I'm going to have to go with Phrozen on this one. Having gone to a big, liberal PWI I LOVED that college was a place to 'bum around' and engross myself in studies and a care-free life. Not everyone is looking for that expereince, though, so when selecting a college it is probably best to select one that works best for you. I have definitely rocked yoga pants and a 'high school graduation class' t-shirt to the library for an all nighter. Personally, I feel rollers and head scarves in public are atrocious, but I doubt that the girl next to me is learning any less than I am because of them.

To say that you won't know how to dress in the professional world if you don't dress up for class is like saying that students who attend HBCUs won't know how to interact with people of other races in the professional world. The logic is weak. I find it hard to believe that anyone in college is really that slow, and even if they are...this is why we dress nicely for presentations, interviews, meetings, etc.

Not necessarily the case. As I have attended our UGs rush activity at a private PWI, where it is known that the attire for such activity is business. Of the interests that come with their "credentials" more than half did not dress in the appropriate business attire. I can remember where one young lady literally looked like she got out of bed from her evening nap to attend. The graduate sorors, graduates of HBCUS AND PWIs were :mad:, to say the least. So, not everyone dresses for the occassion. If one doesn't care about appropriate dress on a regular/daily basis, will they care under "special circumstances"? :confused: Is this because they do not know? they do not care? what? I believe it's the former.

Recently, I had a conversation about how some tend to dress for funerals. Since when are we wearing jeans and t-shirts to funerals? An after-5 affair in jeans. Just because your jeans, shirt and purse are outlined in gold and it's Roca Wear or Phat Pharm does that mean it's appropriate?


As undergraduates, did any of you attend required activities that "taught" you how to dress for certain occassions? cultural activities? Ours were called lyceums, which consisted of 2 courses and throughout the class, we had to attend events. One I really enjoyed was the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Okay, here is where I was about to agree with guidelines for dressing appropriately. I recently went to several weddings of some friends, and was shocked that people would come in jean shorts, t-shirts, etc. The first wedding that I went to, that wasn't family, I was way overdressed in a collared shirt, tie, and khakis. I didn't think that there was anything wrong with the people that didn't dress up, but if I had known that the average person was going to dress that casual, I would have worn some nice jeans and a polo. I looked like I was a really close family friend who knew everybody or something.

As an undergrad mangement student, I took a required course called Career Skills, where the instructor would go over how to interview, build a resume, and function in the coporate world. We were taught the differences between business formal, business casual, and just plain casual. Although most of it seemed obvious, I learned that brown dress shoes are more casual and sporty than black dress shoes. Also, trendy fashions that might be seen as conservative for women, such as gauchos, shrugs and capris, are not appropriate attire at most companies. I was also taught that an expensive Italian suit seen in GQ or Esquire would be considered tacky in a lot of white collar corporations. We watched some pretty funny informative videos as well.

God, I miss college.

Many don't and that was a concern a few years ago.

That's one of the purposes. If you don't like eliteism, apply elsewhere.

Many of the people you respect also care about outside appearance to an extent. That doesn't have to make them superficial. I'm sure you've seen someone dressed less than what you DEEM to be appropriate, in a certain context, and made assumptions of that person. Hell, I've even come across students who don't wash their asses or brush their teeth all day. That's offensive and distracting but based on your logic it's cool as long as it floats their boat and THEY can focus.

Point being, many campuses wish to create certain atmospheres as I previously stated. A school where students walk around barefoot have created a certain type of environment. A school where almost every male student is rocking a doorag and his boxers are showing all the way to his knees, has created a certain type of environment. One student doing it...okay...but 300 students doing it and you've shaped the landscape. So schools are making changes while the "issue" is still a small one so they can socialize students into a campus culture. Then they don't have to do a formal dress code or run around like "doorag nazis."

Whoa now... I never said bad hygeine was okay with me. That is very distracting and can become a health problem for other students. I'd move to another seat in the lecture hall if I encountered bad hygeine. I'm tolerant but I do have limits.

I recently talked with some friends of mine who went to BYU. There, beards are not allowed in addition to a laundry list of other items and activities. To agree with you on something, I can safely say that I would never have applied there, knowing that school's policy.

I'm not saying that all people who care about outside appearance are superficial. But people should mind their own business when it comes to what someone else chooses to wear. If one person can wear a do-rag, head scarve, rain bonnet, hat, turban, etc. then every person should be allowed to do the same. If the university is public, then there should be consistency. A no do-rag rule should apply to both men and women, and be clearly stated in the admissions brochure. It shouldn't be a university's role to socialize students into a campus culture. The students themselves have proven academically and socially that they can function at the school or else they would not have gotten in. The president of a university should be a president; not a parent.

Well, guess what, if you're going to take the time to have GOOD hygiene then you might as well take an extra 5-10 minutes and actually put on something other than pajamas. ;)

Sometimes people do mind their own business. :) Sometimes people don't. :)It depends on context and that's what this thread is about.

A hoodie works just fine with pajama pants. And a do-rag can be applied on the walk to class. For the record, I always wore a hat over my do-rag. But I'm still not taking it off for some bigwig who wants to power trip.

Yeah, some people act like jerks, and some people just hold it in. I wonder if the HBCU mentioned in the first post was public or private. If it was private, most of my rambles are rather moot. Professor, are you still listening, er.. reading?

I think part of the issue is that although a university prepares you for the workplace, it is also where you live. Even if I was a corporate lawyer, nobody could tell me I can't wear a scarf around my yard or in the car on the way to work. The level of control some HBCUs have over what students can do and say and wear 24-7 is insulting. I've been sent back to my room to change because I was wearing jeans to arts events on saturdays that I was attending for personal enjoyment.

LOL. This wording was funny. Did they send you to bed with no dinner, too?

lol...I'm saying though, it isn't that far off! RAs punished their halls by putting people on early curfew for a week (that is, earlier than regular curfew). Come on now, I'm getting grounded by another student??

I'm really curious about that. How does one enforce that policy?

They put sign-in sheets in the lobby. If the curfew was 6:00pm, the sign-in sheet was removed at 6:05 or so. If you lived in the offending hall and your name wasn't on the list, you'd be punished further. A staff member would watch you sign it to make sure you weren't covering for your friends.

That seems rather Orwellian. What would happen if you wanted to sleep at your girlfriend's place, or you had to visit your parents or something? Did the RA's know everything about everyone's personal lives?

If you were on curfew, too bad. In the case of parents there is leeway because parents are the people who pay the school. And the punishments didn't apply to weekends, but if you went somewhere for the weekend you had to sign in letting them know the city and the phone number of who you'd be staying with.