The results of a recent survey show that most Ball State students don't drink as much alcohol as it is perceived that they do.
The Counseling Center has released the results of its alcohol and substance abuse survey from the Fall Semester.-á
John Stachula was the project coordinator for the Counseling Center study, which found that 62 percent of students surveyed said they drink alcohol two times per month or less.
However, there is a discrepancy in the amount students actually drink and the amount students believe others on campus drink.
According to the survey, 82 percent of those who responded said they believed students consumed alcohol at least once a week.
"I think students misperceive what the college drinking atmosphere really is like," Stachula said.
-á Stachula said he hopes the results of the survey can correct misperceptions students have about alcohol consumption on campus.
"People are affected by what they think the norms are," he said.
The survey has been conducted each semester for the last three years, and it is done using students in the PEFWL classes. The survey completed during the Fall Semester used 1,737 students.
-á Stachula said students may not trust results that aren't as up-to-date as possible.
"We want to have current, accurate information," he said.
-á The Counseling Center also conducted the survey this semester, and Stachula said the early results from the spring survey show students may be drinking less than when the fall survey was completed.
"The numbers always shift around a little bit because you're interviewing different people," Stachula said.
-á Posters are going up around campus with a big "0-4" printed on them. That number reflects the number of drinks the typical Ball State student has on a partying occasion, according to the fall survey.
Stachula said the survey results show that Ball State is not the party school many people think it is.
"What people perceive about our environment is inaccurate," he said. "The majority of our students (drink) at a moderate level. That's not the perception, but it's the reality."
Stachula said students are affected by what they think the norms are and that if they believe most of the campus is drinking alcohol, they may feel they have to join in.
"If people believe that, it makes them more likely to engage in that behavior," Stachula said.
Stachula said the Counseling Center doesn't want to preach to students or lecture people, but it does have a message to get out.
"Just be informed about what's accurate, and don't make decisions based on misperceptions," Stachula said.
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