Uniform Crackdown

Uniform Crackdown

It’s no secret that the Bryn Mawr administration has become stricter about uniform infractions this year. Whether for an out of uniform sweatshirt or the former Bryn Mawr sweatpants (R.I.P.), students seem to be receiving more detentions for their non-uniform apparel more than ever before. So how and why does the administration keep giving out more and more uniform detentions?

STUDENT OPINIONS: One place of contention regarding uniform detentions among the students is sweatpants. I talked to one student about sweatpants and the consequences of wearing them. She explained that from her point of view, “It’s almost as if they want you to get a detention for wearing sweatpants when it’s freezing outside. Before we wore sweatpants during the winter, and the weather hasn’t changed, only now, we aren’t allowed to wear them.” However, she did add that she was grateful for the administration’s decision to allow students to wear sweatpants to off-campus classes.

Ms Fetting’s Hot Take: I also wanted to hear the administration’s opinion on the matter, so I visited Ms. Fetting’s office. When I asked her to comment on the increased enforcement of the uniform this year, she explained, “I strive for two things around the uniform: that students have options and that they know our expectations. We address uniform violations in order to support an equitable system. Inconsistent enforcement — when some students earn detention and others don’t — causes frustration among students toward adults. Because we have been clear about our expectations, I hope that students will respect them.”

Handbook Rules: “In order to reduce both cost and competition, Bryn Mawr has a uniform that is worn by all students... The uniform includes various options... because, for students of this age, some degree of individuality is desirable. Detentions will be given to students wearing non-uniform items.”

My take on the matter is simple. While I understand the idea of having a uniform and sticking to it, I believe that the administration could handle giving out detentions differently. I think that when a student receives an email informing them of a detention the day after they wear a pair of green sweatpants in class, it places an emphasis on the punishment rather than solving the problem itself. If wearing sweatpants is the offense, and the student wears them for the entire day only to receive an email at night, it often seems as though the consequences matter more than fixing the problem itself. However, I do understand the administration’s drive to maintain equity among its students by enforcing the uniform. Additionally, despite the handbook explaining that a major factor in creating the uniform was to reduce the financial burden placed on Bryn Mawr families, I believe that making formerly in-uniform sweatpants illegal does the opposite. Myself, along with many other students, now have a closet filled with pairs of green Bryn Mawr sweatpants that we cannot return; pairs that cost upwards of $40 each. While I do see the benefits of having a uniform, I believe that the administration can perhaps seek different means of addressing infractions, considering the financial repercussions and student acclimation to the “Era of Bryn Mawr Sweatpants.”