Should Southern require students to adhere to a dress code?
Having some sort of dress code is understandable, particularly for a Christian university. However, Southern’s dress code is too strict.
Page 60 of the current student handbook explains what students are expected to wear and not wear. Shorts are not allowed to be worn in classroom and tank tops are not to be worn in public at all. As long as the tank tops and shorts are not too revealing, it is silly to not be able to wear those articles of clothing, especially in the 90° degree weather of August and September.
Also, jewelry is not permitted with the exception of medical bracelets and wedding rings. Basically, students cannot wear any bracelets, necklaces, rings or earrings purely for accessorizing. If students are noncompliant with the dress code, they may be fined. For example, a student sporting a pair of ripped jeans or small stud earrings could technically be required to pay money for punishment.
Why do these dress code rules exist? Surprisingly, to some of us, many people do not know how to dress themselves properly. Without certain guidelines, students may strut around campus with pants hanging at their knees or with shirts that have swear words printed on them. Guys may grow facial hair until they look like war general who had rough times in the wilderness. In these cases, some limitations are useful so that students do not dress too wildly.
In the end though, we as students are now adults. We should have the right to wear styles that appeal to us, such as ripped jeans or shirts with sleeves made of sheer fabric. Southern’s dress code should be modified so that its rules are not so rigid.