Q&A With William Auvenshine

William R. Auvenshine is the 17th sitting president at Clarendon College, a community college that is the Texas Panhandle’s oldest college. Auvenshine began his career in higher education as dean of student services at Ranger Junior College (Early, Texas), where he served from 1971 to 1984. He then served 20 years as president of Hill College in Hillsboro (Texas) until 2004. Most recently, Auvenshine served as interim president at Galveston College in Galveston, Texas. Auvenshine has served on numerous committees for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges. He has also served as president of the Texas Community College Association and served at other civic and education organizations. He was an invited participant at the community college emerging issues meeting convened in Washington, D.C., on April 26–27, 2010, by the U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention.

Q: After almost four decades working at community colleges, what changes have you seen over the years, especially when it comes to problems related to alcohol and other drug abuse and violence?

A: In the 1970s, when the age of majority dropped from 21 to 18, colleges could no longer act in loco parentis—or act as a parent—when it came to overseeing student behavior. Previously, colleges had a wide range of control over students in the matters of discipline and drug and alcohol abuse. When we lost that, I thought my world had come to an end as a dean of students back in those days. Of course, since then we have developed policies that have taken the place of in loco parentis. Then in 1998, Congress passed the Higher Education Amendments, which permits colleges to inform parents of students under age 21 if they violate the college’s drug and alcohol policies. A number of colleges, including the college where I am presently the CEO, adopted policies to use this parental notification option. It has been very effective on my campus.

Of course, students object to this policy. When they reach 18—the age of majority—then they think they are adults and can make adult decisions, certainly when it comes to drinking. But the minimum legal drinking age is still 21, so even though they have reached the age of majority they are breaking a law if they buy or use alcohol [before age 21].

Q: Do you notify parents if you determine that your students have violated the drinking laws off campus if you find out about it?

A: We do if they live in one of our dormitories. The problem with community colleges across the nation is that the vast majority of the students are commuters. It is much more difficult for the administration to learn about problems that occur off campus. As my school is in a small rural community, we know if students go to the lake and drink. And yes, we do notify the parents if they live in the dorm and the problem occurs off campus. The students are still under our oversight.

Q: Have you seen increases in student alcohol and other drug use over the years? Or do you think it has remained relatively stable among community colleges?

A: Alcohol has always been a problem. I have seen a much greater use of drugs through the years. However, alcohol was around even back in the 1950s when I was a student. A number of studies have focused on student drinking and drug use. A 1989 study by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching indicated that 67 percent of college and university presidents rated alcohol abuse to be a “moderate” or “major” problem on their campus. In 1993, a Harvard study revealed that 44 percent of the students engaged in binge drinking two weeks before the survey. In a 2007 study, 41 percent of the college students in Texas reported risky drinking behavior. In 2008, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America reported on the problems of hard drugs on campus. Marijuana has been around for a long time but hard drugs are a new experience for me.

Q: What are some of the factors that contribute to alcohol and other drug use among community college students?

A: Some community colleges have dormitories and some are mainly commuter schools. They present different problems. But regardless of whether it is a residential or commuter college, peer pressure is the largest single indicator. It is almost a rite of passage that students experience the keg party. Being away from home for the first time or getting out of parental supervision certainly is a factor.

Q: There are some surveys that seem to indicate that community college students report fewer problems related to alcohol use and are not drinking at quite the same level as their counterparts in four-year colleges. Do you think there are reasons that would account for that disparity?

A: I think that that is simply an oversight. Community college CEOs are not addressing the problem. The problems occur off campus and since so many community college students are commuters we do not see the problems. We are not getting good data on community college students.

Q: Are there some environmental factors that lead to more problems on certain campuses?

A: At community colleges with dormitories students are living in an environment that they have not been accustomed to. They are 18 years old and living away from their parents for the first time, which is a very strong influence on students. Some schools are known as party schools, and students go there expecting to get into the drug and alcohol scene. Students also get mixed messages from the community and sometimes from the school itself. Clarendon (community) College is in a rural community so we do not have the constant bombardment from advertising that you might get in a metropolitan area. But students who constantly see messages associating the good life with alcohol are bound to be influenced. And of course the alcohol beverage companies spend millions in advertising. In fact, one of the colleges we play in competition baseball has accepted a million dollar gift from Coors to build its baseball field. We have a rodeo program and the tobacco companies will give us nice endowments and stipends if we agree to advertise their products, but we do not accept their money.

Q: You mentioned the role of athletics at the emerging issues meeting. Most people do not think of community colleges as having strong athletics programs. What role do they play when it comes to alcohol and other drug problems?

A: Athletics is very strong in Texas. We are in the Sun Belt where we have good weather so outdoor sports are very attractive. I believe that athletics is one way that we can change environments to reduce the problems. We can have more planned student activities on the campus. We can have ways to recreate physically, such as participation in basketball, tennis, baseball, softball, and rodeo. Those are activities that are supervised by coaches, who have a tremendous influence over student athletes. We do not tolerate alcohol or drug abuse in any of our programs.

Q: What are some of the greatest challenges community colleges face in implementing alcohol and other drug abuse and violence prevention programs?

A: The greatest challenge is education. We must recognize that we have a problem. So many CEOs do not understand that it is hurting their pocketbooks. Community colleges get appropriations from state legislatures based on enrollment. If we are losing enrollments related to drug and alcohol abuse then we need to develop programs to keep those kids in school.