I believe that this ubiquitous affirmation of the school's uniqueness is hyperbolic. Sure, we're more leftist than the folks in nearby Kipton, but should we really engage in the self-righteous "Only in Oberlin" mantra we pad ourselves with daily? I think not.

First, it's not true. There are other progressive campuses in the nation (none of which, in my experience in visiting them, had an "only in..." discourse). Having done time at two large public universities before transferring to Oberlin, I know that the political and social issues there are the same. Students elsewhere organize around issues of diversity, environment, and human rights. Besides, how could we think activism exists "only in Oberlin" when we were topped by Yale in Mother Jones' list of activist campuses this year?

There are also plenty of progressive and diverse individuals and groups outside academia. Gay and lesbian communities, for example, are everywhere, and hearing that they exist "only in Oberlin" ignored my experience as a queer man who has been involved in them. Elsewhere, too, are cooperatives and communities of progressive activists and people of color.

What's more, our school isn't as radical or progressive as the constant use of The Saying would imply. This is not to belittle our rich history of activism and action. But to truly deserve the extensive use of this phrase, we'd have to replace our exclusive, expensive liberal arts college and mostly out-of-state students with something more akin to a free school where community members educate each other at no cost.

And there are other reasons to drop the rhetoric. There are downsides to constant self-congratulation. In constructing the college as a "perfectly progressive" institution, we overlook our problems, such as poor labor relations, sexual assault, and white male privilege. As we graduate and become alumni, we can forget that these problems exist and that we have the power to change them.

This self-righteous attitude causes us to draw an imaginary line between the school and "the rest of the world." This is a problem for current students; it reinforces the Oberlin bubble. Because we see Oberlin as so peerless and reformist, many of us are unwilling to give the rest of Ohio a chance and end up quarantining ourselves within a two-block radius of the school. Alumni, too, are troubled by this imaginary line; there are those who lose track of their radical, progressive, or unconventional qualities. Perhaps they fell into the trap of thinking that once they graduated, it was their duty to enter the "real world" rather than to push for change or seek out other progressive communities.