Aug 4, 2026 · 25 min · 11 segments
Tuskegee University’s updated dress code has sparked a nationwide debate. The university’s expectations prohibit bonnets, durags, pajamas, bedroom slippers, revealing clothing, and encourage students…
Barbara WestHostJohn T. Arthur IIIHost
Like I said, it has sparked a lot of conversation about, you know, across the country, particularly among African Americans.
And you know, I mentioned earlier Tuskegee announced their new dress code and what they're expecting as far as the students attire and their professional conduct you know no bedroom slippers no pajamas you know right now guys people go to the grocery store i see them in walmart i kid you not in pajamas not just college students but you see everybody with that type of clothing on so they're expecting students to have a business attire.
And they want them to have dress shoes for interviews, for, you know, if there's presentations on campus, career fairs.
and other professional events so you know the university is what's what they're doing is they're emphasizing classroom expectations they nailing and they dumb it down on attendance professionalism and limiting distractions such as cell phone uses i know in the area where i live even in the k-12 They students can no longer bring their cell phones to school, so there are a lot of education, secondary and post secondary, buckling down on cell phone uses.
yeah and as expected guys you know social media you know immediately focused on the bonnets and durags but when you actually read the guidelines i mean the guidance you know you you realize it's much broader than that it's about creating an environment that reflects professionalism and preparing the students for the opportunities beyond graduation so you guys ever heard that term Dress for success.
That's exactly what they're trying to get the kids to do because if you get in a habit of dressing with the bonnets, the do-rags, then when you get out there in the real world, you're wondering, okay, well, why they're not treating me serious? Yeah,
when students come to classroom, like they just jumped out of bed and came straight to the classroom, you know, that, that I have a problem with that.
So some people are, and I'm one of them, you know, you know, I may have someone that somebody out there that's saying, no, no, they shouldn't, or, or, or, you know, maybe trolling or whatever.
And I think all HBCUs should follow suit because these are professional habits that we're trying to create among the students.
They said they're doing too much by regulating what adults, because they do consider some students in college level to be adults.
And that difference of opinion has turned into one of the most talked about higher education stores in the country.
Like I said, it has sparked a lot of conversation about, you know, across the country, particularly among African Americans.
And you know, I mentioned earlier Tuskegee announced their new dress code and what they're expecting as far as the students attire and their professional conduct you know no bedroom slippers no pajamas you know right now guys people go to the grocery store i see them in walmart i kid you not in pajamas not just college students but you see everybody with that type of clothing on so they're expecting students to have a business attire.
And they want them to have dress shoes for interviews, for, you know, if there's presentations on campus, career fairs.
and other professional events so you know the university is what's what they're doing is they're emphasizing classroom expectations they nailing and they dumb it down on attendance professionalism and limiting distractions such as cell phone uses i know in the area where i live even in the k-12 They students can no longer bring their cell phones to school, so there are a lot of education, secondary and post secondary, buckling down on cell phone uses.
yeah and as expected guys you know social media you know immediately focused on the bonnets and durags but when you actually read the guidelines i mean the guidance you know you you realize it's much broader than that it's about creating an environment that reflects professionalism and preparing the students for the opportunities beyond graduation so you guys ever heard that term Dress for success.
That's exactly what they're trying to get the kids to do because if you get in a habit of dressing with the bonnets, the do-rags, then when you get out there in the real world, you're wondering, okay, well, why they're not treating me serious? Yeah,
when students come to classroom, like they just jumped out of bed and came straight to the classroom, you know, that, that I have a problem with that.
So some people are, and I'm one of them, you know, you know, I may have someone that somebody out there that's saying, no, no, they shouldn't, or, or, or, you know, maybe trolling or whatever.
And I think all HBCUs should follow suit because these are professional habits that we're trying to create among the students.
They said they're doing too much by regulating what adults, because they do consider some students in college level to be adults.
And that difference of opinion has turned into one of the most talked about higher education stores in the country.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
