Dress Code Weighed for Howard Communications Students

Students wearing spaghetti straps, halter tops and miniskirts have Howard University's School of Communications calling for a student dress code.

Jannette Dates

"If our students want to be taken seriously, they need to present themselves in a professional manner at all times. I don't want to see your navel and belly jewelry," said Dean Jannette L. Dates. Dates said a dress code would be an asset to the students whether they realize it or not.

"Our students should be prepared for any event without having to worry about their appearance," she said.

Phillip Dixon, Journalism Department chair, spoke similarly. "Journalists should be ready to do their jobs in a moment's notice," he said. "You can't walk into H. Patrick Swygert's office with your stomach out. Students need to get into the habit of being professional," Dixon said, referring to the university president.

These communications school leaders say a lack of professionalism can do more harm than good. Anne Maydan Nicotera, acting chair of the Department of Communication and Culture, said that attire was a part of body language, a vital part of communication.

"Clothing is a communicative artifact and it's the first thing someone notices about you the moment you walk into a room," she said. "An effective first impression is important . . . when trying to communicate." This is true especially when the job market is so competitive and the stakes are high even during internship hunting, she said.

Phillip Dixon

Dr. Rochelle Larkin Ford, who teaches courses in the advertising/public relations sequence, described a recent experience at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., as eye-opening on the difference between Howard and Hampton students.

"Even though it was hot there, the girls weren't showing nearly as much skin as they are here," she said. "There are even signs posted that say 'Please Adhere to the Dress Code' on their campus." Ford said students should not have to wear suits, but should dress respectably.

Some School of Communications students welcome the idea of a dress code.

Jessica Richards, a junior broadcast journalism major, said, "I can't blame administrators for being upset because students should know how to present themselves to their authorities in a respectable manner. How can we expect to be taken seriously as black women with our booty shorts in heavy rotation when we go see professors?"

Students in freshman orientation classes in the School of Business abide by a uniform-like dress code, with black suits for both men and women.

Barron H. Harvey, dean of the School of Business, said, "We teach the students about dress and professionalism as freshmen so when they proceed, they'll have the equipment and they will know how to use it. "

He added, "Our students are representing themselves and the School of Business in interviews, corporate sessions and visits from CEOs." The dean said there was no dress code for other classes, in hopes that the freshman orientation class molded the students to be professionals without one.

Jasmin Washington, a sophomore international business major, agrees.

"This way, we can't go wrong and we're not upsetting anybody who can be a possible asset to our futures," she said. If not taken seriously, she said, a student can miss out on important information if someone is turned off by his or her appearance.

Not all Howard students are as enthusiastic. "The truth is that we are adults," said Koren Webb, a sophomore radio-television-film major.

"If our parents don't tell us what to wear, why should the administration?" In her view, a dress code would not sit well with the student body. "If students have not learned professionalism by now, they can't be taught now," she said.

Dean Dates said she expects to schedule a town hall meeting for students in the School of Communications.

"I want the students there and I want them to speak out . . . even if they disagree, I need to know what kind of students I'm working with," she said

Candace Jones, a student at Howard University, writes for The Hilltop.

Posted Dec. 6, 2003