Sandwiched between the two party days of Halloween, Nov. 1 seems the least significant date in the near future. In all likeliness, class attendance will falter as students? heads swirl and remnants of costumes clog up State Street gutters.

Such is the atmosphere as new Dean of Students Luoluo Hong begins her tenure at Bascom Hall Friday.

School officials have great expectations for Hong, and rightly so. She is a kind, optimistic person with a good outlook and every chance of succeeding in her post. However, in order to do so, she needs to satisfy for students a few simple demands. To ease her transition process, The Badger Herald would like to present Hong a customized to-do list to post by her desk.

To Do: Nov. 1, 2002

Keep door open (every day)

Send out an all-student e-mail introducing yourself, the way your office works and functions students should take advantage of

Take your office out to lunch

Retain office authority while being respectful of staff — keeping a good office environment is the first step to rebuilding a staff rumored to be laden with bad morale and lack of structure

Meet with and establish good relationships with student groups, especially multicultural groups

Look at campus climate from different ends — envision a holistic model for the student body at large while learning the singular perspectives of different interests

Accept every call, be it from a random student, parent or media organization

Speaking of media, don?t avoid problems. Openness is the best policy when it comes to conflict, especially regarding students who get their community information through The Badger Herald, the Daily Cardinal, the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times

Don’t do everything you are told; you have better intuition than some of the big heads in Bascom

Don’t hide your face when going in public

Show up in public. The next home Badger football game is Nov. 9. Be there!