Southern University Requires Business Suits, Bans Du-Rags in Dress Code

Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Dr. Mark Brown, the president and CEO of Tuskegee University in Alabama, is moving to establish what he describes as a more “professional educational environment” at one of the nation’s most respected Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Under the new expectations, students must arrive on campus with a business suit and appropriate shoes for professional-style meetings. The policy also bars unprofessional attire in classrooms and cafeterias, while prohibiting head coverings except in cases tied to religious observance or medical need.

“The university has developed a new policy for student attire on campus, classroom attendance, and cell phone use in classrooms,” Brown told students in a campus message. “Tuskegee students now have a dress code for public and professional places.”

“The Student Handbook requires students to arrive on campus with a business suit and proper shoes for a business meeting,” the message stated. “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 Alabama HBCU is also tightening restrictions on revealing and sexually explicit clothing, framing the dress code as part of a wider effort to help students prepare for professional life after college.

“The goal here is not meant to restrict you from enjoying the Tuskegee Experience, but to prepare you with a solid foundation for the workforce you will enter once you leave Tuskegee,” wrote Brown, who became Tuskegee University president two years ago. “Employers are less forgiving and too often presentation may overrule stellar preparation.

“Tuskegee University continues to prepare the best and brightest for a lifetime of success,” Brown added. “With these changes, we want to ensure every student is as prepared as they can be. I look forward to seeing you in August.”

Tuskegee’s fall orientation guidance lists business attire for career fairs, meetings, interviews and other professional occasions, but the guidance does restrict unprofessional attire in classrooms, too.

“Hats, bonnets, head scarves, caps, hoods, du-rags, bandanas, sunglasses, and other non-religious or non-medically required head coverings should be removed while in the classroom or cafeteria unless they are required for documented medical, religious, cultural, or University-approved purposes,” the Dress Code Policy for Students that accompanied Brown’s message read.

“Pants, skirts, dresses, and shorts should be worn in a manner that is appropriate for a professional educational environment. Clothing should fit properly and not expose undergarments or other private areas. Excessively short shorts, swimsuit bottoms, body suits, sleeveless undershirts, and similar casual garments are not appropriate for professional classroom settings,” the guidance continued. “T-shirts worn as dresses and sagging pants are not permitted. Baggy or loose fitting pants must be worn with a belt that fits around the waist.”

Faculty members will be authorized to respond when students are dressed in violation of the guidelines, though the president’s message did not specify potential penalties.

Some elements of the announcement reinforce standards that were already on the books. Tuskegee’s 2025-26 student handbook required students to dress “in good taste,” prohibited sleepwear outside residence halls and barred men from wearing “do rags,” stocking caps, bandanas, baseball caps and other headwear inside university buildings. It also prohibited sagging pants in academic facilities.

The revised rules have fueled a wider debate over professionalism, cultural expression and the expectations placed on students at HBCUs. Critics online have described restrictions on du-rags and bonnets as respectability politics that unfairly target clothing associated with Black culture.

Supporters argue that colleges should teach students how to present themselves during interviews, meetings and other professional situations.

Several alumni have defended the university’s approach. Tuskegee graduate Gwen McKinney told NBC4 Washington that the policy was “a breath of fresh air,” saying there is “a time and place and a setting for every kind of dress.”

“A critical part of being ready for and confident in business environments is being appropriately dressed,” Director of the Career Education and Leadership Development Center Walter P. Cooper, Sr., said.

“We know that every workplace doesn’t require business attire – our center includes business casual and casual attire, too – but as our students prepare to enter those workplace scenarios that do, it is important that access to the right wardrobe is not a barrier.”

For students that might not have the proper attire, there is The Golden Tigers Community Closet to help outfit needy students.

“One of the key pillars of Tuskegee’s Renaissance Era is our focus on career readiness for our students,” Brown said. “Academically, we are equipping our students to stand shoulder to shoulder with any candidates competing for roles in the global economy.

“The Golden Tigers Community Closet is an important way to ensure that every student can also feel confidently dressed when they step into those spaces.”

The dress code is part of a larger set of classroom and career-readiness rules being introduced as Tuskegee expects its highest new-student enrollment in 32 years. Cellphone use will be prohibited unless authorized by an instructor.

“Faculty will be empowered to respond to students who are inappropriately dressed based on these guidelines,” Brown’s message to students added.

“Faculty will also be able to respond to a different classroom challenge – cell phones. Unless directed by the professor, students are no longer allowed to use their cell phones while in class. They should be turned off to eliminate any distraction from the instructor’s lesson.”

News Outlet reached out to Brown’s office and the university for further comment. VP of Stragetic Communications Thonnia Lee confirmed the details of the president’s message to students and the dress code here but declined further comment.