The study, performed by Henry Wechsler, concluded that the social norming approach to alcohol education does not help to reduce drinking on college campuses and may actually promote the opposite.

Wechsler’s attack on social norming goes against a body of research supporting its effectiveness in previous social norms campaigns, including the use of seatbelts, and more recently, the anti-smoking campaign.

Social norms, according to the National Social Norms Resource Center Web site, are people’s beliefs about the attitudes and behaviors that are normal, acceptable or expected in a particular social context. In many situations, people’s perception of these norms will greatly influence their behavior.

Therefore, when people misperceive the norms of their group — that is, when they inaccurately think an attitude or behavior is more (or less) common than is actually the case — they may choose to engage in behaviors that are in sync with those false norms. Social norms marketing works to correct these misconceptions through advertising campaigns, often using statistical information collected from surveys. Many colleges across the United States, including Elon, use social norms marketing as part of their alcohol education programs.

In his report, published in the American Journal of College Health, Wechsler claimed to have found no change in alcohol usage on the campuses he surveyed and said two campuses actually saw an increase in alcohol use. The report also stated that social norming may inadvertently convince students who might not otherwise drink that having anything less than four or five drinks is normal.

Richard Rice, coordinator of information and education at the National Social Norms Resource Center, called Wechsler’s study "seriously flawed." In his rebuttal published on the organization’s Web site, Rice claimed that Wechsler’s research did not accurately measure the effectiveness of social norms marketing. His argument reads, "`85the only criterion used to identify the presence of such [social-norms] programs was the response to one item on a survey sent to school administrators in 2001." Rice said Wechsler’s research failed "to determine the content, scope and duration" of the social-norming programs at each college. Rice also pointed out that Wechsler made no attempt to assess other programs or initiatives that were in place at each school.

Resa Walch, assistant professor and director of substance education at Elon, said the university takes a more holistic approach to alcohol education. She referred to Elon’s method as one of "environmental management." Walch said this theory is based on the principle that people’s decisions about alcohol are shaped by not one, but multiple aspects of their lives. Walch emphasized that social norms marketing is just one part of the multi-faceted alcohol education program in place at Elon.

Walch said that Elon’s program places a high importance on education, while also employing the use of social norms marketing, risk management training, alternative student programming as well as relying on institutional support and an organized judicial system.

"Environmental management looks at the big picture," Walch said. "You really need to look at all the aspects of your community that may influence you into making high-risk choices."

In fact, the phrase "high-risk choice" is also part of Elon’s program. Walch explained that she worked to remove the phrases "underage drinking" and "binge drinking" from use on campus because they can create a distorted mental image of the activities that can endanger students’ safety.

"A high-risk decision does not necessarily have to be classified as binge drinking," Walch said. "A student can be making a high-risk decision even after only having one or two drinks."

Elon also places great importance on student leaders serving as role models for student behavior. Student leaders involved in Residence Life, Greek Life, Orientation Staff and the Student Government Association are educated regarding the university’s position statement on alcohol and the consequences students will face from different types of alcohol violations.

Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of student life, said he feels this is a crucial part of Elon’s program.

"This is not something that can be dictated," Jackson said. "Students must be involved in order for the program to be effective."

Student leaders were heavily involved in the creation of Elon’s alcohol education campaign, which uses the student-coined slogan, "We don’t drink as much as you think." One-hundred and fifty student leaders also joined together to create a list of "danger zones" designed to help students recognize possible high-risk decisions.

"If students choose not to drink, we support that—that’s a good decision," Walch said. "However, if they do choose to drink, we encourage them to do so responsibly."

Nevertheless, some students still remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the social norming aspect of Elon’s program.

Sophomore Jessica Bowling said she doesn’t think students pay much attention to the information presented by the marketing campaigns.

"I just don’t think it really changes anyone’s mind," she said. "They see the information in front of them, but it doesn’t really seem to carry through to their actions."

Nevertheless, Director of Campus Safety and Police Chuck Gantos said alcohol is part of the social scene at Elon and still remains one of the biggest safety concerns on campus.