IF YOU weren't hiding under a rock last week, you reveled in the plummeting career of Britney Spears. The pop princess came strutting on stage at the MTV Music Video Awards in little more than her undergarments for what was a truly pathetic performance. In the midst of all the hoopla and backlash, I was surprised to hear so many different media outlets and peers lament the star's inappropriate attire. With this heightened awareness, I observed the dress around Grounds and concluded that, in some cases, University students are not much better.
When it comes to student attire, we need to be more mindful of our dress and the effect it has on our community. To display respect for the self and others, taking note of our appearance is essential.I wish self policing were the answer, but during the years of our immaturity, and given the cultural currents that encircle us, our own judgement often fails to uphold a respectful dress code. Poor dress is born of carelessness or low self-esteem; neither qualities are laudable and the University should seek to discourage them where feasible.
I hope that as University students we all consider the classroom the essential and primary purpose of our college days. Wearing improper dress, like pajamas or jeans that expose your backside, displays very little respect for the classroom. We turn off our cell phones, put down the newspaper, and cease talking once the professor begins to lecture, but often we think very little about how our appearance might disturb the learning environment. To display our collective respect for the classroom, a sensible student dress code should be in effect and enforceable by professors and University administrators.
A progressive attitude on the matter does not demand that fewer clothes be worn. Of course none of us want to be bound up in capricious, conservative rules, but in this matter, common sense calls for moderation. We certainly do not need guys in ties and girls in pearls in every class, but modest and appropriately casual clothing are called for in a classroom setting. Showing up to class in pajamas or obviously lewd garments displays a kind of disregard for the sanctity of the classroom. Quite simply, a student wearing pajamas or excessively short, tight, or see-through garments should be asked to leave the class for that day. If students can't show enough respect for the classroom and adhere to those simple guidelines than they ought not to show up.
Many students at the University dress in clothes that are both modest and display a high regard for the classroom; in fact, visitors often note how exceptionally well-dressed the student body is. But just because the general perception is favorable, we are not exempt from holding ourselves to the highest standards while in the classroom. When indiscretion is let flourish at the margin, it affects what becomes more generally acceptable tomorrow.
Most places in this country have a dress code. Dress codes, far from being arbitrary or authoritarian, uphold respect for a serious environment. If you get a professional job you are expected to dress a certain way. If you volunteer at the University hospital you cannot wear jeans and must look professional, but when you enter a place of learning at the University, there are no expectations. There are conventions governing our image in almost every arena of life. But there are almost no rules governing the way we dress at the University beyond indecent exposure rules applicable by law.A student may show up looking like they just rolled out of bed or like they are ready to go bar hopping.
Tight, low, revealing and scandalous clothes are often meant to draw attention from the opposite sex; such intentions do not belong in the classroom. In a classroom setting women need to be especially weary of their attire and the image they portray. If female students want to be taken seriously as intellectual equals, playing up one's sex appeal is the worst avenue possible. By the same token, however, both sexes should have enough respect for the classroom to take note of their appearance and avoid wearing pajamas.
The University sets priorities in so many other ways. From dictating curriculum requirements to insisting that all first year students live on-Grounds, it is not as if rules governing our behavior are foreign. Administrative policies influence the kind of institution the University is and will become. Why then does the administration back off from setting priorities when it comes to students' appearance? This weakness lies in the tendency to ignore any policy that could be deemed as a value judgement. When I contacted several deans about the issue of a dress code, they did not know of any policy, nor why one does not exist. Since the administration is not likely to flex its muscles, professors who want to improve the atmosphere of their class and demand respect from their students ought to implement their own policy. Stated on syllabi should be guidelines for students entering their classroom.
Of course, authoritarian rules micro-managing the length of students' hair or insisting on uniforms are neither feasible nor desirable, but sensible policies that demonstrate our collective respect for the classroom are essential. All of us wish to be good students of this university, to represent it well and to respect it. Dressing with respect for ourselves, our peers, and our professors is a good place to start.
Christa Byker is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at cbyker@cavalierdaily.com.
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