Leslie E. Wong of Northern Michigan University was appointed as SF State’s new president yesterday. While Wong is sure to be inundated with suggestions on how to best fill the shoes of the long-serving President Corrigan, Xpress thought we would throw our two cents into the conversation:

Welcome!

This is surely an exciting time for you. SF State is a wholly unique environment. We’re socially and ethnically diverse. We are opinionated and savvy. We are a fiercely intelligent group of students who like to be a part of the conversation (as if this letter didn’t already represent that.)

With that in mind, you probably didn’t get the same kind of orientation we did when we all stepped onto campus for the first time. So we’ve assembled a handy list of tips for you. Consider this a reference for issues big and small that might come up as you adjust to life on our beautiful but perpetually foggy campus.

1. Develop a caffeine addiction. SF State recently welcomed another branch of Peet’s Coffee to our roster of four other cafes. With your never-ending schedule, you might want to make good friends with the baristas.

2. While you’re waiting in line for that cup of coffee, talk with those around you. Being a visible part of the campus community will go a long way not only to making you feel more at home here, but also to easing tensions between students and administration.

3. Parking around campus is like trying to find a seat on BART after a Giants game.  Maybe you can get a fixed-gear bicycle, although you’ll have to then get some skinny jeans, cheap Ray-ban knockoffs and drink PBR — tough call on that one.

4. Make an effort to reign in class sizes. Heck, take a class.  May we recommend the experimental college? Careful though, class credit is disputable.

5. Prioritize spending. Nothing should come before classes, students and teachers. Without any one of them, there’d be no University and all the shiny new buildings and special projects would be wasted.

6. You might want to create your own meme before the students beat you to it, you probably won’t like their version.

7. Be an open book. In the CSU and campus administration can be a labyrinth of offices and red tape, it’s within your prerogative to change all that and be a beacon of light.

8. The faculty fight for a fair contract will most likely not be over before you step foot on campus. Deal fairly and honestly with your professors, lecturers, coaches and librarians as they go through this struggle. You may not be the one making the decisions, but how you approach this fight will speak volumes to those you will lead.

9. Although your housing stipend may sound like a lot of money, you’re in San Francisco now. Get a roommate or two.

10. Last, but most importantly, remember that not everything can be fixed with tuition increases.