• Many students received phone calls this month inviting them to an information session regarding internship opportunities
• The Southwestern Company sponsors these sessions
• The company offers a summer program selling books and software door-to-door
• Southwestern's vague phone calls frustrated many students, leading to an intervention from Career Services

Kortni Smith thought she was getting a great deal when a representative from the Southwestern Company called asking if she would be interested in a lucrative "internship opportunity" for the summer.

However, after attending an information session, Smith, a freshman in the College of Business Administration, said she left feeling "frustrated and aggravated."

Southwestern's internship opportunity involves selling books and software door-to-door, a program Smith said the company "tries to make seem better than it actually is."

"I know they're not technically doing anything wrong, but I feel like they're getting people to the information session under false pretenses," Smith said, referring the initial phone call in which the amount of money she could make was the main focus and the actual job description was barely touched on.

Jason Eckert, associate director of the career services center, said there have been several complaints from students regarding Southwestern's "vague" phone calls.

According to Eckert, Marquette Career Services representatives met with Southwestern recruiters about the concerns. At the meeting, Career Services reviewed Southwestern's phone script and informed them of the need to be upfront and honest about what the actual job entails.

Career Services has not had any more complaints since the Jan. 29 meeting, Eckert said.

Students were also concerned over how Southwestern obtained their personal contact information, such as cell phone numbers.

"Certainly, no one at the university would give out a student's confidential information," Eckert said. Rather, companies such as Southwestern rely on surveys students fill out in class and personal referrals from students who attend their information sessions.

Though some students expressed annoyance at the company's recruitment efforts, others said they would consider the opportunity.

Cortney Krauss, a freshman in the College of Communication, said Southwestern's emphasis on building lifelong communication and business skills as well as their extensive alumni network attracted her initially.

Krauss, who went through Southwestern's three-day interview process and was accepted into the program, ultimately turned the opportunity down.

"The second or third day, I definitely left feeling like I was being sold on something," Krauss said. "It's important to remember that people working for the company are good salesmen. They're trying to sell you (the job)."

However, Krauss said the biggest reason she turned down the job was her concern over safety. According to Krauss, the fact that she would be working in a strange neighborhood from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. was especially worrisome.

All students hired through Southwestern relocate to a different area of the country, and Marquette's recruits will head to the East Coast this summer. Dan Dougherty, corporate recruiter for Southwestern, said the relocation aspect is "part of the adventure."

According to Dougherty, the company is well aware of these concerns raised by students and parents. Students who work with Southwestern do not travel extensively, but rather are assigned a middle to upper-class district and stay there the entire summer, Dougherty said.

The company and its recruits are not the only ones concerned with possible safety issues. In 2005, the Wisconsin State Legislature responded by introducing Senate Bill 80. This legislation would no longer allow companies such as Southwestern to have "independent contractors," but would require the company to consider every student working for them an "employee."

Supporters of the bill, such as state Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton), said this would stop what they view as exploitation of student workers by insuring they have basic employee rights.

The bill has been simmering in the legislature for years, but yesterday's public hearing on S.B. 80 renewed interest in the issue.

Southwestern is a registered opponent of the bill and claims it will hurt their business model that allows students to be their own bosses.

Loren Groeschl, a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a two-year employee of Southwestern, said he agreed with the need to protect rights of independent contractors, which include individuals who represent companies such as Mary Kay cosmetics.

Groeschl, who spoke against the bill at Wednesday's hearing, said he's had a very positive experience with Southwestern's internship program.

"The hard work of the program has benefited me the most," he said. "I'm coming back for my third summer this year and am really excited."

Eckert said Career Services does not necessarily endorse the Southwestern internship, but by policy the company must be allowed to recruit on campus if they follow certain guidelines.