To Follow the Dress Code?
By SAM ALTMAN ‘26
In the 2023-2024 edition of the Exeter Ebook, the dress code reads that “members of the community should keep in mind that the purpose of the dress code is to reflect the discipline and seriousness of purpose we associate with academic pursuits.” It goes on to define such attire as dress shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks, dresses, and religious attire. It further specifies that no athletic wear, including items like hats and sweatshirts, can be worn and that clothing which reveals skin on the chest or back side cannot be permitted. Needless to say, most Exonians are aware of this policy but also know that it is almost never enforced. Even those few faculty who would occasionally send a student back to their dorm for a particularly grievous violation seem to have stopped doing so for the most part. The administration is likely unwilling to charge students with violations given that nearly the entire student body does not follow the dress code on a daily basis.
Neither side of the issue is happy with the current situation—that is, there are many who want this section of the Ebook to change to something which is, and as they see it, far more reasonable. And, of course, there are also those who want the student body to actually abide by these rules and who want the administration to start enforcing them again. Either way, we must resolve the discrepancy between what our rulebook reads and what is actually happening in reality. As we decide which of these routes to take, we have to look at this issue fundamentally.
Why do we have school rules at all?
This may seem like an obvious question, but it is actually a very important one which is core to understanding the argument for a stricter dress code. The answer is that, like for any human, students, if given the power, will often take actions that are harmful to themselves and the image of the school at-large. We are not perfect and, especially as high schoolers, it is fitting that there should be an authority that dictates to a certain degree how we conduct ourselves. Just as the law limits how citizens live (no murder, etc.), so should school rules limit how we live, only it must be more involved, because as minors without parents at school, the school bears a heightened responsibility to watch out for us. We all (hopefully) agree that there should be some rules beyond what the law demands, like in the case of consuming drugs, staying out very late, or basic hygiene, but it can seem more ambiguous to some in the case of a dress code.
Is a dress code an example of a necessary school rule?
Of course, not everything which we deem to be good for a person can (or should) be absolutely enforced by the school—you can’t micromanage someone else’s time or control exactly what they eat, for example. However, what we can do is put our students in a position such that they have the tools and self-respect to succeed. I believe that a dress code is fundamental to that. Like it or not, we all know that there has to be some sort of dress code—hopefully we can all agree that wearing items with vulgar language or that indecently expose oneself to a large degree are completely unacceptable. But whatever it is, everyone will draw a line somewhere. The question, then, is whether the environment of Exeter is such that a dress code of the sort listed in the Ebook is beneficial.
Ultimately, as is stated in the Academy’s official policy, the way we dress directly reflects our attitude about the activity we’re participating in. As Exeter students, we’re expected to have an enhanced degree of responsibility and a great deal of care for our academic pursuits. It is for that reason, that, on a principled level and as a sign of respect, we ought to have a decent dress code. It’s the same reason that we dress nicely for a job interview or a funeral, it’s just that our culture seems to have deemed that our schooling is not worthy of such courtesy. But even further, on a practical level, when you wear nice clothes, you actually expect yourself to act properly and take your work more seriously, and so one’s conduct often changes accordingly. I would even go so far as to say that a primary reason our students are more depressed than ever is the complete and utter collapse of authentic responsibility which, at least in part, stems from dressing nicely. Believe it or not, one’s temporary comfortability and yearning for self expression are not the highest goods at work.
What about personal autonomy?
Whenever conversations around dresscode happen, the side opposing it usually will contest to some degree the points I’ve listed above (e.g. wearing nice clothes doesn’t do that much) but they cannot be thrown out altogether. Instead, people usually frame a dress code as a violation of personal autonomy. The argument often goes like not every person is the same, and perhaps some will benefit from wearing nicer clothes, but I myself believe I will not, and so what right have you to tell me otherwise? What it comes down to, though, is that the student is not the ultimate arbiter of what rules they have to follow. One’s personal opinions do not trump the requirements of the community one is freely a part of and benefiting from. If they did, and if that were the case for every ordinary person, our school would, of course, quickly devolve into chaos because some people’s opinions are simply very wrong.
What’s the solution?
At the very least, therefore, it seems prudent for the Academy to take more seriously the widespread prevalence of students showing up to classes in sweatpants and baseball caps. It might even consider returning to a school uniform or what is actually printed in our official Ebook. Even for that small (though larger than you may think) percentage of the student body who would advocate for changes like these, it can be difficult to take the step and be the one person who stands out in the crowd. It is the Academy’s duty to make and enforce rules like these that keep the principles of Exeter alive, and it must do so now, more than ever.
