Hampton Business School Sticks by Requirement for "Conservative" Hairstyles

By Ieesha Mckinzie
Black College Wire

Photo credit: Corey Smith/Hampton Script Vincent Vaughn said his new look helped him land a summer internship.

It's been almost a year since Vincent Vaughn, a five-year MBA major at Hampton University, shaved off his dreadlocks. He said his new look helped him land a summer internship with Ernst & Young.

When it comes to preparing students for success in the corporate world, Dean Sid Credle said the Hampton School of Business covers everything they need to know from head to toe. For five-year master's of business administration majors at Hampton University, some of the emphasis is on what covers their heads.

"Braids, dreadlocks and other unusual hairstyles are not acceptable," according to the syllabus for a Leadership Application Program.

Despite criticism he has weathered in recent weeks, Credle said he stands by the code and said a more clean-cut look can be an asset to almost any student seeking advancement in the corporate world.

In fact, he said, the national attention has been more positive than some might think.

"More people know where Hampton is and know about our program and what we're trying to do here," Credle said.

The program is one of the required courses in the five-year MBA curriculum.

The course covers basic research, planning and management skills, and requires students to take part in weekly seminars with business professionals.

Some 164 students enrolled in the business administration program. Of that number, 147 are five-year MBA students.

Credle said the strict hair-and-grooming policies were implemented as a part of a conceptual program for the five-year MBA majors in 2000.

Sean Linder was forced to take alternative classes after refusing to cut his hair.

Critics have called the code a way of making African Americans assimilate to Caucasian standards. "To categorically deny males the right to wear dreads or braids smacks of cultural suffocation," columnist Jenice Armstrong wrote in the Philadelphia Daily News.

"Just because a guy cuts his hair every two weeks, it doesn't mean he's not representing African Americans," Credle countered.

"Look at people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X . . . even Russell Simmons. None of these people had braids," Credle said.

"You can wear your hair however you want to, but be prepared to accept the outcome," Credle said. "I want the best for them. Our job as educators is to teach our students at the highest levels."

Credle said most students have not had a problem with the conservative policy. "There are more people outside the university that are making this a big issue than inside the university," Credle said.

Vaughn, a senior, said he was opposed to the rule at first, but eventually made the tough decision to shave the dreadlocks he had been growing since freshman year.

"It took three years to grow and two seconds to cut off," Vaughn said, recalling the day he lost his locks.

It's been nearly a year since he made the cut on Valentine's Day 2005, which was also his birthday.

The Arlington, Va., native recently landed a summer internship with Ernst & Young. He said it was highly likely that his new look helped him land the position at the Fortune 500 company.

"At the time when I cut it, I figured there has to be some sacrifice in order to progress," said Vaughn, explaining that people in corporate America often have trouble seeing past a person's appearance.

The 21-year-old said he doesn't think every man should follow in his footsteps. "I say make a choice for yourself," he said. "This semester, someone was kicked out of the classroom. I think they took it to the next level, which was denying somebody the education they pay for."

Vaughn was referring to sophomore Sean Linder. The Philadelphia native said he was asked to leave the classroom for violating the hair policy as stated in the syllabus. His shoulder-length individual twists were considered unacceptable for attending seminars, he said.

"Last year, I had my hairstyle as it is now, in twists, and I was asked to sit in the back of the room. I noticed everyone back there had ethnic hairstyles," Linder said.

After refusing to sit in the back of class during a seminar, Linder said he was asked to leave.

According to the syllabus for all sections of the LAP course, "Students who do not comply with the Dress Code will not be allowed to attend (seminars) and will not receive any credit for attempted attendance."

Linder understood he was "not complying" with the dress code, but was mostly worried about passing the course.

"One of my concerns was not getting credit for class," he said.

His worries were short-lived because his professor offered him alternative activities in place of attending the seminars.

Linder said he was left with two choices: cut his hair or complete the additional assignments and activities to make up for missing the seminars. He decided to do extra work.

Although Linder's hairstyle does not serve a religious purpose, he said it was very important to him.

"It was a decision I made sophomore year of high school. It was just a reaffirmation of my Native American and African American heritage," he said.

Chris Roy, a junior marketing major, said he respects a person's right to individuality, but prefers a more conservative look for himself. He said his clean-cut style has helped him land internships at Macy's in Atlanta and at Sprial Communications in California. Roy agreed with Credle that African Americans need to be a step ahead of their competition, even if it means sacrificing a hairstyle.

"Even though we made a lot of progress as far as social norms, I still think dreads or a 'fro will make it more difficult to be viewed in the same light as an applicant that fits the mold," the Chesapeake, Va., native said. "Your hair has nothing to do with your intelligence, but there are preconceptions that people may have about you."

Roy, who wants to work in marketing sales upon graduating, said that when it comes to his career, he will not let his hair be a hindrance.

"I've considered having cornrows, but I figured what's the point of growing it out if I have to cut it for an internship," he said. "In the career path I've chosen, braids are not an option."

Linder disagreed. He said he interned with Price Waterhouse Coopers through the Inroads program, which develops and places talented minority youth in business and industry. His twists were not an issue with his employers.

He said the LAP seminar's hair policy is more than a rule, it is a way of making African Americans assimilate to the mainstream standards "what is professional and what is not."

"I don't believe that a program at an HBCU should be supporting that type of cultural discrimination. I think they should promote people who maintain ethnic hairstyles," Linder said.

Credle said he promotes students expressing their ethnicity, but called it a sign of respect for students to have a conservative look when in a business setting. The seminars are usually followed by receptions, giving students opportunities to network with corporate professionals. If a student looks unkempt or sloppy, Credle said, it can leave a negative impression. "Braids and cornrows could set you back," Credle said. "The first thing they (interviewers) see is your appearance."

Tuesday Tibbs, a junior, agreed with Credle's viewpoint and said she follows the "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" philosophy when it comes to the five-year MBA program and its policies.

"The Leadership Application Program is a simulation of the real business world," the Baltimore native said. "I think it's important that men have a clean-cut look."

Linder said he did not plan on cutting his hair anytime soon and would continue to perform alternative assignments to get credit for the LAP courses. He maintained that he respects his school from an academic standpoint, but does not agree that students should have to change their hair or anything else as a requirement for a class.

"It is the responsibility of the program to inform us of anything that may hinder us in the business world," Linder said. "As long as they educate us, it is our decision."

Ieesha Mckinzie, a student at Hampton University, is editor in chief of the Hampton Script.

Posted March 27, 2006