Believe it or not, in a random sample of University of Massachusetts undergraduate students 82 percent of them said they haven’t missed class or work because of their drinking. And the survey was – regardless of popular belief – not limited to wellness floors and honors classes. The data collected for the Social Norms Campaign is legitimate, and its message is evident. People drink less than the UMass campus community thinks they do.

The Social Norms Campaign is a program run by the Center for Health Promotion and the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking. The campaign was created based on the social norms theory that claims people’s perceptions of the attitudes and behaviors of their peers strongly influence their behavior.

Utilizing this theory, a random, anonymous survey is distributed every spring to UMass undergraduates. Selected students are asked numerous questions about alcohol and other drug use, perceived or otherwise – questions about how much surveyed students drink and how much they think others drink.

As it turns out, there is a large discrepancy between how much students actually drink and how much students think others do. According to the social norms theory, this means students feel pressure to drink as much as they think their peers are drinking, regardless of whether these perceptions are accurate or not. The campaign tries to point out that UMass students are not drinking as much or as often as the campus’ students may believe of their peers.

In high school, most health education courses gave lectures on what not to do instead of focusing on the healthy choices students could make to replace irresponsible behavior. Think about past messages used in the campaign. These posters list out how a majority of students  feel comfortable refusing a drink (whether it’s the first or fifth) only have four or fewer drinks at parties, don’t like out of control parties and want others held accountable if they violate alcohol policy and/or are violent.

What does this all mean? It means most students are saying they have fun in ways healthier than binge drinking. And while the media often promotes the wildest, most extreme images of college partying, only some students engage in this kind of behavior – but most don’t.

Think about all the students at UMass, and then think about a night walking down North Pleasant Street to one of the various bar dives on the downtown strip. It is impossible that all 20,873 undergraduates are out and drinking on a regular basis – the bars would be overflowing with drunken students. Only a very small portion of the UMass population can be caught down at the bar scene at any given time. And while high-risk drinkers tend to make themselves, whether intentionally or not, the most noticeable bar attendees, people tend to believe incorrectly that these are the only kinds of students that make up the University community – but in fact they represent a minority of the student population.

Drinking legally is absolutely acceptable. No one can fault a student for sharing an evening out with friends sipping on a couple brews. The campaign isn’t looking to make UMass a dry campus. Its aim seems to be more about helping students realize that there isn’t an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure to drink, and that the concept of drinking culture cultivated in the minds of the majority at UMass is based on misperceptions. Responsible drinkers make up UMass’ true majority, and it’s important that students who feel pressured to live up to the hype of “ZooMass” know this.

Promoting healthy drinking habits will make everyone safer and happier. Students should try to drink responsibly and healthfully; students should never feel pressured by their peers to match drinks. Human behavior is comprised of “monkey see, monkey do” actions. As such, it is important students have an accurate view of the behaviors they are inevitably going to emulate.

Amy O’Regan is a Collegian contributor. She can be reached at [email protected].