FINISHING STRONG
ON THE VERGE
The Eastern men’s soccer team prepares to take on Omaha at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lakeside Field.
Check out this week’s edition of the Verge for movie reviews, local artists and weekend events.
PAGE 8
SECTION B
THE
D aily E astern N ews
Friday, November 6, 2015 “TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” C E L E BRATI NG A CE NTUR Y OF COV E RA GE 19 15- 201 5
VOL. 100 | NO. 54 W W W . D A I L YE A S TE R N N E W S . C O M
Panel gives franchising advice from business leaders By Cassie Buchman Administration Editor | @cjbuchman Panelists gave audience members advice on franchising and answered questions at “The Ins and Outs of Franchising: What You Need to Know” as part of Entrepreneurship Week Thursday. Some told stories, such as Jim Severson, franchise owner of Hilton, Holiday Inn, and Marriott hotels. Before Severson became a franchise owner of hotels, he decided to buy a restaurant with his business partner. Severson and his partner had to come up with $30,000 each, so he went to his father for a loan. His dad was hesitant at first, because Severson had gone to college for engineering. “He asked, why did we put you through school?” Severson said. “He tried to do everything to dissuade me.” Severson was at first heartbroken, thinking his father would not loan him the money. But the next morning, his father told Severson he had always wanted to open his own business but could not because he had a family to support. Severson’s father ended up loaning Severson the money he needed that morning. Steven Michael, professor of entrepreneurship and strategy, moderated the panel, which consisted of Severson, Darrell Fisher, vice president of franchise operations at Midas International in Chicago, Cassandra Halm, franchise bureau chief in the Office of the Attorney General in Illinois, and Moni Sheehan, franchise owner of the Mattoon Dairy Queen. Michael said franchising is a method of business that has been fabulously successful throughout the world. Franchises are established by a legal contract. The franchisee is not an employee, but instead creates a contract with the franchisor. “It’s a relationship of legal independence, but economic and strategic interdependence,” Michael said. “That’s important to remember.” Halm stressed the importance of franchisees hiring a lawyer or accountant to look over documents. “Make sure that the franchisees understand what they’re getting into,” Halm said.
MOLLY DOTSON | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Darrell Fisher, vice president of franchise operations for Midas International in Chicago, discusses the advantages of working for a franchise as opposed to being part of an independent business during “The Ins and Outs of Franchising: What You Need to Know” event on Thursday in Lumpkin Hall.
Audience members were given cards they could write questions down on to ask the panelists. Michael read from a card that said, “Why should I invest in such a leap of faith, draw a line in the sand operation as a franchise, rather than punching a clock for a big company? Why should I do this? Money or something else?” Fisher said money and drive had something to do with it, as well as the fact that in a job where you “punch the clock” for a big company, there
can be a limit to the upside. “Owning a business and driving your passion to run a business, and executing that business plan flawlessly, your upside is not limited,” Fisher said. Sheehan said a perk was being able to be your own boss. “You absolutely have to have a stellar work ethic,” Sheehan said. “You have to get in there and bust your butt.” Severson he would rather work 100 hours a
week for himself than work 10 hours for someone else. The panel also discussed identifying good labor and identifying good customers for their franchises. “As a business owner, your biggest battle is getting employees that will clean up and show up and do the job as the job description entails and as they were trained to do,” Sheehan said.
FRANCHISING, page 5
New community set to Legal services provide consultations to students help with substance abuse By Cassie Buchman Administration Editor | @cjbuchman Even though Steve Davis, former Student Legal Services attorney, has retired after 35 years of working at Eastern, legal services are still able to provide consultation to students. Kirsten Bays became the new student legal services attorney in mid-September, and works part time at Eastern while practicing privately in adoption and reproductive technology. Bays said she has spoken with Davis and knew him from the years, giving her an idea of what was involved in the job. “He told me I could call him anytime. He’s very helpful,” Bays said. As Student Legal Services attorney, Bays gives students legal advice on typical student legal issues and potentially refers them to an attorney. These include traffic ordinance violations like underage drinking tickets, minor criminal issues, landlord-tenant issues and expunction. Expunction is getting minor criminal issues off of student’s records. “There’s a series of steps you have to follow,
and that’s pretty much what I’ve done: tell students what they are and the paperwork,” Bays said. Bays said a lot of students might not understand the terminology they have in their leases, and she is able to explain it to them. “Generally, (students) get it then,” Bays said. Bays had one student come in to have Bays read her lease before she signed it. “I loved that,” Bays said. “It was pro-active. She knew all the things she had to do to move in and check out and make sure she got her security deposit back.” Although Bays recommends being proactive, she understands leases can be long to read. “If you’ve never had a problem, you wouldn’t know how this applies,” Bays said. “If you’ve always had great experiences wherever you rented, you don’t know what this means until you have to use it.” Bays cannot go to court with students, but instead gives them advice and tells them what their options might be and how to access an attorney.
LEGAL, page 6
By Mackenzie Freund City Editor | @mgfreund_news Providing a safe place for students dealing with substance abuse has become more of a focus for college campuses across the country. The Health Education Resource Center has started a new program called Collegiate Recovery Community, which gives students this safe place. The main focus of the community, as explained by Mike Tozer, an alcohol prevention, intervention and recovery specialist, is to provide a safe and comfortable place for students dealing with substance abuse in themselves or within their family to be with others who have had similar experiences. “This is a place where people can go that are trying to remain abstinent- free from (substances)- can go and feel safe and comfortable when they’re there,” Tozer said. Tozer said the community is something that has been growing across the country over the last four to five years, and Eastern is the first college in the state to start a program.
There are approximately 200 schools across the nation that have developed this program. Tozer said that substance abuse prevention and treatment is becoming more of a priority in higher education; recovery services and CRC’s fall into those categories. “They’re really starting to see the need to bring these to campuses so we can not only have prevention or intervention for drinking or drug use, but we have students who are already here trying to stay or remain abstinent,” Tozer said. The community allows students to be around others in an environment where they do not have to worry about facing more possibilities of alcohol or other substances. Tozer said he began doing research on the CRC last year to find out more information about it so the community could be formed this year. Over the summer, Tozer said paperwork was filed so that the HERC could receive a grant to help fund the CRC on campus.
RECOVERY, page 6