79 Notre Dame students were polled about what they might consider to be a standard Notre Dame on campus party. Each participant was asked questions about various stages of a weekend party night, from the certainty of the location of an on campus party, to the activities one might find themself doing while at the party, to the activities one does at the conclusion of their time at the on campus party. The results of the survey are as discussed below.
Of the 79 students polled, there 26 male participants and 53 female participants. The participants were asked how they would most likely hear about an on campus party. Most answered that they would be invited by a mutual friend of the host (64.1%, n=50). 57.7% also answered that they might be invited because the party was being held in their friend's room. Students 34.6% of the time here about on campus parties through third party means, such as Facebook event pages or word of mouth. This third percentage relies on the anonymity of some larger on campus parties.
The response to the question where most dorm parties are held was overwhelming, with 88.5% (n=69) answering it would be necessary to go to a boy's dorm to find a party. When asked if one 'pregamed' before going out to a party, 54 students responded yes. Of those 54 people, 70.4% (n=38) were female. When asked what types of activities one would typically find at a Notre Dame dorm party, the two highest responses were dancing (88.2%) and socializing (large groups of people standing and talking in room) (86.8%). Playing drinking games, such as beer pong and flip cup, came in third at 61.8%. However, when the group was asked what activity they would most likely find themselves doing at a party, socializing was the dominate answer with a response of 53.9%. The answer dancing came in with a 26.3% response, and playing drinking games came in with a 15.8% response. Of the 79 students polled, 40 students reported that they drank at every on campus party they went to. Another 27 students reported that they, at the very least, drank at some parties they attended, but typically drank most of the time. The participants were also asked what motivated them to drink at an on campus party. 56.3% of students responded that they drank to help relieve stress/ feel more comfortable at the party. Another 25 students responded that they drank because they 'want to', and 20 more students said they felt the need to drink because their friends were also drinking. When asked how one might end a typical party night, most students replied that they would get food from an on campus location (54.8%, n=40). 27 students reported they went directly back to their dorm or off campus house. 2 students reported that they might go off campus to find food, and another 4 students reported various answers such as meeting friends to go to an off campus party or to find a place to 'hook up'.
The responses to this survey reveal that there may be a general outline to a typical Notre Dame on campus party. But while one may concede to a general outline, the spectrum of responses also reveal that there is some variety in the activities which can happen at a party, and it will still be considered acceptable in achieving an end to the night of partying.
