A new ad campaign tells Penn State students who abuse alcohol that they are in the minority.

Educators call the ad strategy "social norming" -- a bandwagon-like technique based on research showing that students overestimate how much their peers drink.

The ads were officially rolled out at a press conference yesterday by members of the University Park Campus-Community Partnership.

"Very often, the perceptions of the problem do not jibe with the reality of the problem," said Tammy Gentzel, director of Wellspring From on Drugs, and a member of the Partnership.

The Campus-Community Partnership, a group of 44 people representing Penn State and the State College area, has organized several anti-drinking campaigns since it formed in 1999.

The cornerstone of the latest ad campaign is the statement that "70 percent of Penn State students drink smart."

The 70 percent figure is based on responses to a November 1999 Core Institute survey that showed most Penn State students have fewer than four drinks in a sitting.

The Core survey included students at 20 Penn State campuses.

Using different methods, a 2000 Penn State Pulse survey showed that 64 percent of male students and 51 percent of female students fit the definition of "binge drinker."

Another component of the campaign gives tips for students on how to protect friends from alcohol poisoning. The ads instruct students to call 911 when someone becomes unresponsive after drinking too much alcohol.

Both prongs of the campaign result from the Campus-Community Partnership's focus group testing.

Justin Zartman, an Undergraduate Student Government member and a member of the Partnership, said the Partnership is still seeking more student input.

A student committee, which meets tonight, is growing in size and hoping to include a more diverse membership, Zartman said.

Zartman also explained why the ads are necessary even if most students are already drinking responsibly.

"Because there's 30 percent of students who don't drink smart," Zartman said. "To hit the small percentage of students who don't, we need this."

The total cost for the campaign is about $20,000 over two semesters. Funding came from the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Penn State-Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Partnership and University Health Services.

Bill Asbury, Vice President for Student Affairs, thanked the Barash Group, a downtown advertising and publishing company, for designing the ads at no cost. Mimi Fredman, president of the Barash Group, is a Penn State trustee.

Mountain View Studios contributed the photographs used in the ads.

Several downtown establishments have agreed to post the signs, Gentzel said.