Why am I so worked up about this? Well you see, I graduated from BYU-Idaho and absolutely loved my college experience. So much my husband decided he wanted to go to school there and is going to graduate come April. He runs the Student Health Center on campus and is very involved in the every day campus activity. We both very much appreciate our college experience and it hurts us to see both the school and our beloved church get so bombarded with all this negative publicity. All because of an incident at the Testing Center where an employee's pride took precedence over what was right in the situation. And then to see comments in all these articles from students attending the school stating the dress code is "ridiculous" is incredibly frustrating as well. You have to sign the honor code in order to attend the school, so you KNOW beforehand what the rules are and what your getting yourself into. So if your not grateful for your experience there and the rules that go along with going to school, DON'T GO TO SCHOOL THERE! And then tell the world that you don't agree with the school's honor code that you signed? Gosh. There are tons of people who don't get into BYU-I that I know would be more grateful for their EDUCATION than so many of these ungrateful people complaining about silly dress codes. Sure I murmured once or twice about not being able to wear certain clothing items, but I enjoyed my college experience more than I missed flip flops or Capri's. Perspective people.
I feel sorry for the girl that got turned away. She got caught in the middle of a change in rules and didn't deserve the way she was treated. I hope she receives an apology from that guy, she deserves one. Here is the article of the ACTUAL story of what happened. I believe in honest and factual journalism, which seems to be lacking nowadays:
On November 8th the Testing Center began a campaign to remind students of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards. The campaign has gained the attention and criticism of many students.
Some students have encountered resistance from Testing Center officials when attempting to enter the facility because of excessively tight pants.
Self-described as “curvy,” Rachel Vermillion, a senior studying psychology, took a test in the afternoon of the day that the new rule was implemented.
Afterwards she attended another class, studied for her second test of the day and attended a leadership meeting with her bishop as a member of her ward’s Relief Society presidency. From there she went directly to the Testing Center.
At 8:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the Testing Center was scheduled to close, Vermillion entered the facility prepared to take her test and was told by an employee there that she would not be permitted to enter.
“I got in line and the guy said that I couldn’t take a test because my pants were too tight,” Vermillion said. “I thought he was joking at first.”
Vermillion wasn’t given a warning, despite the Testing Center’s history of issuing warnings to students for similar violations of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.
“I thought it was going to be like, ‘Next time, wear a different pair of pants,’” Vermillion said. “I’d never gotten a warning. I pointed out to him girls around me who had gotten in who were wearing jeans much tighter than my pants, but he just said, ‘It’s at the discretion of the Testing Center employees.’ He got very angry and was very rude.”
“When I told him that I lived 20 minutes away from Rexburg and that if I went home to change and came back the Testing Center would be closed, he just said, ‘That’s not my problem.’”
Even when a fellow employee attempted to persuade him to allow Vermillion to take her test, he did not relent.
“Another girl who worked there told him that the pants I was wearing were looser than hers,” Vermillion said. “It was really frustrating because there were skinny girls who were wearing tight pants who were getting admitted, but I’m curvy so my regular-fitting pants were a little bit tighter on me and he wouldn’t let me in. It was offensive and humiliating.”
John Dexter, manager of the Testing Center, acknowledged that some staff members have been more zealous than others in enforcing the dress code.
“I do have a couple of staff who have inadvertently sent people away on their own,” Dexter said. “That isn’t something we enforce. That’s because of poor communication. We’ve struggled with this and figuring out how to do it without embarrassing people unduly.”
Last month a sign was posted at the Testing Center that read, “If your pants are tight enough to see the shape of your leg, your pants are too tight. The CES Dress and Grooming Standards state that: ‘Clothing is inappropriate when it is . . . formfitting.’ Skin tight clothing is NOT appropriate attire.”
Concluding this notice was a short paragraph that read, “If your clothing or attitude does not meet the commitments you have made to live the Honor Code, will you please go home and prayerfully visit with your Father in Heaven and recommit yourself to be a true disciple and abide by the Honor Code that defines your commitment to be a disciple.” The sign was replaced three days later.
“I decided after a couple weeks of prayerful consideration and some discussions here in our staff that something had to be done. I put out one sign; I tend to be a little bit rash, but we modified it so that it’s not too harsh,” Dexter said.
Today there stands a similar sign, but with the concluding paragraph reading, “If you don’t understand the Dress and Grooming standards, we invite you to go to the Lord ‘and ask in faith, nothing wavering’ for approval of the clothing you wear. The Spirit will tell you whether what you are wearing is appropriate or not.”
In response to students who feel that formfitting jeans are appropriate, Dexter said, “If a student prays and they think that the tight ‘formfitting’ clothing is accepted by the Lord, they have not asked, or have not asked the right question, or they have chosen an answer for their own gratification. I don’t believe the Lord would give approval to anyone to be disobedient to the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.”
The Testing Center has not made any policy changes. They are reminding students of the Dress and Grooming Standards against formfitting clothing.
“This has been a CES standard for as long as I’ve been here,” Dexter said. “All we’re doing is quoting the CES policy.”
The Testing Center has been criticized for not communicating the stricter enforcement of BYU-Idaho’s formfitting clothing policy.
“I don’t care if they require me to wear a burqa,” Vermillion said, “but they should really let you know beforehand. I had just come from a meeting with my bishop, but I couldn’t get into the Testing Center.”
To view the actual article go here.
UPDATE: Its hard to avoid all the controversy surrounding this matter. I stumbled upon this comment from someone who said it better than I am trying to:
8 comments:
WOW.
I have so much more to say but wow pretty much sums it up right now.
So... I think you might want to take a step back and re-think this one.
First, it's not very graceful to suggest that if a student questions something like a dress standard they should not go to school at BYU-I. That is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Certainly there are all kinds of non-LDS students who attend BYU who don't agree AT ALL with the theological underpinnings of the institution - but it doesn't nullify the virtue of having them go to school there. In fact, BYU goes to pains to make them comfortable and attract them to the university.
That emotional reaction of "Go find another school to attend" (which I dont' think you really meant anyway) is exactly along the lines of what Elder Ballard condemned a few years ago in conference when he specifically pointed out that it is NOT an appropriate response to people who don't share your political or moral viewpoints to imply that they should find a new community to live in and move out of Utah.
Mormonism has an important history of honest inquiry. In fact, the very existence of the religion is based on Joseph Smith's honest interrogation of his religious institution. I think we are too quick to shut down others who question why we do some of the things we do - both in church education and in the church institution at large. If attitudes like the one you put forward here toward those students who disagree with aspects of the dress code prevail in the greater church, then we become what the detractors say we are - blind followers. If it's good and true, it will withstand scrutiny. If it's not, we're better off moving on anyway.
@WhiteEyebrows- thank you so much for your comment. I genuinely appreciate it. Your right, your absolutely right. I guess I should have re-phrased it to if your going to publicly criticize the school's standards of dress code then maybe its not the school for you. I believe in Democracy and everyone having their own opinion and belief system and would never force mine on anyone else, I just merely wish people would be grateful for the opportunities given them and not dwell on something so insignificant as a dress code. And more importantly give the church and the school a bad name for something they signed themselves.
Thank you for your perspective, it truly was enlightening.
Oh dear! I do not miss that stuff that happens at church schools!
:(
You can always wear a skirt or a dress to school. I don't know how people get into those skinny jeans to begin with. It looks like they are poured into them. A pair of nice casual pants would probably fit the bill. One comment though--if the girl was with her Bishop and he didn't say anything to her, then she should have been allowed into the testing center. Also, if she was comfortable in her own "skin", then she should have been allowed in. Some people who are given "power" go to extremes. Hope she was able to finally take her test.
Makes me sad to read the comments from the real article. Can't we all just get along?
I know would be more grateful for their EDUCATION than so many of these ungrateful people complaining about silly dress codes.
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