Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Morehouse President to Freshmen: ‘Look the part. Act the part. Talk the talk and walk the walk’


Morehouse President to Freshmen: ‘Look the part. Act the part. Talk the talk and walk the walk’: Morehouse could soon join a growing number of university campuses that have instituted dress codes. A handful of public and private campuses, where students once exercised the freedom to dress as they please, have adopted stricter codes of conduct that prohibit sagging jeans, flip-flops and even the wearing of baseball caps inside buildings. While other college campuses such as Paul Quinn College in Dallas and the business school at Illinois State University recently began regulating student attire this fall, Elise Durham, media relations manager at Morehouse College, points out that the school hasn’t officially changed its policy, but has set forth a set of expectations for students. Still, candidates running for Morehouse student government positions are debating the issue, and the school’s new president is also talking about it. Morehouse’s new president, Dr. Robert Michael Franklin Jr., wants to make being smart cool again and put morality at the forefront of the college’s mission. The jackets are the first step in that direction, according to officials. It’s also part of the school’s new, stricter dress and conduct expectations.