Morehouse College's New Dress Code

A couple of weeks ago, historically Black male college, Morehouse College, garnered attention when the school instituted a dress code that bans sagging pants, wearing pajamas in public, and the wearing of women's clothes. The ban on cross dressing was perhaps the most controversial portion of the new dress code. Morehouse Senior Cameron Titus applauds the change in a recent CNN.com article in which he states "the policy is just saying that you have to show more respect in how you dress and there are things that are just not acceptable at Morehouse. We have a legacy that we are trying to uphold." On the other hand, some believe that the policy is discriminatory and infringes on the individual rights of the student body.

Morehouse College's reputation is amazing. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Spike Lee are among the distinguished alumni of the college. After living in Atlanta for 13 years and knowing many graduates of Morehouse during my life, I can tell you that Morehouse guards its reputation fiercely and has high expections of its students and their image. In most cases, the students know what to expect as well as the legacy of the college once they become a part of the campus. I think it is okay and perfectly acceptable for a college to have certain standards of behavior and dress, especially a college that is an institution within the nation's Black community. As long as students are aware of the policy, I am not sure that there is a huge issue. Many will paint this policy as a so called example of how the Black community is insensitive to gay people. I completely disagree with this line of thinking. All races and segments of the community need to work equally toward an environment where gay people are treated with greater respect and acceptance- no race has a greater responsibility than the other around this topic. To believe that certain races are less accepting of the gay lifestyle is a distraction and doesn't help the argument.

In the workplace, most companies have dress codes and certain standards of attire that employees must follow. If anything, this will further prepare students for what to expect once they graduate from Morehouse. I applaud Morehouse for taking a stand on this issue and helping to ultimately advance the image of the Black male and male youth.

For more on this issue, please click here for the CNN.com article or click here for an article from TheRoot.com.