New dress code meets negative reaction

Last Friday was a sweltering one in Changsha, Hunan Province. However, most students at Hunan Women's College wore long pants instead of light summer dresses. This was not because they didn't want to wear cooler clothes, but because their college prohibited them from doing so.

According to a student who didn't want her name released, on September 10 the college announced a new dress code banning students from appearing in public places wearing sandals, and shorts or skirts that come above the knee.

Students who break the rules and refuse to change their clothes will have their names released publicly on a campus-wide notification, she said.

Despite the college's assertions that the regulations are meant to cultivate students' academic priorities and elegance, the new dress code has sparked controversy on campus.

As a women's college with a few male teachers, men are rarely seen on campus, and most interviewees agreed that for this reason, many students don't worry about what they wear. "Some feel that since there are no boys around, covering oneself up is less of a concern," said one student.

Some students hold that since there are still male teachers on campus, skimpily clad students may cause them embarrassment, and that the regulations should be followed.

Still, other students expressed their dissatisfaction and disappointment over the new regulations, saying the requirements are too strict and that they are far from reflecting the college's image of freedom and openness.

A student who withheld her name said that she didn't like the college's decision. "This is a women's college. I don't know if the administration surveyed the student body on the issue before they announced the regulation," she said, adding that the rules are a threat to personal freedom.

Cheng Heping, the director of the student affairs office at Hunan Women's College, said that students used to wear revealing clothing to class, which damaged the college girls' "fair maiden" image and embarrassed male teachers.

"In the past, we tried different ways to encourage a more modest dress code, but had little success," Cheng said. "So we changed tactics this semester in the hopes of promoting a better academic atmosphere."

According to Cheng, under the new regulations, students who violate the dress code will be persuaded to go home and change their outfits if time permits.

Despite its lack of popularity, Cheng indicated that school authorities are not considering overturning the dress code, but they will clarify vague concepts within the regulations, such as "public areas."

"We will listen to students' opinions and make the regulations more normative and specific," Cheng said.

Xiong Bingqi, associate dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, noted that even if school authorities have the best of intentions, they should not impose regulations governing students' choice of clothing.

"College administrators should seek extensive feedback from students when considering such regulations," he said.

Lao Kaisheng, director of the Institute for Educational Policy and Law of Beijing Normal University, said that every university is free to create and enforce its own regulations as long as it complies with social attitudes and national laws. He also stressed that regulations should mainly focus on persuasion and guidance.

Li Jian, an attorney from Hunan Wanhe United Law firm, praised the college's good intentions.

"Sometimes administrators may be strict in their enforcement of standards of morality, but the drawbacks of this practice should not obscure its virtues," he said. "The regulations are of vital importance in strengthening female students' sense of self-protection, cleansing the campus atmosphere and developing mores."