Dear Morehouse

Hope you guys aren't looking for a college education...

via The Maroon Tiger:

The policy outlines 11 expectations pertaining to what students should not wear while on campus. Instead of requiring certain articles of clothing, as a typical dress code would, the policy details those articles of clothing deemed unacceptable for students. Some of the expectations discussed in the policy include to prohibit wearing “sagging” pants, women’s clothing and headwear. The policy will be distributed to students electronically through TigerNet and the school website. The policy will also be outlined in the student handbook and discussed in Crown Forums for students.

Okay, so I'm a little late on this one (blame my lack of computer), but it still hits home all the more. Let's get this straight, oh prestigious black college: sagging pants is wrong. The sight of a young man's undergarments based on the lowness of his pants, jeans or what have you, is one of those things that elicits the wrong type of attention. Not only is your behind more prone to drafts (and other forces; my imprisoned brethren can tell you that), you get boxed into a category that few people want to be in, and the ones that are in, don't care: HOOD. To the average non-black person, sagging pants are more or less a flag that say 'CROSS THE STREET'. I can understand your concern at such things, Morehouse.

HOWEVER, Morehouse, where do you guys get off telling your students what they can and can't wear? To me, this is the age old voice of the past negro, telling the present negro that he can't be who he wants. The old guard is essentially trying to dictate the substance and understanding of the new guard. Morehouse, and more specifically President Michael Franklin, what is the last hip-hop record you've listened to? When is the last time you've talked to one of your students (who doesn't have his lips firmly planted on your backside)? Hell, when was the last time you even knew what was relevant in the lives of your students? Not that I'm denouncing your plea to make the black youth of America more workforce-ready, but at what cost does this come? It's like you're the Man, trying to whitewash the students into this 1950's-esque vision of collegiate life, where everyone is in bed by 11 and no boys are allowed in the girls dorms after dark. Get with the 20th century. College kids may not dress the way that you think they should, but does that discredit them as students? Does the learning not get into their heads as easily if they have sagging pants? I don't get it. Stop trying to get the 'black' and gay' out of your students. Legislating tastes and preference is the government's job (oops), not the education system's. Maybe if you weren't looking at college boys' butts (double oops) all the time, you'd know that...