It is common knowledge that starting your own business can be a difficult task. It can be even harder if the organization you are starting is another campus food delivery service.
The Hoagie Haven Delivery Agency, created by Tom Johnson '00 and Josh Greenhill '00, has run into more than a few problems with the University's regulations regarding student-operated businesses and it only began business last night.
"The Student Agencies office hasn't been very helpful," said Dan Lips '00, an employee of the organization. "There's a lot of red tape involved."
Perhaps the most significant obstruction to the agency is the passage in Rights, Rules and Responsibilities, which states that the Office of Student Life "may grant permission for solicitations and sales by off-campus business concerns. . . if they are owned and operated independently of any other profit-making organization that does not exclusively serve the campus."
According to Johnson, the Hoagie Haven Delivery Agency has not been given student agency status because it would compete with Tiger Food and since Hoagie Haven does not exclusively serve campus.
As a result, the agency is not privy to any of the privileges associated with official student agencies. For example, the agency cannot distribute flyers on campus to advertise its services, nor can it use campus mail to spread the word.
Last Monday, Greenhill and Johnson went to meet with President Shapiro to talk about the situation.
"He said he wasn't familiar with the official rule and that his secretary would write us back with a response," Greenhill said. "She wrote back later saying that we can't flyer campus; that it's illegal since we're not a student agency. Instead, we've had to advertise in the 'Prince'."
The denial of student agency status is not necessarily a bad thing, according to Johnson.
"We're better off (not being a student agency), since the Student Agencies office takes a large cut of the profits," Johnson said, adding, "we're not bitter, just disappointed in the system."
To combat this setback, Greenhill said the agency plans to use the Student Delivery Agency to flyer the campus for them. He said he does not believe this to be a violation of the clause in Rights, Rules, Responsibilities.
Assistant Dean of Student Life Beth Morgan, who is in charge of the operation of student agencies, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Assistant Director of Student Employment, Tom Bates, who coordinates the student agencies, declined to comment.
This is not the first time an on-campus delivery service has been associated with Hoagie Haven. A similar service was attempted in 1994, but had to stop because it was not equipped to deal with the huge influx of business the delivery system brought.
Other off-campus businesses have encountered similar resistance. Last year, when the USG obtained discounts for students at Burger King and Hinkson's, the businesses were not allowed to advertise the news on campus. Rather, the USG had to utilize its own advertising privileges to announce the discount.
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