Every morning at Quincy University feels like the buzzer goes off at the tip-off of a closely contested game. The campus comes to life before dawn even breaks, but not because of the early morning hours of some classes or library lighting flickering around. It’s the hum of coffee makers, keyboards clacking away, and the hope that a cup of coffee or an energy drink will get a student or athlete through that tough 7 a.m. class or the before practice crash.

Caffeine is always in the rotation for senior third baseman Kenzie Moss.

“Before games, especially doubleheaders, I need coffee,” Moss says, “Having an iced coffee or an energy drink from the Caf makes me feel like I’m ready to go.”

As for road games, wherever their bus stops first, one can be sure that the first thing that a team does is search for a coffee or an energy drink.

In the academic center of campus, Avery Mulvey, a freshmen Biological Pre-Med major, depends on caffeine like a good study buddy. “Since I have a lot of morning practices, I am very tired whenever I go back to my dorm. And sometimes instead of eating breakfast, I like an energy drink instead because I feel like it just gets me ready for the day and something to drink during class to help me pay attention,” Mulvey said.

Meanwhile, on campus at the Health and Fitness Center, the student athletes regularly meet at the water fountains and stretch areas. Still, the buzz about the caffeine fix at Quincy University seems to be present in the locker room chatter. Right when you walk into the HFC you come upon a Lotus menu that is plant based energy. If you ask the person working the front desk they will make you one but you can’t pay with your flex dollars you must pay with cash or your card. The Cafe also always has energy drinks stocked up in the “Hawk Market.” The newly added Alani’s which is popular with the college crowd.

Various forms of caffeine are readily available at the campus’s go-to convenience store, Ayreco on 18th street. Energy drinks arranged energy drinks, caffeinated iced tea in cans, and the time-honored standby: hot coffee at the counter.

Caffeine is much more than just a drink at Quincy University; it’s part of an ambitious lifestyle and everyday living for students. It serves as an energy source during quiet study hours in the middle of the night, creates excitement during pre-game speeches and supports laughter over cups of coffee shared early in the morning with friends. As young adults develop their senses of what is enough — and what is too much — to stay awake throughout the day and use caffeine appropriately on an as-needed basis, the majority of them will tell you at some point in time that they feel like having that “one more cup” is their only option to get themselves through the day.