By: Tara Evans

   It’s almost May! Some of us are getting ready to take a well-deserved summer break. Other’s, like myself, are getting ready to graduate and enter into the “real world”. At many times I have felt as if this day would never come. As I look back, I am confident that the courses I have taken have helped to prepare me for what lies ahead. I feel the most challenging course within the RHIT program is Operational Analysis( or better known as RHIT 499).

   This course is designed to take a student through all of the steps necessary to open and operate a hospitality-based business. The students can choose to operate anything from a simple coffee shop to a fully operational hotel. This class gives the student complete control over all aspects related to opening and operating the business of their choice. At the beginning of the semester, the students are divided into groups ranging from four to six team members.

   RHIT 499 course is quite different from most courses I have taken in the past four years. Its layout includes no structured lectures or instructions from a professor. There are no quizzes or exams. The only information that is given to the class is presented by guest speakers that are given on a weekly basis. The speakers have included certified public accountants, attorneys, bank officers, business owners, members of the SBA, and equipment suppliers. There are also fifty-minute presentations given by different teams on a weekly basis. The groups are required to give four formal presentations explaining the steps they have taken and information received regarding the opening of their business. After each presentation there is time allotted for your peers to question and critique your presentation. The good news is, you have no final exam. The bad news is, you are required to submit a report made up of sixteen different sections including marketing and advertising, human resource development, financing and cost controls, legal and tax matters, and several other areas covered throughout the course. All decisions made by the group must be backed up in this report by statistics, research, contracts, and formal documents.

   Now that you know how the course is structured, there are several important factors to take into consideration before and during this course. First of all, you must remember to manage your time wisely in order to complete the deadlines required. This is not a class that you can wait until the week prior to the due date to conduct your research. Because you are dealing with professionals in the real world you cannot expect to get your information at the time you need it.
Therefore, research should be done at least two-three weeks prior. The course is designed to give you a dose of reality and I have quickly learned that my priorities rank low among others.

   Another important factor relating to this class is the selection of team members. Once you choose to be part of a team, you are in it for better or worse, There are no exceptions, therefore, you must choose your group wisely. Also keep in mind that you will be spending an average of 10-20 hours per week outside of class with your group members. Since you are working with at least four other team members, you cannot expect the group meeting and activities to work around your personal schedule. You must be flexible and remember that other group members also have responsibilities outside of this course. However, do not enter into this final semester of your collegiate career with a full load of courses and working a full-time job because this class is not only challenging but also time-consuming.

   If a student enters into this course prepared and with an open mind, it can be both challenging and rewarding. This is a perfect course to take just prior to graduation. It teaches much more than just the fundamentals of opening a business. In the process I have learned to work under a deadline, prioritize my schedule, relate to professional people, and most of all contribute to a team.

Interviewing Anxiety
By: Lindsey Thomas

   Graduation is approaching and many students may be experiencing anxiety because they know that they will be interviewing for employment positions. For some people this experience can be intimidating. One never knows what questions the interviewer will ask. I have found through my interviewing experiences that interviewers ask some standard interviewing questions.

   Here are sample questions that will help set your interview preparations in the right direction:

1. What value could you bring to the company? This can indicate a person’s confidence level and find out about one’s creativity.
2. What was your greatest accomplishment at your last job? The answer to this question will tell the interviewer what is important to the candidate in terms of his or her goals.
3. Why are you leaving your current position? If the interviewer can determine why the person changed jobs in the past, they get a good idea of what motivates the candidate-more money, more responsibility or greater job security.
4. Give me three adjectives that describe yourself-This gives the interviewer a feel for the candidate’s personality.
5. If you remained with your current employer, what would your next promotion be? This information could be used to formulate your offer. Also, they can tailor a job description to match the candidate’s goals and sell this position to the prospective candidate.
6. On what issues do you disagree with your current boss most often? This question gives you an indication of how the candidate handles authority.
7. What was your most satisfying evaluation and why? What about your most disappointing review? This gives the interviewer an idea of the candidates’ honesty and the type of skills he or she values.
8. How would your supervisor rate your ability to cope with last-minute changes? This will tell them how you deal with stress and if you are a team player. Often in small businesses, like restaurants people wear many hats and they want a new hire to be able to do that.

I hope that these sample questions can help you prepare to take the next step in your life. As May 9th approaches, I wish each of you good luck on the interviewing experience.

Higher Education Commission Approves New TCEM Degree
By: Linda Brothers

   On Friday, April 9, the Higher Education Commission of Indiana approved a new degree program for IUPUI. The Bachelor of Science degree is titled Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management and is designed to address the rapidly developing economic force of tourism in the state of Indiana. The traditional hospitality operations along with attractions, festivals, meetings, conventions, sporting events, and other activities motivate people to travel and spend discretionary income. Indianapolis and central Indiana have expanded their economic focus to include tourism development as expressed in the 1998 Indianapolis Corporate Community Council Task Force, and IUPUI’s urban location is ideal to offer this unique program. Individuals who complete the degree will be prepared for the challenges of tourism management and development and could begin careers with entry in supervisory and operations management. With experience and hard work, these careers could develop into leadership positions in a variety of tourism businesses in top and middle-level management. Interested students should contact the Tourism, Conventions, and
Event Management Department (formerly the Department of Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional, and Tourism Management) for more details.