New Morehouse College Policy Bans Sagging
 

From: AllHipHop.com
> [mailto:alerts@ allhiphop. com]
Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 8:00 PM

Subject: New Morehouse College Policy Bans Sagging

In an attempt to eliminate “inappropriate attire,” prestigious HBCU and private institution Morehouse College has adopted a policy that bans sagging and other styles associated with Hip-Hop culture. The “Appropriate Attire Policy” initiative is the product of Morehouse President Michael Franklin, who is seeking to reestablish what he’s coined as the modern “Renaissance Man.”

That individual, Franklin states, possesses the “5 Wells” of being well-spoken,
well-read, well-traveled, well-dressed, and well-balanced. Sagging is said to
have originated in the penal system, where prisoners were unable to keep their pants up due to belt confiscations to prevent suicides and murder. Although viewed as a style for juveniles, some prominent Hip-Hop artists in their 30s and 40s still utilize sagging in videos, concert, and award show appearances. Along with the new sagging ban, students will not be allowed to sport any form of grillz, do-rags, hats, “stunna shades,” hoods, or pajamas to class.

For the full story or to comment log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/new.../21997091.aspx

What are your thoughts? My friends who attended and graduated from The House' would agree with the new policy.

At first I thought this said it banned "shagging." Randy, baby!! Carry on. :p

debated this on my chapter's listserv:

i support it. as much as i support people's individuality, i am a big proponent of dress codes and uniforms. i feel some kinda way about cutting locs being "highly encouraged." but that's been a debate in the corporate/academic arena forever.

i always thought wearing pjs to class was gross. you cant take 10 minutes to change your clothes and put real shoes on? and then you take the germs from outside and bring them to your room and bed? nasty.

ETA: i thnk i need to read the commentary and the actual dress code a little more closely, then i'll come back to this.

Elizabeth Gates expresses my opposition to this better than I ever could. Frank Leon Roberts, too.

And no, just because it is a private college does NOT mean it can "do anything it wants."

^^^OMG i went to school with Frank! love him and miss him!

I read both articles. They were both good articles, but I disagree. While being a private school does not allow Morehouse to do anything that they want they can do almost anything they want. The dress code definitely falls in to that arena to me. While as a student I am staunchly opposed to uniforms I have no problems with dress codes as some things are inappropriate.
To suggest that Morehouse's banning women's clothing (and other items) is "nothing short of a reversal of the ethical sensibility of Dr. King, who warned us repeatedly about the ruse of the exterior (color, gender, etc.) over the more substantive interior (intelligence, character, integrity)." [Roberts] is absurd. Race and Gender are not in any way equal to clothing. Discriminating against someone based on something they have NO choice in is entirely different from preventing someone from wearing inappropriate attire (at a private place of business no less).
The issue of the dress code is not a limitation of the rights of a person (it is a limitation on their freedom to dress as they please). It seeks to bring order to the classroom and campus. If you're going to mold the leading men of tomorrow then it is your duty to ensure that they know how and when to dress properly. If a man goes for an interview at any leading company in a dress and pumps I am quite sure he will meet disapproval. In presenting himself he also represents Morehouse as that would be where he attends or attended school. It would make Morehouse look bad as well. The point is that the classroom is a place of business and the school has the right to create rules and policies that govern it as such (as do all private entities).

As to the issue of discouraging young black men who would like to express themselves via wearing women's clothes or other clothes that are inappropriate I think it should be discouraged in the class room only. Anything that is to the detriment of others is typically forbidden and I think that is fair. Sitting in class with a man in a dress and heels is distracting for everyone in the room. Because it is detrimental to the purpose of the school it should not be allowed.
My problem with this is that I do not feel the university is doing enough to express that anything done on your own time is fine. By banning the dresses and women's wear it does seem to some to be giving an OK for others to ridicule men who express themselves that way. The University should make it known that it has no problem with students wearing these items outside of the classroom as a precaution and as a show of support for individuality of its students when it doesn't interfere with the purpose of the university.

I am not ignoring the fact that homophobia is real and harmful. The men at Morehouse have the double whammy of being in the south and in a black community two of the most notoriously homophobic groups. The reality is that a great many of Morehouse's affiliates have negative views on homosexuality and some of that has compelled the recent dress code change. I do not however believe that their expression of their homophobia (via the dress code) was unjust or unwarranted. I do not mean to say that their homophobia is warranted or just because it could never be. I mean that though their homophobia is disgusting and unfortunate it has not caused a detriment to those who it intended to. The dress code, while likely created by homophobes, is reasonable. It has been cloaked by the addition of Du-rags, pj's, and other items, but I do recognize that it is there. The fight against homophobia will never be won if this dress code (and things like it) is used as the example because it is justified.

The Policy
 

Morehouse College Appropriate Attire Policy
October 2009


It is our expectation that students who select Morehouse do so because of the College’s outstanding legacy of producing leaders. On the campus and at College-sponsored events and activities, students at Morehouse College will be expected to dress neatly and appropriately at all times.

Students who choose not to abide by this policy will be denied admission into class and various functions and services of the College if their manner of attire is inappropriate. Examples of inappropriate attire and/or appearance include but are not limited to:

http://brooklynboyblues.blogspot.com...leges-new.html

• No caps, do-rags and/or hoods in classrooms, the cafeteria, or other indoor venues. This policy item does not apply to headgear considered as a part of religious or cultural dress.
  
• Sun glasses or “shades” are not to be work in class or at formal programs, unless medical documentation is provided to support use.
  
• Decorative orthodontic appliances (e.g. “grillz”) be they permanent or removable, shall not be worn on the campus or at College-sponsored events.
  
• Jeans at major programs such as, Opening Convocation, Commencement, Founder’s Day or other programs dictating professional, business casual attire, semi-formal or formal attire.
  
• Clothing with derogatory, offense and/or lewd messages either in words or pictures.
• Top and bottom coverings should be work at all times. No bare feet in public venues.
  
• No sagging—the wearing of one’s pants or shorts low enough to reveal undergarments or secondary layers of clothing.
  
• Pajamas, shall not be worn while in public or in common areas of the College.
  
• No wearing of clothing associated with women’s garb (dresses, tops, tunics, purses, pumps, etc.) on the Morehouse campus or at College-sponsored events.
  
• Additional dress regulations may be imposed upon students participating in certain extracurricular activities that are sponsored or organized by the College (e.g. athletic teams, the band, Glee Club, etc).

The college reserves the right to modify this policy as deemed appropriate.
*All administrative, faculty, students and support staff members are asked to assist in enforcing this policy and may report disregard or violations to the Office of Student Conduct. "

Sorry to bust in on this thread, but I'd like some clarification from you guys. I am not in any way being snide or flippant- I would really like some opinions.

I read these articles and cannot understand the argument put forth by Roberts. I would like to know how simply because an institution is banning wear that, while somewhat popular and a "cultural fashion" (as Roberts puts it), it is bringing racism into question. The quote by Roberts: "The idea that young black men on college campuses are so developmentally arrested that the only way that they can distinguish between what to wear in the classroom vs. what to wear in "corporate America" is by prohibiting them from wearing sagging jeans at all times, is not only absolutely ridiculous, it’s also quite racist."

Why can't this policy be viewed as simply dressing appropriately? Why does it have to be about racism?

If the new trend for girls entailed some sort of shirt where there was a big shape cut out of the front of the shirt and the front of the girl's bra was in plain view, it would be rational for school officials to tell students to go home and change before wearing something that inappropriate to class. Or if they wore a skirt so short that their undewear was literally sticking out one way or another. I kind of view it as the same thing. I don't view it as conformity, but as an institution of higher learning trying to help their students along by introducing cultural aspects of the world known as "after college". I see it as Morehouse trying to get their students to put their best foot forward in everything that they do, including dress. While I agree with MLK Jr. about his comments that people should see others for what they are inside, and not the outside, unfortunately that is not the case. We will always harbor an injust view of a person (no matter how slight) due to the way that they look. However, I don't think that it is racist- I think it happens across every community. Maybe I'm just naive, but I guess what's why I'm asking for your views.

I agree with what Morehouse is doing. It's enough that so many young Black men don't utilize the opportunity to get a higher education but it says something when an institution has to make a rule to TEACH them how to dress appropiately in order to be successful in whatever career choice they make.

And with them banning men from wearing dresses, well, if they don't like the rule, transfer.

...or sue for discrimination.

I'm OK with all except the bolded - so theyre pretty much saying no crossdressing. Seems very "don't ask, don't tell" to me. or am i being a captain obvious?

i dunno, unless i'm missing something, im still OK with the dress code. i think college, in general, teaches you a thing or two about growing up and how to appropriately dress for the occasion. I think it's totally OK to set a code for classes, academic buildings (including the library) and official University events (where image is key and you represent a university standard, from the President down to the mailroom staff and security guards) but i think study areas, dining halls, and other casual campus venues could be a little more lax.

Does Spelman have a similar code, in particular, not wearing clothing associated with men's garb (fedoras, ties, etc)?

Yes. That right there. Even when I was in undergrad, there were certain professors that had some 'unspoken rules' about how to come prepared for class. Some were even more outspoken and I even witnessed one dean in my freshman year have a student leave because he insisted on wearing his grillz to class.

Some things you should know to do in your spare time and some you should know to bring to a professional environment.

I disagree. "Don't ask, don't tell" deals with sexual orientation. Sexual orientation and crossdressing (or transgenderism and transsexualism, for that matter) are not the same thing. Therefore, asking young men not to wear women's clothes isn't regulating who they are attracted to.

I agree with the rest of your post, except that the dresscode should pertain to everywhere on campus except maybe inside the residence halls. Laxing the dresscode beyond that will make it impossible to enforce without security measures that will be blasted in the media.

I think the real conflict is that people see college campuses as places of free expression and self-exploration. Most private and public institutions have always found ways, perhaps more subtle than a dresscode, to keep the more "distracting" modes of expression in control.

Morehouse's policy may just have bad timing and come as a surprise to those who enjoyed an all-male atmosphere where they could wear really baggy clothes or a woman's tunic. Advertising the assistance of an 11 year old didn't calm the naysayers, either. Hampton Univ. and other institutions didn't wait for shit to hit the fan to take a critical look at its policies. Give Morehouse's dresscode a few years and it will become ingrained in the college culture with much less hooplah.

Even jewelry wearing has a code - you wouldnt wear an iced out jesus piece to an interview or to church, right? Similarly, one wouldnt wear a string of pearls to the club.

Grillz (i love that its only spelled correctly with a "z") aren't ever appropriate, unless you have a cameo in a music video below the Mason-Dixon line.

I went to the hoodest of high schools and while im hardly the troublemaker, i got sent home once for a headscarf. My hair was a wreck that day, it just wasnt happening. His response?

"Is school not important enough to attempt to be presentable for your peers and teachers?"

My 16-year-old self argued, but the now-25-year-old me totally gets it. If you felt the need to take your braids out halfway, then come to class, your priorities are elsewhere. Handle that and come back.

LOL