When I interview faculty or administrators for the newspaper, I hear a recurring theme when I ask about different initiatives or changes to the University as a whole: ‘We want to make these changes to draw students in.’ 

Whether I’m asking about planned future renovations to the Olmsted Center or inquiring about why certain academic programs were cut over others with lower levels of participation, the focus overwhelmingly tends to be centered on what the University can do to make Drake seem more appealing to prospective students. 

Nevermind that current students use the Olmsted Center as a crucial spot to study and socialize and renovations would impact them more than it would students who may or may not choose to attend Drake. Nevermind that current students had to adapt to new academic plans when degree programs like the masters of accounting and undergraduate rhetoric major were cut while the University simultaneously brought in a new major, sports and media communication. Nevermind the impact that university decisions have on current students, as long as these changes are appealing to prospective students. 

Drake University cares more about the students it wishes it had than the ones it actually does. It’s more enamoured with the idea of enticing prospective students than improving life for current students. It neglects what it has in favor of the illusion of what it could. 

I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting that the University shouldn’t be focused on prospective students or increasing enrollment. I’m well aware that university enrollment across the U.S. has been steadily declining for years, contributing to budget deficits and leading to the elimination of academic programs. I’m well aware that, unfortunately, higher education is a business, and no business can be sustainable while in the red. I’m well aware that Drake University desperately needs a new and continuous stream of  students to attain better fiscal health and continue to provide a strong liberal arts education to current students as well as future ones. 

However, I’d like to offer a new perspective: The best way to entice future students is to take care of the ones the University already has. 

High school seniors looking at colleges know that they’re looking for academic programs that excite them, professors they can connect with and financial aid options. But students — prospective and current alike — care about community as well. 

Most students find community in their organizations and classes, but I think few students feel a sense of community between themselves and Drake’s administration. 

Despite some of the incredible services that administration performs every day, I hear my peers complain about administration’s apathy and poor decision-making. I think that, too often, administration makes decisions and decides priorities overwhelmingly from a perspective focused on enticing prospective students. Such a problem-solving mindset lends itself overwhelmingly to caring about future, potential students over current, actual students, because the students the University already has aren’t the “problem.” It’s the students the University doesn’t have but desperately needs that are the problem, and that’s where administration’s focus lies. 

Once current students feel a sense of connection to their university’s administration, imagine how much easier it would be for prospects to see the value that Drake has to offer. Drake would be so much more than strong academics and fun organizations. When community is valued and promoted by students, faculty and admin alike, Drake’s approach to education will become more comprehensive and inclusive than before. 

I won’t be so arrogant as to pretend that I necessarily know what that solution is or that I have a magic plan to fix the university’s problems. But it’s past time that Drake’s administration took a look at more than just catering to the prospect of future students and stopped ignoring the students they’re already meant to work with and for.