After the University of Wisconsin chose Luoluo Hong, plucking her from obscurity, to be dean of students of one of the largest and most prominent public universities in America, it was expected she would bring fresh energy and outlooks to a campus in desperate need of help. Within weeks, she was confronted with Halloween riots, a student’s tragic death due to meningitis and the perennial controversy surrounding ASM. She handled each in stride, making a name for herself as a vibrant, caring individual determined to make an impact.
Just a scant two-and-a-half years later, however, Ms. Hong is leaving UW for Arizona State University’s West Campus. As dean of student affairs at the Phoenix-based campus, she will oversee the roughly 7,300 students that make the campus their home.
What would drive a woman (who was, by all accounts, excited by the prospect of helping nearly 42,000 students) to leave just a few years later? Ms. Hong describes her position at ASU as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”; yet it would seem to even the unengaged observer that her position at UW fell into that category.
Undoubtedly, there are reasons beyond UW that affect Ms. Hong’s decision. Both the public release and private e-mails obtained by this paper under the Freedom of Information Act cite perfectly valid personal reasons, including proximity to her parents, a diverse metropolitan area and opportunities for her partner, Chris, that are unavailable in Madison.
Yet, even with these reasons, the most troubling aspect of Ms. Hong’s departure is none of the stated reasons is particularly compelling. Had the opportunity to move to ASU fallen into her lap, it would be easy to understand the choice. Wanting to be close to her parents as they age and being able to see her partner finish his graduate work could easily trump aspirations at UW.
Yet Ms. Hong also applied to California State University-Sacramento, some 750 miles from her parents. It is unclear what benefits her partner could have received at CSU-Sacramento.
Since Ms. Hong actively searched for employment outside UW, something inherent to UW or the UW System must have triggered her search, but very little substantive information has come out of Bascom as to why she really left.
Isn’t this an issue the student body should be aware of?
In an e-mail to colleagues, Ms. Hong enumerates the benefits of moving to ASU. Among them, she cites diversity; the support of both Provost Mark Searle and Gov. Nepalitiano; and the flexibility of a young campus.
Is this a hint that UW has little commitment to diversity, that Ms. Hong received little support from administration or that the campus resists change? Ms. Hong remains silent.
The university’s public release unsurprisingly glosses over these concerns, naming personal reasons and the state’s lack of commitment to higher education as her reasons for leaving.
It seems clear that the reason runs deeper than the university will admit or Ms. Hong is ready to discuss publicly. In statements since the e-mails became public, Ms. Hong has not backed down from her statements, tempering them only by admitting it was a stressful and emotional time.
Whatever her reasons for leaving — funding problems, an intractable administration or problems adjusting the Dean of Students’ Office to meet the needs of 21st-century students — these are things that should be addressed and confronted by the university and the student body. Ms. Hong and administration should be willing and ready to participate in a lively and frank discussion. It is only fair that students are informed of problems on their campus. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Charles Parsons ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in English literature.
