not only is this a school with unique academic opportunities, but it is a nurturing place. It’s a place where the administration cares; where the dean of students takes the time to ask how you’ve been and can identify you by name—not because you’ve frequented his office for discipline, but because you have not; where a group of students playing capture the flag in the dark can honestly answer “no” when security asks if they are intoxicated.

My question for students is to ask yourselves why you’re at Drake. I’ve already had experiences in my one and a half years that have forced me to reflect on this. We live in turbulent times. While Drake may not be able to shelter us from some of the threats to our well-being, I believe it exists to help us overcome them.

Hogan is a sophomore news/internet journalism and law, politics and society major and can be contacted at erin.hogan@drake.edu.