This, from a commenter on an earlier post about historically black Hampton University's policy that prohibits "unusual" hair styles for MBA students:
Mr. Johnson,
Please check your facts on this issue....this is not a new policy at HU and other MEAC/HBC have had similiar rules for their business school students. The real issue with is more about professional attire vs hair. Please see comments below from the Dean of the B-School in responding to alum on this matter:
An HU alum wrote the business school dean. Here is his response. The dean's name is Sid Credle.
Shannon:
It is unfortunate that this image issue has just kept going, going and going. Maybe, if you had the background it would allow you and others enough information to respond to some erroneous information currently floating around.
The image and attire rule of the 5yr-MBA program was put into place during fall 2000. It is six years old. Two to three students over the past 6 years have had a problem with the hair policy and have selected to change their major, perform other assignments or cut their hair. The program has grown from 58 to 150 students in the pass 6 years. It has been a real success (we place 22 year olds into $85k jobs). Recently, one student with "buckwheat" braids went to the AP and complained about the policy, indicating that the University was disrespecting him (or something of that nature). Students of the program are of the belief that "Buckwheat" intended to either get his way or destroy the program for all students. I never spoke to the AP regarding this issue. My comments were as a result of a Virginia Pilot article in response to the student's complaint. In any case, this issue is really a dialogue between black male students and black male faculty and has little to do with women's hair styles. Although there has been an effort to make it a women's issue, it is not from my point of view. We have not had a problem with women students and the image code. Although there has also been an attempt to make it so, this is not a black or white issue either.
Whether a black male has a Colin Powell hairstyle or Bob Marley style dreads, has nothing to do with his blackness. For example: actress Bo Derek in the movie "Ten", popularized the shoulder length braid look....does that mean that an African-American women who wears them is attempting to assimilate into a white cultural mirror of West Indian culture?
In any case, students are required to maintain the dress/image code when attending a 45 minute executive seminar held on Wednesdays. The model that we are using reinforces the power of unity each week over a five-year period. There is nothing more inspiring then seeing 150 smartly dressed 18-22 year olds, engaged in dialogue with the senior Vice President of a major corporation. Students are aware that the only way to distinguish themselves in the seminar setting is by performance (and not by how they look, or what they are wearing or the length of their hair). A speaker's training event is held on Monday, which is business casual. The primary goal is to allow students time to acclimate to the style they will be involved in at the highest executive level in the corporation, firm or agency. The policy is in writing and students, faculty and their parents find it to be reasonable. Students select into the program and are aware of the policy going into the program.
We are establishing a brand that includes a curriculum with 5 courses in engineering, 6 in accounting, a 44 hour business core, tennis, golf, chess analysis, two required internships and the martial arts. We have had 28 graduates with 100% high level corporate or firm placement. Note that we have not changed the style of the students of this program. They are the sons and daughters of corporate executives, generals and other professionals who are already aware, and are representatives of, and partial creators of, the model. We are talking about serious students (and it helps that they have a Bob Johnson, Malcolm X, Mandela, Martin Luther King or Charles Drew hairstyle). Don't get me wrong, the Don King, Bo Derek or Rick James look, is fine if you are in the field of fine arts, music, journalism, computer science, entertainment or sports. It is just inappropriate for the higher levels of business. The founding students of the program had significant input into the creation of the image and dress code. The founding group of students Fall, 2000 can be found on our website. .
Over the years, we have prepared the research on the issue of image and attire and are of the belief that we are doing the correct thing. Our policy is based on knowledge and is not arbitrary. We reviewed business leaders as noted in Black Enterprise's Top African-American 75 corporate executives, the Top 50 African-American lawyers, 50 top African-American Corporate Women, and the top 50 African-American Sport Agents. The evidence indicates that all are conservatively dressed and none have extreme hair styles. We recently had a career fair on campus with approximately 200 representatives of 100 corporations, firms and agencies. Ninety five percent of these representatives were black. None had extreme hair; and all were conservatively dressed. Armed with such information from those black men and women who have paid dues for more than 25-30 years, it is only appropriate that we distribute the information to the next generation. The mission is to distribute relevant business education. Name one black male or female who is a senior vice president or above, with dreads, cornrows or braids.
This is the true black code. Our students and the parents of our students appreciate this and understand exactly what we are doing, and why.
Comments (10)
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Ummm, did the spelling and grammar errors belong to the dean? If so, the business dept at that school has greater problems it needs to address.
Posted on May 9, 2006 5:18 PM
Agree write4food. I have a hard time believing a business school dean actually wrote this. Maybe it's a hoax.
Posted on May 9, 2006 8:09 PM
This man lost me in the second paragraph when he refered to one of his OWN students as "Buckwheat." He does not have a clue about why the hair and dress requirements at his school are the way that they are. His reference to "Buckwheat" in describing a black male, shows that he does not like himself or what he is.
Posted on May 9, 2006 10:06 PM
Allen,
In today's paper there is an opinion piece written by Deloris Davis. While I am fully aware that this is an opinion, it troubles me that Ms. Davis writes statements implied to be fact without any substantiation. As an example, she states, "Natinally and locally, white contractors frequently use such corrupt practices as bid-shopping and deliberately underbidding then filing change orders to boost numbers later."
Since you published this, can you please point me to the data which substantiates this claim. I believe it to be totally false. According to my dictionary, frequently means often or habitually. While I guess this could sometimes be the case, I really want to see the evidence that supports her charge that white contractors habitually use corrupt practices.
You owe honesty, integrity, and truth to your readers.
Posted on May 10, 2006 11:36 AM
There is a certain decorum that is expected in business regardless of race. I think the advice and explanation offered by the dean is universal. There are certain "rules" you must follow to be successful in most cases, and these are universal regardless of race.
A white person with long hair and covered with tattoos is going to have a much tougher time getting a good job than a clean cut person. That is just the way it is. You can either conform to the standard or suffer the consequences, in which case you can blame no one but yourself.
I see this in action every day in court when people come in front of a judge with a t-shirt hanging out and expect the judge to do them a favor. Believe me, judges notice this sort of thing, and in fact we have a standing order regarding a dress code for all people who enter court in Guilford County. Unfortunately, it is rarely followed. However, judges almost always make a favorable comment towards a defendant who comes to court dressed appropriately, and I am willing to be that it has an effect on how that person is treated. I believe business make the same judgments.
Posted on May 10, 2006 1:32 PM
I agree, Sam. But there's a fine line here between profesional appearance and cultural judgments. The key, to me, is neatness and respect for workplace decorum. I'm not sure wearing tastefully styled braids would necessarily constitute a violation of those standards.
Posted on May 10, 2006 2:10 PM
Want Data: i've forwarded your question to the column's author and expect to hear back soon.
Posted on May 10, 2006 7:24 PM
Allen, you may have a point, but I think in a way tha is the essence of the Dean's comments. In the real world, people will make cultural judgments and there is virtually nothing you can do about it. So can accept that fact and conform to the standard and greatly increase your chances of success, or rebel against the standard and wonder why you can't find a job.
This effects all races. I've had this conversation with white people I know about hairstyles, earrings, noserings, tatoos, dyed haircolors. These are cultural (or subcultural) items for them as well. But the simple fact is the white girl with pink hair, a nose ring and a tattoo on her shoulder is going to have a difficult time getting a decent job unless she goes to Hollywood or wins American Idol. It is just the image that a corporation wants to project. Imagine such a person in pharmacy sales. Or even in my profession, I don't know too many firms that would even consider hiring such a person, much less a client hiring the person.
I think people should maintain there cultural identity, but not on the company time. Maybe that is why the mullet haircut was so popular for a while- it was all business up front, but a party in the back. Or even the saying about women who "let their hair down" at the end of the day. I don't think the policy is an attempt to deny anyone their identity, but rather is a tool to help them succeed. You can be one person at work, and someone else at home. It happens all the time.
Conversely, if a business believed that a rastafarian look would be good for business, they might have a different view. Business exists to make money, and the best way to do that is with salespeople and employees that will not invoke doubt in their customers. Clean cut for men has been the standard years, just as skirts have been largely required attire for professional women. A lot of women hate that, and quite frankly before the shaved head became cool again, some of my long haired rocker friends resented the suggestion they get a hair cut (and a real job).
Hey, even Metallica cut off all their hair at a certain age, and they can still rock hard. So you can change your look without selling out who you are. Or you can be stubborn and end up wondering what happened to all your opportunites.
I agree with the statement that blackness is not defined by a hairstyle. Maybe the person just liked the style and isn't trying to make a statement. To the extent there is such a thing as "blackness" being an actual attribute, then how can it be defined? Does it apply to all black people? Are there different levels?
I agree that "tastefully styled braids would (Not) necessarily constitute a violation of those standards. However, if your goal is to help a student achieve, and the braids might make that more difficult, then the student should be made aware of that. It would be much better for society if the student did not get the job because of the braids than for him to think it was because of race. You could equate the two (white guys don't usually wear cornrows, so they are less likely to be denied a job based on that hairstyle) but in reality it was the hair, not the race that mattered.
It goes back to what I've said before about assumptions and how damaging they can be especially when dealing with race. I think Oprah said some years ago that she would never have been as successful as she has been if she spoke "black english" on her show, yet she also reminded people that she was fully capable of using "black english" with family and friends. So in public she did what she needed to do to be successful, but in private she still kept her roots or "blackness" as some might say.
Again, the same is true for white people. You have all kinds of subcultures, such as Goth, Harley riders, punks, metalheads, country boys. They're all trying to make a statement about something, but there is a time and place and business in particular has a very conservative set of rules and norms that are expected. The Dean's stats on success rate don't lie.
Posted on May 11, 2006 12:15 AM
We discuss these very sorts of issues in my art appreciation class.
Business ettiquette and marketing exert tremendous pressure to conform, in style and presumed content within "packaging". The one who looks the most different is least trusted. Prejudice (or, as one of my students miswrote brilliantly: "predigest") starts the second we see someone (unless we have already prescreened for "ethnic names").
On the other hand, there ARE successful male and female artists, designers and even high-tech entrepeneurs who have embraced the so-called "extreme" styles.
Keep in mind, too, that styles change. maybe short, straight hair will be "weird" in the not-too-distant future.
Posted on May 19, 2006 1:32 PM
On the other, other hand,
It is disturbing to hear our judges being prejudicial.
Thank goodness Mother Theresa didn't turn away the dirty of Calcutta in their hour of need. Or maybe someone should start a thriving business outside the Guilford County courthouse, hawking neckties?
Posted on May 19, 2006 1:36 PM