Greetings, fellow pilgrims to the Regional Honors Conference! Our search for inner peace will soon turn us toward Baton Rouge, and more importantly, New Orleans (!), land of much Dixieland and Zydeco. Not to mention fine Cajun Cuisine the likes of which you may never taste again. However, we ask that you remember at all times that you represent our Honors Program and our University, and act accordingly. Appropriate behavior includes: No consumption of alcohol, in any form. Period. No matter who you are and how old you are. If the need arises, NyQuil will be administered to cold and flu victims by an approved Honors physician. And the second is like the first: No illicit, illegal, or otherwise unhealthy drugs. Unlike Zeppelin and The Osmonds, Dixieland DOES NOT make sense or otherwise sound better when you're stoned. If and when you sleep, do it in the room you've been assigned to. It's fine to congregate in each other's rooms, but if someone in there needs/would like to sleep, everyone not assigned to that room is asked to leave. Sleeping in other people's rooms tends to have a negative effect on hair length, nail color, and trouser cleanliness (you do know what happens if you put the hand of a sleeping person into a bucket of warm water, don't you? Of course you do....) Get a good night's sleep the night before your presentation. Only spectators are allowed to sleep during presentations. Bus drivers are to be fully rested. Just dont's catch up on your sleep WHILE you're driving. Insurance companies tend to take a dim view of such activities. Please observe proper dress when presenting. Men, please wear a tie. Bow ties and neck ties are acceptable, string and bolo ties are not. Most people like to wear a button-down shirt with a collar when they wear a tie. You should too. Slacks, not jeans. A sport coat or suit is encouraged. Shoes are handy, as are socks. What you wear underneath it all is your own business. And none of this "New Yuppie" look with the tie and baseball cap. Instead of a hat, why not comb your hair for a change? You could even wash it. Women, please wear a dress or skirt/slacks (with a nice blouse, of course. This isn't France.) Please be modest (this goes for the men, too.) Ask yourself "would Madonna (or Prince) wear this?" If the answer is 'yes', might want to choose another ensemble. Men, one more thing: shave. When you're at the conference but not presenting, we ask only that you present a neat, well-groomed appearance. No T-shirts please. Jeans are okay, slacks are still better and are encouraged. And no matter what they say, bell-bottoms are STILL out of style. Again, no hats, please. And on the Seventh Day (Saturday) shalt the trumpets sound and the gates be opened and the people will be loosed upon New Orleans, rejoicing. To forage for Cajun food and Zydeco CD's. Remember the immortal words from ALL I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARDEN "When you go out into the world, hold hands and look both ways." In other words, don't go out alone. At least three to a group. And this is going to sound incredibly sexist (because it is), but there should be at least one fella in every group. The wackos in New Orleans are a different breed from our local variety, but odds are they'll leave you alone if there's a man in the crowd. Please understand, this is for safety's sake. Showers: yes. Pets: no. Pyrotechnic devices: lots of fun, but illegal in many places. Don't bring them. And don't use the excuse that the Holy Hand Grenade is a religious icon. Smokers vs. Non-smokers. We will try put smokers in rooms with smokers and non-smokers in rooms with non-smokers. This may not be possible across the board. If you smoke and your roomie does not, he/she has permission now to spray a fire extinguisher in your general direction. So, just to avoid making a mess, why not respect his/her atmosphere and light up outside? No smoking on the bus. If you spontaneously combust, please stop, drop, and roll. And above all, BE MINDFUL. Or I might have to get medieval on your buttocks.