Just a general comment about this issue. It’s been almost 10 years since I graduated from high school and my dream was to go to Spelman College. I remember thinking how great it would be to not only go to a school that bred successful, intelligent, strong black women, but also to share that environment with a school who did the same for black men. Morehouse was that school. The reputation that Morehouse had, even back then, was that it created Black Male Leaders, which is something that our communities desperately need. I REFUSE to believe that even though times have changed, the core values of Morehouse have changed along with them. Out of Morehouse came the Barack Obamas, the Martin Luthers, the Malcolm Xs (not saying they went there); serious black men with a vision of bettering themselves and the communities around them. How serious would we take those men if they stood before us in Jimmy Choos, 7 skinny jeans, a gucci bag and candy apple red lipstick? Not serious at all. Men should dress with some finesse, a sense of pride and self respect. I disagree that this dress code is limiting self expression but rather expanding the possibilities that these men have later in life. There have yet to be a CEO of any successful company (black or white) that have dressed in women’s clothing. Men don’t dress like men anymore, with care in their appearance or even with how they are viewed. I think that it needs to be brought back to that. I applaud Morehouse for taking that stand.

Seriously, I just caught the Holy Spirit with this statement.

I had to de-lurk just to e-high five you!

I need you to get out of my head. Like, seriously. I was just writing a post in my head about black folks’ obsession with image.

Thank you for being one of the voices of reason in this otherwise disappointing thread. As a black girl who went to a PWI, I am quite thankful I was allowed the freedom to rock a hoodie and pajama bottoms when I was running late for a PoliSci test.

Though I’ve always respected HBCUs, the myopia of certain institutions has left me baffled. I’m not a fan of hella saggy jeans and gold fronts, but I’m pretty sure that the kids running around in them today won’t be doing it five to 10 years from now. But hey, it’s all about make ourselves palatable to the mainstream–the same mainstream that was rocking Coed Naked tees and sk8er shorts when I was in college 10 years ago.

So rather than a top-down approach (that will draw nothing but backlash) try a skills course to introduce these kids to what they need to wear and when.

This feels an awful lot like code switching, and these young’ins are not being taught to code switch. You rock casual/hip hop/ etc attire on your time. You rock the conservative attire on your paycheck plantation’s time.

I like to look at effects. I can see students who are on the fence about Morehouse going elsewhere. College is the wrong place to be exclusionary. What do I know I attended a PWI for undergrad and grad school.

http://rodonline.typepad.com/rodonli…arty_101_.html
The (Very Very Gay) Men of Morehouse

“There’s a very gay underculture at Morehouse.” Karsh reminisces about his collegiate years at the nation’s only all-male, historically black college, taking aim at the school’s reputation as bastion of masculinity and homophobia. “We were everywhere. The Glee Club was heavily gay, faculty, staff, students. … You basically had to walk around with hands over your eyes not to notice the gays on campus. But many straight students and faculty refuse to aknowledge the gays.”

Karsh’s report is interesting because the gay element at Morehouse has always been minimized. For generations, the school has promoted itself as a training ground for future, black, straight male leaders. That veneer was somewhat chipped away in November 2003 when junior Gregory Love was viciously attacked by sophmore Aaron Price. The junior was beaten with a bat because Price thought Love made a pass at him. Morehouse’s response to the incident was slow and possibly inadequate. Karsh says the undercurrent of homophobia at Morehouse might be in retaliation against some of the more obvious gay students—he recalls “numerous dorm room orgies” that could be seen or heard from hallways. Now that’s a new definition of student bodies.

And precisely what does an “upstanding citizen look like”? Or rather what does an upstanding citizen NOT look like?? And why are black people okay with playing into that stereotype???

I also think black people are notorious for focusing too much energy on appearances rather than actual substance. That’s the issue I take with this policy….
Teach the kids early….you got to make the white man comfortable if you want to get ahead in this country….Why not teach the kids about forging their own paths instead of teaching them to follow the paths set out by the people who don’t even really want us there anyway.

But as a private institution of course Morehouse has every right to enforce any policy they want to. I’ve been out of college for a minute but I still follow a dress code of sorts at my job….thus is life…so maybe that’s a lesson the kids need to learn. We don’t live in a utopia where you aren’t judged by your outward appearances … at least not yet…maybe never.