When freshman Alex Fuller visited a house party earlier this year, it had a line to get in. The house was packed full of sweaty, drunk college students and the bar was decorated with stripper poles.
Fuller said she watched as a girl who was dancing on the pole lost her balance and swung out into the crowd, breaking her foot.
She didn't stay long.
A recent study, "Unsafe at Any House," investigated what students perceived as dangerous at campus parties.
The study was conducted by Chad Menning, an associate professor of sociology at Ball State University. Menning led the study at a large Midwestern university, but declined to release the name of the school.
Menning said he was surprised to find neither men nor women perceived alcohol consumption as a warning sign for danger.
Instead, Menning said, college students look to secondary traits that are sparked by alcohol consumption, such as loud music, suggestive dancing and messy restrooms.
"Alcohol use is fairly ubiquitous on college campuses," Menning said. "Students are looking at other ways to predict danger."
Freshman nursing major Leslie Blok said the size of a party helps her determine how safe it is.
"If a lot of people are coming and going or hanging around outside I won't go in," Blok said.
The study showed discrepancies between what men and women identified as a threatening environment, Menning said.
Men feel less safe at parties where people fight and in environments where gender balances are unequal, he said.
In contrast, women reported the condition of the house and suggestive dancing as key factors in determining a safe setting, he added.
Freshman business major Marc Ricafort said poor lighting was an important factor for him when deciding if a party is safe.
"If it's real dark I might not go, or at least not drink," Ricafort said.
Senior sports administration major Dave Terhune lives in a house off campus. He and his roommates see the effects of alcohol consumption firsthand when they host parties. Terhune said he makes an effort to clean the house restrooms and check the lighting before gatherings. However, Terhune said he has noticed other factors included in the study, such as limited seating and suggestive dancing, at parties he has hosted.
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