Department of health and psychological services shows truth about drinking, sex at Fresno State

A survey of 572 Fresno State students shows that drinking, sexual practices not as bad as many think

By Jake Jennings

The university health and psychological services department has begun a new campaign to teach students about the facts behind sexual activity and drinking among Fresno State students.

The department has printed and distributed posters citing data from gathered from a survey of 572 students.

To help find out the facts and social norms about drinking, the health and psychological services department surveyed randomly selected Fresno State students.

The reason for the survey, according to Sam Gitchel, the project director and social norms marketer for the University Health and Psychological Services department, is to “get the accurate information into circulation so that people can be free to make their own choices when it comes to drinking and having sex.”

Gitchel said the department issued 1,500 surveys, but only 572 came back complete. The department’s data is based on those 572 surveys. But Gitchel said he was confident the information collected showed a good cross-section of the campus.

“ When looking at the demographics, the survey was very close to the campus as a whole,” he said.

The campaign is geared toward circulating the facts the research found so that students will not be misled by the false perception of social norms. Through the use of posters, the University Health and Psychological Services department hopes all Fresno State students can learn the truth behind drinking and sex as well as the social norms.

Instead of persuading people not to drink or just telling them to use a condom when they have sex, the campaign tries to emphasize “what to do rather than what not to do,” Gitchel said.

When it comes to drinking, some of the partying tips they offer include using a designated driver, counting your drinks and avoiding drinking games.

Graduate student Emmi Martin said, “promoting safety when drinking is a good thing as well as offering the facts because it will help us learn instead of not knowing.”

The research showed 51 percent of Fresno State students don’t drink alcohol on a regular basis and 70 percent have fewer than four drinks when they party.

“ (The) perception of drinking has been blown way out of proportion,” Gitchel said.

The survey also showed that 85 percent of surveyed students have zero or one sexual partners per year. But when students were asked how many sexual partners they thought their peers had, many responded by saying they thought their peers had four or more partners per year.

“ Similar to drinking, there is a misconception about sex among many students,” Gitchel said. “The main purpose of this campaign is to circulate the facts.”