Tuskegee students sound off about dress code policy: ‘You barely see anyone in a bonnet’
“Right now, we are in a housing crisis. We are in a financial crisis,” one student explained.
It’s summertime.
Many college students are enjoying the last vestiges of summer break before worrying about textbooks and class schedules. Some are spending their days lounging on a beach or partying with friends.
Tuskegee University junior Aiden Bass is currently at a conference for his internship — and he’s wearing a suit.
“Most of the people I know at Tuskegee right now are at internships,” said Bass, who is studying aerospace engineering at the Alabama HBCU. “And we’re all saying the way that we dress wasn’t stopping us from gaining these internships.”
Earlier this week, Tuskegee President Dr. Mark A. Brown sent a message to parents of incoming students informing them about a “new policy for student attire on campus, classroom attendance, and cell phone use in classrooms.” The university is set to welcome its largest freshman class in over three decades.
“The Student Handbook requires students to arrive on campus with a business suit and proper shoes for a business meeting,” the letter read. “Students are prohibited from wearing revealing clothing in class, to the cafeteria or in official settings like Convocation. They are also not able to wear bedroom shoes, bonnets, or du-rags to class or the cafeteria.”
“The goal here is not meant to restrict students from enjoying the Tuskegee Experience, but to prepare them with a solid foundation for the workforce they will enter once they leave Tuskegee,” Brown, a Tuskegee alumnus who became president in 2024, explained in the letter.
The letter also states that faculty members are authorized to address students who don’t abide by these guidelines.
The bonnets-and-durags-to-class portion of the letter quickly went viral on social media, igniting an online firestorm. Many shared their opinions on young college students and HBCU culture more broadly.
“It’s sad that young adults have to be told this. Good for this updated rule! How can you be taken seriously if you don’t dress seriously,” one person wrote on Facebook.
“Glad for it! Setting an expectation for students to start dressing like professional adults,” another wrote.
But Bass, who also serves as the junior class vice president, thinks the entire discourse is a non-issue.
“Tuskegee has always had a dress code. Let’s start there,” said Bass, voicing frustration with how his peers have been portrayed online. “It should have never been publicized like this because it’s bringing this false interpretation that we don’t care about how we’re presenting ourselves in public and in professional environments.”
“That’s just completely false. That’s never been Tuskegee’s image. That’s never been the way that we’ve carried ourselves,” he said, pointing to the various career development events that the students themselves host on campus.
Aliya Purnell believes that while the university should always strive to teach its students about professionalism, the institution should follow its own mandate.
“Right now, we are in a housing crisis. We are in a financial crisis. We just got done dealing with students having bats in their dorms,” said Purnell, who is studying political science at the university and serves as the junior class president. “Students were placed in hotels off campus our freshman year. And instead of focusing on the issues, people are focused on a dress code policy that’s not only hindering bonnets and durags but scarves, crop tops, leggings and sweats.”
“What’s stopping them from banning piercings? It’s a slippery slope. We are in Alabama. President Mark Brown just gave an honorary degree to [GOP Sen.] Katie Britt,” she continued. “It feels like a slippery slope of us devolving into conservatism. It’s worrying as a student.”
Other students voiced their concerns that the dress code uproar is drowning out other issues.
“Nobody is upset about a dress code or advancing professionalism. But when over 1000 students were moved 30 minutes away from campus and receive an email about possibly having financial aid removed for tardiness to class, or students having to rent houses their second year of college just to continue their education, that’s not a headline?,” a biology student wrote on Facebook.
What I’m Reading reached out to Tuskegee University but did not receive a response prior to publication.
Even still, it’s extremely rare to see students walking around the private HBCU in sleepwear, Purnell said.
“I have rarely seen, in my experience going into my junior year, students walking around campus with durags and bonnets,” she explained. “The only time you will ever see that is maybe on a Sunday, where one to two people go to the cafeteria for a quick brunch and go right back to their dorms. But going to class, everybody is dressed professionally and adequately.”
Tuskegee has helped students obtain professional attire. Launched in 2023, the Golden Tigers Community Closet provides students with new or gently used business attire.
“If you’re so worried about what students on campus are wearing, we have a donation center where you can donate professional wear to students,” Purnell said. “Please give back to our community and don’t just bash us online. A lot of people [at the university] can’t afford to get their hair done.”
Another student, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said they find the discourse “frustrating.”
“A lot of us really do try our best, even in the worst financial situations, to still look presentable, because I personally don’t come from a rich family,” the student explained. “We try our best to look business casual, whether it’s Walmart, Target, or whatever it is.”
“Hearing these negative narratives being pushed about us, it’s like, wow, you know? With the housing crisis going on, and a lot of people don’t have financial aid … It’s a lot of stuff going on at one time, and it can really be overwhelming.”
The dress code is the least of the student’s concerns. “I was a little confused myself on the whole dress code thing because you barely ever see anyone really in a bonnet.”
“When I first got to Tuskegee my freshman year, I already knew it was gonna be business casual all the time. I’m hardly ever in casual wear,” they said.
The student currently lives in Auburn, which is about a 30-minute drive from Tuskegee if you have a car. If not, you have to wait on a shuttle.
“My family had to purchase an apartment with our own finances, and I’ve had to come out of my own pocket,” the student said. They said they were forced to take a gap year when housing costs rose. “I had a $2,600 balance that I’ve been working all summer to get paid off.”
“I’ve had an up-and-down rollercoaster with Tuskegee, to say the least.”
This gave a lot more perspective compared to all the news and discourse I've seen online. It's nice to hear from the students themselves
Do they want students or not? Fuck 'em.