Do-Rags, Sagging Pants Banned in New Morehouse Dress Code

Morehouse College, the historically black all-male college in Atlanta, wants its students to adhere to a dress code.

Morehouse President Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Jr. is implementing the code starting today as part of his "Five Wells: well read, well spoken, well-traveled, well dressed and well balanced."

The "well dressed" portion of the creed includes things like not wearing do-rags outside of residence halls, no sunglasses in class, no jeans at major programs, no pajamas outside of the dorm, no dental grills, no women's garb and my personal favorite: no sagging.

"Each student must promote and portray a positive image and properly represent themselves and the college," the notice says.

The changes don't seem to be too radical. In fact, most of them seem like common sense.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of seeing young boys' dirty boxers and people walking down the street in pajamas. How lazy is that? I can't believe people are so busy that they can't throw on a pair of pants or shorts before leaving their homes. (Note: For the woman walking on St. Nicholas Avenue last Wednesday, those light blue pants with yellow birds were clearly pajamas.)Unfortunately, not everyone grows up with a parent like mine. I couldn't imagine trying to walk out of my house in my PJs. If my mother found out I tried to wear sunglasses in class I would have been punished. Part of Morehouse's mission should be to teach young men about how the decisions you make reflect on you. Wearing do-rags all the time and pajamas outside send the message that you don't care about your appearance.

I'm all for freedom of expression. I don't expect all Morehouse students to walk around dressed like Farnsworth Bentley, but it's not too much to ask students to put on slacks and a collared shirt, and even a tie, for a few programs per year.

According to a Facebook discussion on the topic, Morehouse students have not been taken seriously by visitors due to their appearance:

"The feeling I'm getting from the younger alum, that I was unaware of, is that there are a significant number of students dressing like Miss Jay from 'America's Next Top Model' or Lil' Wayne all the time," wrote Robert A. Brown.

Morehouse is not alone in its dress code mandate: A couple of years ago, Michael Sorrell, the president of HBCU Paul Quinn College in Dallas, also felt that students could not be taken seriously because of their attire and ordered a dress code.

Sorrell's premise was "...if you're not used to dressing in business casual, how can you make the transition to life after school?" Students initially resisted, but according to FoxNews.com, "the kids we talked to on campus say they're on board -- they look and feel better."

While I agree with Morehouse, I think the policy needs a little more clarification. As some pointed out on Facebook, designations of casual, modest casual and business casual need to be refined. Care should also be taken to protect the freedoms of those who might be discriminated against because their dress may be seen as not masculine enough.

There's nothing wrong with teaching students, though, about how the decisions they make affect how people view them. Students must also learn that they can't do everything they want to do all the time. I like relaxing at home in my Sean John lounge wear, but that's the only place you'll ever catch me wearing it.