HBCU Dress Codes


Nonchalant

Nonchalant

Hail, Hail To Thee...
A lot of times we preach to prospective students how HBCUs provide nurturing environments that mold future leaders. What are your thoughts on your school adopting a semi-professional/professional dress code?

I just saw this video pop up on my Facebook news feed, posted by Dillard University's new president Walter Kimbrough:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GAPEvag3QgE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I got blasted on this back when I first joined the board, but again I say I agree with it, especially in specific majors. However, it is much harder to do across the board at a public institution, which we found out in 2007 (unless it is apart of a faculty members curriculum). It is much easier if the administration pitches the idea to the student leaders and them to make it "cool" and encourage their peers rather than making it mandatory from an administrative standpoint. Kudos to Dr. Kimbrough!
 



Sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe I am getting old but a suit worn correctly has an aura about it. It can force pants up to the waste and hide tatoos that were improtu dares. Every School of Business and Education should do this first class of each month.
 
Damn didn't know Kimbrough is at Dilliard now. Damn i wanted him at Grambling once Dr. Pogue stepped down.
 
At JSU College of Business, you had to wear a suit or dress/business suits once a week to class. If you took Dr. Porterfield, you wasn't coming in the room without that suit. Once I got to corporate, I really appreciated it. Especially with me going out to recruit students for my department...it's definitely impressionable for companies on your campus.
 
Last edited:
I am all for it. They also need to add in at least two speech classes. That ebonics talk has these kids thinking everyone talks like that. :shame:
 
A shirt and tie everyday maybe but a full suit... man, that too much dayum money at the dry cleaners lol... Ninjas would be trying to wash their suits in the campus laundry mats.
 
Clarksdale_Wildcat said:
At JSU College of Business, you had to wear a suit or dress/business suits once a week to class. If you took Dr. Porterfield, you wasn't coming in the room without that suit. Once I got to corporate, I really appreciated it. Especially with me going out to recruit students for my department...it's definitely impressionable for companies on your campus.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I wasn't a Business major but when I took classes in the CFM building those students always stood out. Now over in the math department it was a different subject. Sweat pants, jeans, and/or tee shirts. If someone had one khakis we were looking at him like, "why you so dressed up"!? :emlaugh:

I think a basic dress code is appropriate such as no sagging pants, holy jeans, short shorts, too tight dresses, too short dresses or low cut shirts. That should be enforced every day for every student.

As far as business suits...leave that for the business majors. There's nothing wrong with a student wearing jeans, sweats, tee shirts, or hoodies to class. :tup:
 
southsuburbs said:
Pretty much. I wasn't a Business major but when I took classes in the CFM building those students always stood out. Now over in the math department it was a different subject. Sweat pants, jeans, and/or tee shirts. If someone had one khakis we were looking at him like, "why you so dressed up"!? :emlaugh:

I think a basic dress code is appropriate such as no sagging pants, holy jeans, short shorts, too tight dresses, too short dresses or low cut shirts. That should be enforced every day for every student.

As far as business suits...leave that for the business majors. There's nothing wrong with a student wearing jeans, sweats, tee shirts, or hoodies to class. :tup:
Click to expand...

As a former student at an HBCU full of some of the finest women on Earth, I vehemently disagree!! :tdown: :lol:
 
I think the dress code should be for men only. Women should be allowed to dress loose and freely. Actually the less the better. It is really appreciated. :tup:
 
At Howard if you were in the school of business and didn't wear a suit to certain classes it'd actually count against your grade. The same went for braids on men, long fingernails, etc and the professors would actually check you as you came into the class. I think Hampton also just adopted this policy.
 
I'm not a fan of it. Some students are from families where this type of dress may not be in their budget. Now we want them to go into more debt to buy suits to wear to class? Shirt, tie and slacks/khaki's for presentations I'm cool with, but not as a requirement.
 
No offense but you can get a cheap suit at 1,000 different places for $100 or less. And if you can come up with the dough for college it's quite likely you can come up with the dough to get ONE suit. Hell at the different schools I went to I can't recall seeing any students that had to walk around in a white tee and flannel shorts everyday. I did see plenty that didn't mind blowing money on Jordans, Air Max, timbs and all kinds of other nonsense. I wasn't ballin myself but it wasn't that hard to get a suit lol...a little dramatic with the "going into debt" to get a suit thing. And if you want to be realistic about it, if you look at the success rate and the partnerships that colleges and universities that do this have with major corporations in relation to those that don't... I don't think anyone would even try to argue against it.
 
There was a guy I was in school with that had a pack of white t-shirts, a couple of pairs of jeans, and some reeboks. When he had to do presentations, some people donated him some clothes.
 



Didn't know Kimbrough (06) was at Dillard. Thought he was still at Philander.

But I digress...

I agree with the dress code.
 
Why Hampton University Dreads Locs: Business School Bans Cornrows and Dreadlocks For Male Students


http://madamenoire.com/208229/why-h...ns-cornrows-and-dreadlocks-for-male-students/

It seems that in order to get through the business school’s five year MBA program, male students have to ditch the cornrow look and even locs. According to the ABC affiliate in Virginia, the dean of the business school in Hampton, Sid Credle, stands by the ban, which started in 2001, and says by having it, more of his students have been able to land real world jobs they’ve studied hard for. “We’ve been very successful. We’ve placed more than 99 percent of the students who have graduated from this school, this program.” A spokesperson for the school by the name of Naima Ford also said, “These students choose to be in this program and aspire to be leaders in the business world. We model these students after the top African-Americans in the business world.”
 
southsuburbs said:
Why Hampton University Dreads Locs: Business School Bans Cornrows and Dreadlocks For Male Students


http://madamenoire.com/208229/why-h...ns-cornrows-and-dreadlocks-for-male-students/

It seems that in order to get through the business school’s five year MBA program, male students have to ditch the cornrow look and even locs. According to the ABC affiliate in Virginia, the dean of the business school in Hampton, Sid Credle, stands by the ban, which started in 2001, and says by having it, more of his students have been able to land real world jobs they’ve studied hard for. “We’ve been very successful. We’ve placed more than 99 percent of the students who have graduated from this school, this program.” A spokesperson for the school by the name of Naima Ford also said, “These students choose to be in this program and aspire to be leaders in the business world. We model these students after the top African-Americans in the business world.”
Click to expand...

I have a cousin at Hampton who told me about this. Some students batched about it but most of them were all for it.
 
cat daddy said:
I'm not a fan of it. Some students are from families where this type of dress may not be in their budget. Now we want them to go into more debt to buy suits to wear to class? Shirt, tie and slacks/khaki's for presentations I'm cool with, but not as a requirement.
Click to expand...

I have said this before. It isn't really that hard to dress nice for less, especially if you are in the city. My chapter partnered with Beta Up (KAY) to do a dress for success session when I was in undergrad. One of the Kappas did his spill on how he would buy a copy of GQ each season and head to the Goodwill near the Galleria and purchased his suits, jackets, blazers, and ties. After that, he would have a chick to tailor them for him for cheap. Most of the stuff at the Goodwill in that area had barely been worn. Dude was dressed everyday we had class together. Even as a professional he still does this and he just left a relatively high profile position for the City of Houston to start law school. I know that's not everyone ones thing beyond college, but as a college student I actually admired him and lot it was smart.
 
Last edited:
Jax said:
I have a cousin at Hampton who told me about this. Some students batched about it but most of them were all for it.
Click to expand...

When I first started at Howard I had braids and caught flack from the professors about it EVERYDAY. It got to the point where I just cut em lol
 
southsuburbs said:
Why Hampton University Dreads Locs: Business School Bans Cornrows and Dreadlocks For Male Students


http://madamenoire.com/208229/why-h...ns-cornrows-and-dreadlocks-for-male-students/

It seems that in order to get through the business school’s five year MBA program, male students have to ditch the cornrow look and even locs. According to the ABC affiliate in Virginia, the dean of the business school in Hampton, Sid Credle, stands by the ban, which started in 2001, and says by having it, more of his students have been able to land real world jobs they’ve studied hard for. “We’ve been very successful. We’ve placed more than 99 percent of the students who have graduated from this school, this program.â€￾ A spokesperson for the school by the name of Naima Ford also said, “These students choose to be in this program and aspire to be leaders in the business world. We model these students after the top African-Americans in the business world.â€￾
Click to expand...

I am not buying this. While the intent might be rooted in prepping students for the corporate world, the real reason cornrows and braids are frowned up (especially for men) is because those styles are perceived to be associated with criminal behavior or rebellious lifestyle. Cats wearing those do's are stereotyped as a result. In the back of folks minds dude rocking cornrows or braids must be thugs or shady characters. People will not admit it but...
 
kendrick said:
I am not buying this. While the intent might be rooted in prepping students for the corporate world, the real reason cornrows and braids are frowned up (especially for men) is because those styles are perceived to be associated with criminal behavior or rebellious lifestyle. Cats wearing those do's are stereotyped as a result. In the back of folks minds dude rocking cornrows or braids must be thugs or shady characters. People will not admit it but...
Click to expand...

I tell you what you do, grow some cornrows and go to 20 different interviews for a corporate position and see how many callbacks you get.
 
It is about racism. And folk will find any reason to not hire certain folk. Studies have shown that whites with records are more likely to get interviews and call backs than blacks with and without records. Same goes for black sounding names. Racism. Folks should just say do not wear your hair a certain way because makes people uncomfortable and brings about certain perceptions instead of masking a mandate behind something else.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top