Anyhoo…I share your concerns about narrowing the halls (and minds) and how policies such as this continue to demonize and marginalize. As we know from Gurin’s work, diversity works for us, not against us. And the greater diversity within (and opportunities for dialogue among), the greater likelihood of enhanced critical thinking. Of course, this is my applying the Michigan work to the Morehouse setting. So the data do not yet speak to this but perhaps it could/would? I’m basing this on my being the expert of my experience as a parent…and what I was thinking could/would happen if I embraced diversity in all of its elements and had open dialogue with my son.

I came back to reread because the policy came up in conversation with a friend recently and the fire within me was re-ignited. Thank you again, Dumi, for writing. Rereading your thoughts calmed my nerves and lowered my ‘pressure.

All the best,
Chula

Anyhoo…I share your concerns about narrowing the halls (and minds) and how policies such as this continue to demonize and marginalize. As we know from Gurin’s work, diversity works for us, not against us. And the greater diversity within (and opportunities for dialogue among), the greater likelihood of enhanced critical thinking. Of course, this is my applying the Michigan work to the Morehouse setting. So the data do not yet speak to this but perhaps it could/would? I’m basing this on my being the expert of my experience as a parent…and what I was thinking could/would happen if I embraced diversity in all of its elements and had open dialogue with my son.

I came back to reread because the policy came up in conversation with a friend recently and the fire within me was re-ignited. Thank you again, Dumi, for writing. Rereading your thoughts calmed my nerves and lowered my ‘pressure.

All the best,
Chula

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue and progress.
Chula

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to fostering dialogue and progress.
Chula

Beverly Guy-Sheftall

Beverly Guy-Sheftall

Sidebar:

I'm from Southern California. So, when I got to Morehouse, I regularly rocked a ridiculous pair of plaid green bermuda shorts. By any stretch of the imagination, I was a fashion disaster. One of my freshman brothers would clown me every chance he got over what I had on. “You should know better than to go around looking like a clown,” he would say. He always had on a suit, or at the very least a button down shirt and some nice pants. Very business like. My oh my, but he certainly loooked the part of an aspiring businessman; yes, indeed. Even dressed business casual on the weekends. However, he didn't come back second semester because he flunked out. Apparently, while my green bermies and I were in class and hunkered down in a back corner of Woodruff Library, he was developing a dysfunctional relationship with academic rigor. So, Morehouse put him on a bus, “with a candy bar and a comic book” and sent him home – fancy pants and all. I'm pretty sure I rocked my green bermudas at some point during senior week. But I had on a tie and some nice pants at graduation. My momma woulda killed me if I'd gotten my degree in shorts and flip flops. Though it did cross my mind.

Sidebar:

I’m from Southern California. So, when I got to Morehouse, I regularly rocked a ridiculous pair of plaid green bermuda shorts. By any stretch of the imagination, I was a fashion disaster. One of my freshman brothers would clown me every chance he got over what I had on. “You should know better than to go around looking like a clown,” he would say. He always had on a suit, or at the very least a button down shirt and some nice pants. Very business like. My oh my, but he certainly loooked the part of an aspiring businessman; yes, indeed. Even dressed business casual on the weekends. However, he didn’t come back second semester because he flunked out. Apparently, while my green bermies and I were in class and hunkered down in a back corner of Woodruff Library, he was developing a dysfunctional relationship with academic rigor. So, Morehouse put him on a bus, “with a candy bar and a comic book” and sent him home – fancy pants and all. I’m pretty sure I rocked my green bermudas at some point during senior week. But I had on a tie and some nice pants at graduation. My momma woulda killed me if I’d gotten my degree in shorts and flip flops. Though it did cross my mind.

Sidebar:

I'm from Southern California. So, when I got to Morehouse, I regularly rocked a ridiculous pair of plaid green bermuda shorts. By any stretch of the imagination, I was a fashion disaster. One of my freshman brothers would clown me every chance he got over what I had on. “You should know better than to go around looking like a clown,” he would say. He always had on a suit, or at the very least a button down shirt and some nice pants. Very business like. My oh my, but he certainly loooked the part of an aspiring businessman; yes, indeed. Even dressed business casual on the weekends. However, he didn't come back second semester because he flunked out. Apparently, while my green bermies and I were in class and hunkered down in a back corner of Woodruff Library, he was developing a dysfunctional relationship with academic rigor. So, Morehouse put him on a bus, “with a candy bar and a comic book” and sent him home – fancy pants and all. I'm pretty sure I rocked my green bermudas at some point during senior week. But I had on a tie and some nice pants at graduation. My momma woulda killed me if I'd gotten my degree in shorts and flip flops. Though it did cross my mind.

I am Jeremy L. Writt (Multimedia Project Manager/English professor/sportswriter/news producer) aka Infinite Skillz (emcee/promoter) aka Morehouse graduate Class of 2000 aka Dumi’s dorm/floor mate and fellow Virginian of Marcus and Corey. I list my monikers and relations as a point of illustration to say this.

I wear multiple hats and so do you Corey.

Am I less talented or less able to accomplish all that is required of me because I’m rocking a headband. Are you less brilliant while sporting those same dingy New Balances and aforementioned tattered jeans you had on when I met you?

While I agree that right or wrong, certain attire is not acceptable in a corporate climate, I must remind those that agree with Corey that Morehouse is an institution of higher learning and while it is a business, students are attendees not employees.

Morehouse can prepare students of ALL varieties for a corporate climate without a dress code. I remember being warned not to get too attached to seeing so many motivated people that looked like me because I’d probably be one of few in my eventual place of employment. Why can’t they simply do the same when it comes to wardrobe? A simple, “Your baggy jeans (or your pastel capris if you prefer) are ok now, but certain corporate climates simply won’t allow it” would do just fine without the stench of reactionary window dressing this dress code business smells of.

The college to corporate World analogy proves to be more problematic when you realize that in a business setting, the boss sets the tone because he is paying you to be there. Morehouse is providing a service for which it is handsomely compensated. Students pay to go there so they in essence are doing the hiring. I’m not saying the students should be running the school but the school certainly shouldn’t be controlling trivial issues like this.

Educate the mind, body, and soul like you have been doing Morehouse and let these boys dress how they want to until their finances or circumstances dictate otherwise.

I am Jeremy L. Writt (Multimedia Project Manager/English professor/sportswriter/news producer) aka Infinite Skillz (emcee/promoter) aka Morehouse graduate Class of 2000 aka Dumi's dorm/floor mate and fellow Virginian of Marcus and Corey. I list my monikers and relations as a point of illustration to say this.

I wear multiple hats and so do you Corey.

Am I less talented or less able to accomplish all that is required of me because I'm rocking a headband. Are you less brilliant while sporting those same dingy New Balances and aforementioned tattered jeans you had on when I met you?

While I agree that right or wrong, certain attire is not acceptable in a corporate climate, I must remind those that agree with Corey that Morehouse is an institution of higher learning and while it is a business, students are attendees not employees.

Morehouse can prepare students of ALL varieties for a corporate climate without a dress code. I remember being warned not to get too attached to seeing so many motivated people that looked like me because I'd probably be one of few in my eventual place of employment. Why can't they simply do the same when it comes to wardrobe? A simple, “Your baggy jeans (or your pastel capris if you prefer) are ok now, but certain corporate climates simply won't allow it” would do just fine without the stench of reactionary window dressing this dress code business smells of.

The college to corporate World analogy proves to be more problematic when you realize that in a business setting, the boss sets the tone because he is paying you to be there. Morehouse is providing a service for which it is handsomely compensated. Students pay to go there so they in essence are doing the hiring. I'm not saying the students should be running the school but the school certainly shouldn't be controlling trivial issues like this.

Educate the mind, body, and soul like you have been doing Morehouse and let these boys dress how they want to until their finances or circumstances dictate otherwise.

First, let me say that I am a Morehouse alumnus and a member of the United States Army. I mention that because it may color my opinion of the use for and value of uniformity. I am also a man who grew up around but not necessarily in the “hood.” So, that my color my opinion of the use for and value of individuality. I can understand where their minds were when the administration brought this to the table. Dress the part, feel the part, act the part and all that jazz. But I find that idea and its use in this instance both unecessary and insulting.

If there is one thing the successful black man has had to do it’s adapt to his environment. We (if I may be so bold as to lump myself in with successful black men) have had to be whtever the situation called for and often fulfill several roles simultaneously. In order to get the same things as his white counterpart, he often has to be not as good as but better. So, after all that, to basically be told that it matters what I wear at my own school…in my own house…is pretty insulting…. Read More

Besides that, part of the beauty of being who you are is that nobody else is quite like you. Taking that away is pretty significant and must be done for a darn good reason. In the military, it’s done so that the overall mission can be broken down into it’s smaller parts and those parts can be delegated out among all the Soldiers so that it may be accomplished. In a situation like that, each agent must behave predictably in order to achieve a predictable result. Any free agents or radicals in the mix cause the kind of confusion that can cost lives. To me, that’s a pretty good reason to force uniformity and in so doing minimize individuality. Morehouse doesn’t have such a reason in my opinion and instituting such a rule is unecessary.

That’s my two cents…for whatever it’s worth (approximately two cents I’d say).

Marcus Adisa Tyler
Class of 2001

First, let me say that I am a Morehouse alumnus and a member of the United States Army. I mention that because it may color my opinion of the use for and value of uniformity. I am also a man who grew up around but not necessarily in the “hood.” So, that my color my opinion of the use for and value of individuality. I can understand where their minds were when the administration brought this to the table. Dress the part, feel the part, act the part and all that jazz. But I find that idea and its use in this instance both unecessary and insulting.

If there is one thing the successful black man has had to do it's adapt to his environment. We (if I may be so bold as to lump myself in with successful black men) have had to be whtever the situation called for and often fulfill several roles simultaneously. In order to get the same things as his white counterpart, he often has to be not as good as but better. So, after all that, to basically be told that it matters what I wear at my own school…in my own house…is pretty insulting…. Read More

Besides that, part of the beauty of being who you are is that nobody else is quite like you. Taking that away is pretty significant and must be done for a darn good reason. In the military, it's done so that the overall mission can be broken down into it's smaller parts and those parts can be delegated out among all the Soldiers so that it may be accomplished. In a situation like that, each agent must behave predictably in order to achieve a predictable result. Any free agents or radicals in the mix cause the kind of confusion that can cost lives. To me, that's a pretty good reason to force uniformity and in so doing minimize individuality. Morehouse doesn't have such a reason in my opinion and instituting such a rule is unecessary.

That's my two cents…for whatever it's worth (approximately two cents I'd say).

Marcus Adisa Tyler
Class of 2001

I would challenge that to say that Morehouse is a meritocracy where one is judged by the diligence of their work and their commitment to the goals set before them should be the true barometer of success.

So I support the dress code as a leveling mechanism from whence, students will be judged on their merits and not their appearance. The game has indeed changed, but being discerning in admission practice as well as on campus behavior isn’t a step back as much as it is a move to prepare these students for real life.

I’ve spent the majority of the last ten years working my way through corporate America and I’ve seen the success and the failings of African Americans based on merit as well as perception. That said, I’ve worked with many an African American male who has expressed or purported himself in a manner not just unbecoming professionally , but outright dumb. All under the guise of “just being me”.

No, you see, just being you is something you do when you don’t want a job and are content to live as a marginalized individual or withering away doddling your ruminations in academia. For the rest of us, we need to get a head just to get ahead and may be the first in our family to not have to work for an hourly wage or live check to check.

I say all that to say this. There is a prevailing standard that exists in America and, in order to make the students ready for the meritocracy of the real world, then the bonds of the misconception that somehow the world is going to come to them may be relieved somehow.

Spelman and others didn’t diminish the role of black men in America, WE DID. WE embraced this notion of hypermasculinity that manifests itself in hip hop music and bleeds into our attire. We embraced the concept of “keeping it real” when that notion is farcical when you’re at an institution of higher learning. WE failed to meet the prevailing standards of what is and is not acceptable as a minority when dealing with the majority and aired our dirty laundry on MTV, BET, and whatever other entertainment outlet would accept our minstrelsy.

I don’t care about self expression when you go to class. THAT’S YOUR JOB… Just like my job doesn’t give a fuck about my self expression. You want to sag your pants, wear a doo rag, or dress like Liz Taylor, that’s fine, just don’t do it when you’re going to class or when you’re in a venue that is representative of the college.

I could go on, but my rational thoughts are going to be lost in a sea of liberal hippiespeak that looks to rationalize the foolish and demonize the mainstream as some kind of repressive entity when, in actuality, its the game that the majority of us have to play.

Corey Richardson, Morehouse ’00.

Distractions are real on all fronts, you learn to deal with them. When that bluebook gets set in front of you, it's time to hunker down. In a sense, morehouse is the zone with the least distractions on average for black male college students, do we need to infantilize them by saying “we'll make sure this is perfectly sterile so you can get your work done?” I think your right, we need to get at the illness, not the symptoms. You clearly were digging for answers when you were there and adjusted behaviors on what you found, why do we (the collective morehouse we) suspect these brothas on campus aren't capable of the same? I've talked to professors and admin currently on campus and they suggest they students can, what does it mean for us to publically read this brothas as incapable of code-switching? You are right, what you wear makes a statement, whether in dockers or a dress and it behoves us to think deeply about it. I remember that the word bitch was “washed” from my vocabulary at a Freshman Orientation speech by Larry Crawford who talked about a marriage proposal and said, “Bitch will you marry me?” At that moment we all laughed, he said, “As outrageous as that sounds, that's how you sound when all the words out your mouth are bitch and nigga.” It was a lesson that didn't tell me, “no use of bitch” it was a lesson of discovery, how do we create the opportunities for discovery and in depth learning?
Lastly, thanks so much bro … and I owe you like mad emails …. my bad, congrats!!!!

I would challenge that to say that Morehouse is a meritocracy where one is judged by the diligence of their work and their commitment to the goals set before them should be the true barometer of success.

So I support the dress code as a leveling mechanism from whence, students will be judged on their merits and not their appearance. The game has indeed changed, but being discerning in admission practice as well as on campus behavior isn't a step back as much as it is a move to prepare these students for real life.

I've spent the majority of the last ten years working my way through corporate America and I've seen the success and the failings of African Americans based on merit as well as perception. That said, I've worked with many an African American male who has expressed or purported himself in a manner not just unbecoming professionally , but outright dumb. All under the guise of “just being me”.

No, you see, just being you is something you do when you don't want a job and are content to live as a marginalized individual or withering away doddling your ruminations in academia. For the rest of us, we need to get a head just to get ahead and may be the first in our family to not have to work for an hourly wage or live check to check.

I say all that to say this. There is a prevailing standard that exists in America and, in order to make the students ready for the meritocracy of the real world, then the bonds of the misconception that somehow the world is going to come to them may be relieved somehow.

Spelman and others didn't diminish the role of black men in America, WE DID. WE embraced this notion of hypermasculinity that manifests itself in hip hop music and bleeds into our attire. We embraced the concept of “keeping it real” when that notion is farcical when you're at an institution of higher learning. WE failed to meet the prevailing standards of what is and is not acceptable as a minority when dealing with the majority and aired our dirty laundry on MTV, BET, and whatever other entertainment outlet would accept our minstrelsy.

I don't care about self expression when you go to class. THAT'S YOUR JOB… Just like my job doesn't give a fuck about my self expression. You want to sag your pants, wear a doo rag, or dress like Liz Taylor, that's fine, just don't do it when you're going to class or when you're in a venue that is representative of the college.

I could go on, but my rational thoughts are going to be lost in a sea of liberal hippiespeak that looks to rationalize the foolish and demonize the mainstream as some kind of repressive entity when, in actuality, its the game that the majority of us have to play.

Corey Richardson, Morehouse '00.

“The mission of Morehouse College is to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service. A private historically black liberal arts college for men, Morehouse realizes this mission by emphasizing the intellectual and character development of its students. In addition, the College assumes special responsibility for teaching the history and culture of black people…”

How do you “develop men” if you don’t teach these 17 & 18yr old boys how to survive in TODAY’S brutal world? According to the US Marine Corps, instilling discipline in soldiers results in their “ability to do the right thing even when no one is watching” – however we know that in the Marines, this is accomplished through the use of PAIN. From my understanding, Morehouse college does not seek to instill pain on any one of its students. As such, the disciplined mind spoken of in the College’s mission is not of the variety that comes from oppression, hazing and pain, like the military does.

No one can lead if they don’t develop strong character and knowledge of self. Knowledge of self and character cannot be developed in an environment where self-expression, sexual identity, perception of self, social mental health, social responsibility (need I continue??) are all repressed, trivialized and relegated to ‘off campus’ activity. These are teenage boys blossoming into men. The current and future students of Morehouse College need their institution to step it up a notch. Lest Morehouse become the scholastic fodder we’ve come to expect from present day HBCU’s. At the end of the day, there is a need for all HBCUs. That need simply demands that they abide by their mission statements, their mission to act as historian for Black people, and cultivator/curator for Black civics and culture.

you are promoting the demise of great HBCUs such as Morehouse, by suggesting that they further distance themselves from the needs of their people in the interest of a romanticized idealism of what it means to be Black. Please stop – our institutions deserve more, and our students are suffering.

“The mission of Morehouse College is to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service. A private historically black liberal arts college for men, Morehouse realizes this mission by emphasizing the intellectual and character development of its students. In addition, the College assumes special responsibility for teaching the history and culture of black people…”

How do you “develop men” if you don't teach these 17 & 18yr old boys how to survive in TODAY'S brutal world? According to the US Marine Corps, instilling discipline in soldiers results in their “ability to do the right thing even when no one is watching” – however we know that in the Marines, this is accomplished through the use of PAIN. From my understanding, Morehouse college does not seek to instill pain on any one of its students. As such, the disciplined mind spoken of in the College's mission is not of the variety that comes from oppression, hazing and pain, like the military does.

No one can lead if they don't develop strong character and knowledge of self. Knowledge of self and character cannot be developed in an environment where self-expression, sexual identity, perception of self, social mental health, social responsibility (need I continue??) are all repressed, trivialized and relegated to 'off campus' activity. These are teenage boys blossoming into men. The current and future students of Morehouse College need their institution to step it up a notch. Lest Morehouse become the scholastic fodder we've come to expect from present day HBCU's. At the end of the day, there is a need for all HBCUs. That need simply demands that they abide by their mission statements, their mission to act as historian for Black people, and cultivator/curator for Black civics and culture.

you are promoting the demise of great HBCUs such as Morehouse, by suggesting that they further distance themselves from the needs of their people in the interest of a romanticized idealism of what it means to be Black. Please stop – our institutions deserve more, and our students are suffering.

Wow. This gave me chills.

I wrote a piece last week, Tyler Perry x Morehouse x Real Black Men.
http://modelminority.blogspot.com/2009/10/tyler-perry-x-morehouse-x-real-black.html

In the piece I interview Moya Bailey, who asks, “What is it that is so fragile about masculinity that it becomes threatened when cloaked in a dress?”

Thank you for writing this. You are not alone.

Wow. This gave me chills.

I wrote a piece last week, Tyler Perry x Morehouse x Real Black Men.
http://modelminority.blogspot.com/2009/10/tyler-perry-x-morehouse-x-real-black.html

In the piece I interview Moya Bailey, who asks, “What is it that is so fragile about masculinity that it becomes threatened when cloaked in a dress?”

Thank you for writing this. You are not alone.

Hats off to you Dr. Lewis (and that’s not because of the policy). I appreciate your boldness and candor in taking our dear alma mater to task, and I hope that others will pay attention, and respond. While I understand the need for a return to the values that many of us have romanticized regarding Dear Old Morehouse, I struggle with the notion that you can dictate responsibility, and that an enforced dress code changes the mindset of sagging pants. I recall hearing someone say if you elevate the minds, the pants will follow.

I recall vividly, in my freshman year strolling on campus, being an 18 year old, wanna-be bad boy, just leaving the nest and dressing how I wanted; I had one pants leg pulled up for no good reason, but that it was how they wore it in the videos at that time (I’m dating myself). But it was not a dress code, but a conversation that caused me to re-evaluate “my steez”. An older Morehouse brother asked me in a non-confrontational way, Why? Why did I wear my pants that way? Of course, I had no good reason, and we went on to discuss theories about where that style originated, including the notion that it might come from an act of gang-culture, wherein guys commence to stomp somebody out and have to lift up the pant leg of the dominant stomping foot. Now is that the real origin? I don’t know. But it caused me to think about what I was doing. Having no valid reason for wearing my pants that way I stopped. I’m also reminded of the simple explanation my father gave me for why men should not wear hats in buildings: It’s not raining inside. The purpose of the hat is to protect your head from the elements, and as an added bonus to accentuate your outfit, but if you are in a building and particularly in a classroom with your peers, engaging in serious scholarly discourse, neither of the aforementioned purposes should matter.
And, I’m sure many have heard of the sagging pants being a carry-over from prison and detention-home culture, wherein no belts are allowed to be worn, for fear of belts being used for suicide by strangulation, or used as weapons. Whether these are true origins or urban legend is beside the point.

The point is these are examples of conversations that need to occur with young men, not rules that need to be enforced. I think when young minds need to be tested to make sense of their actions, and engaged to have a better understanding of norms that they both embrace and rebel against, or think are antiquated; primarily because they don’t understand the origins and meanings of either, and less because they actually carry a legitimate connection to, or gripe against. When they can have meaningful two-way dialogue, students become more amenable and malleable. And, isn’t that the goal: shaping not dictating.

Now, I think this goes both ways. I think that your critique of Morehouse may not fully give credence to the concerns our institute is facing. When the administration and faculty are trying to find a way to make sure that parents and potential recruiters from companies and graduate programs, are not shocked by what is both self expression and self-deception when they come onto the campus, they have to figure out a way to respond. Also, I think that, truth be told, there are issues that the attire is only the symptom of, for example: students coming to class high (thus wearing the shades in class and hats pulled down), and students dressing to be provocative, which may be disruptive to the educational process. (As an aside, I recall in high school, a very well-developed girl who wore very tight and revealing clothing being reprimanded by the principal for such an offense: disrupting the educational process, and truth is she disrupted my educational process alright, and I loved it! Yes, it’s objectification but I was a teenager). But I digress. The point is Morehouse has a struggle on it’s hands that it cannot turn a blind-eye to. It has to find a way to be an institution that openly engages students in a way that will address the illness not the symptoms, while also standing by faculty who want to teach in an effective manner without having to deal with disruptions in the classroom, disrespect of the campus and the student body, and disregard of the values that should remain important to Morehouse and our community. I’m not saying that Morehouse’s approach was correct, but it is important that we try to see their vantage point, lest we become overly reactionary as well.

If Morehouse is indeed going to be an institute that cares, the faculty have to be willing and able to pull a brother to the side and actually help him if he has a drug problem so severe that he can’t come to class without getting high, or is more focused on getting attention than being a serious student. In reality these are still YOUNG men, they are still learning about themselves, and they should be able to express themselves and become adults, but still have “appropriate” adult guidance. They should be able to learn that their actions, even how they dress, have consequences and ramifications. If you tell them how to dress, they will never actually learn what is and is not acceptable and responsible attire, and more importantly why it is or is not.

But your question regarding whether or not Morehouse is equipped to respond to the new millennium Black man is a good one? I wonder if there is an institution that does, or can. Is there a blueprint for it? Without one, they are somewhat stuck trying to go back to what they imagine once worked. I think challenging the institution and its students, and recent alumni (like us) to help create that model is a start; and for that matter engaging those who have found success in life without ever being a part of Dear Old Morehouse (yes, as surprising as many of us might find it, there are other schools that breed success for Black men) in the discourse is also needed. We need to find a way to bridge the chasm and respectfully engage in a conversation that isn’t top-down, and that does not expect one size to fit all (whether it’s a tie or a ball-cap). Also, we have to find a way to help our students understand that their behaviors have consequences. It is often said that you can always tell a Morehouse Man but you just can’t tell him nothing. Well it sounds like it’s becoming harder to do both, and if that is indeed true that is a problem and our young men are heading for a very bumpy road; one that we have to help them see.

In closing it is important that Morehouse students understand that you can make a statement with what you wear, AND what you wear can make a statement about you. Those two things are not always the same, and both can be misunderstood and taken out of context. What Morehouse has to help its students do is learn to make a statement but more importantly have something to say when they do. That can’t be done by stifling their voices, Morehouse administration has to listen AND talk to its students. One Love,

Hats off to you Dr. Lewis (and that’s not because of the policy). I appreciate your boldness and candor in taking our dear alma mater to task, and I hope that others will pay attention, and respond. While I understand the need for a return to the values that many of us have romanticized regarding Dear Old Morehouse, I struggle with the notion that you can dictate responsibility, and that an enforced dress code changes the mindset of sagging pants. I recall hearing someone say if you elevate the minds, the pants will follow.

I recall vividly, in my freshman year strolling on campus, being an 18 year old, wanna-be bad boy, just leaving the nest and dressing how I wanted; I had one pants leg pulled up for no good reason, but that it was how they wore it in the videos at that time (I’m dating myself). But it was not a dress code, but a conversation that caused me to re-evaluate “my steez”. An older Morehouse brother asked me in a non-confrontational way, Why? Why did I wear my pants that way? Of course, I had no good reason, and we went on to discuss theories about where that style originated, including the notion that it might come from an act of gang-culture, wherein guys commence to stomp somebody out and have to lift up the pant leg of the dominant stomping foot. Now is that the real origin? I don’t know. But it caused me to think about what I was doing. Having no valid reason for wearing my pants that way I stopped. I’m also reminded of the simple explanation my father gave me for why men should not wear hats in buildings: It’s not raining inside. The purpose of the hat is to protect your head from the elements, and as an added bonus to accentuate your outfit, but if you are in a building and particularly in a classroom with your peers, engaging in serious scholarly discourse, neither of the aforementioned purposes should matter.
And, I’m sure many have heard of the sagging pants being a carry-over from prison and detention-home culture, wherein no belts are allowed to be worn, for fear of belts being used for suicide by strangulation, or used as weapons. Whether these are true origins or urban legend is beside the point.

The point is these are examples of conversations that need to occur with young men, not rules that need to be enforced. I think when young minds need to be tested to make sense of their actions, and engaged to have a better understanding of norms that they both embrace and rebel against, or think are antiquated; primarily because they don’t understand the origins and meanings of either, and less because they actually carry a legitimate connection to, or gripe against. When they can have meaningful two-way dialogue, students become more amenable and malleable. And, isn’t that the goal: shaping not dictating.

Now, I think this goes both ways. I think that your critique of Morehouse may not fully give credence to the concerns our institute is facing. When the administration and faculty are trying to find a way to make sure that parents and potential recruiters from companies and graduate programs, are not shocked by what is both self expression and self-deception when they come onto the campus, they have to figure out a way to respond. Also, I think that, truth be told, there are issues that the attire is only the symptom of, for example: students coming to class high (thus wearing the shades in class and hats pulled down), and students dressing to be provocative, which may be disruptive to the educational process. (As an aside, I recall in high school, a very well-developed girl who wore very tight and revealing clothing being reprimanded by the principal for such an offense: disrupting the educational process, and truth is she disrupted my educational process alright, and I loved it! Yes, it’s objectification but I was a teenager). But I digress. The point is Morehouse has a struggle on it’s hands that it cannot turn a blind-eye to. It has to find a way to be an institution that openly engages students in a way that will address the illness not the symptoms, while also standing by faculty who want to teach in an effective manner without having to deal with disruptions in the classroom, disrespect of the campus and the student body, and disregard of the values that should remain important to Morehouse and our community. I’m not saying that Morehouse’s approach was correct, but it is important that we try to see their vantage point, lest we become overly reactionary as well.

If Morehouse is indeed going to be an institute that cares, the faculty have to be willing and able to pull a brother to the side and actually help him if he has a drug problem so severe that he can’t come to class without getting high, or is more focused on getting attention than being a serious student. In reality these are still YOUNG men, they are still learning about themselves, and they should be able to express themselves and become adults, but still have “appropriate” adult guidance. They should be able to learn that their actions, even how they dress, have consequences and ramifications. If you tell them how to dress, they will never actually learn what is and is not acceptable and responsible attire, and more importantly why it is or is not.

But your question regarding whether or not Morehouse is equipped to respond to the new millennium Black man is a good one? I wonder if there is an institution that does, or can. Is there a blueprint for it? Without one, they are somewhat stuck trying to go back to what they imagine once worked. I think challenging the institution and its students, and recent alumni (like us) to help create that model is a start; and for that matter engaging those who have found success in life without ever being a part of Dear Old Morehouse (yes, as surprising as many of us might find it, there are other schools that breed success for Black men) in the discourse is also needed. We need to find a way to bridge the chasm and respectfully engage in a conversation that isn’t top-down, and that does not expect one size to fit all (whether it’s a tie or a ball-cap). Also, we have to find a way to help our students understand that their behaviors have consequences. It is often said that you can always tell a Morehouse Man but you just can’t tell him nothing. Well it sounds like it’s becoming harder to do both, and if that is indeed true that is a problem and our young men are heading for a very bumpy road; one that we have to help them see.

In closing it is important that Morehouse students understand that you can make a statement with what you wear, AND what you wear can make a statement about you. Those two things are not always the same, and both can be misunderstood and taken out of context. What Morehouse has to help its students do is learn to make a statement but more importantly have something to say when they do. That can’t be done by stifling their voices, Morehouse administration has to listen AND talk to its students. One Love,

Into ties more brotherly,
Ziavan
Morehouse ’09

thank you for your insight and your words. hopefully they will be taken to heart.

peace

thank you for your insight and your words. hopefully they will be taken to heart.

peace

Into ties more brotherly,
Ziavan
Morehouse '09