To Uniform or to Not: Casady Upper Division Students Speak Out
Laynie Hutton, Senior Writer
Casady Upper Division: a place where individuality is encouraged and the dress code is a long standing point of contention. The administration and students have debated Casady’s dress code for years. Some students believe that the dress code has too many rules, while some students would rather individualize their style every day. Casady’s Upper Division is currently the only division without a uniform.
As stated in the Casady Handbook, Casady’s dress code is designed for students to “maintain acceptable appearance standards that demonstrate respect for self, for others, for the School community, and intentionally avoid distracting other students who are also working to succeed.” Casady's Dress code prohibits blue denim on regular dress day, tee shirts, pants with frays or rips, logos over four inches, all athletic wear, tank tops with straps thinner than three fingers, and many more clothing items. While most of the rules seem straightforward and easy to follow, some are extremely subjective. For example, finger width is different for every student in the Upper Division community, creating confusion about what is considered acceptable. Without standardization on rules such as hem lengths or widths, students must guess if their clothing is appropriate for school. The current dress code rules leave room for misunderstandings and results in many students being out of dress code, even if they do not believe they are. Upper Division students often find the dress code policy hard for them to follow on an everyday basis, as well as an added stress to their mornings. If students are out of dress code, they risk being sent home or other disciplinary consequences.
Baano Aamir (‘24) believes a uniform would be easier for students: “I appreciate the administration giving us the freedom to choose an outfit everyday, but I think if they are going to place as many restrictions as there are currently, it would be easier for us to just transition to a uniform. That way, we would be able to get dressed every morning without having a mental checklist of the many things you can get sent home for wearing.” Uniforms would eliminate the need for a new wardrobe that many students do not wear outside of the gates of Casady. On the other hand, students like freshmen have had a uniform for years and want to choose what they wear. Caroline Olszewski (‘27) says, “I think uniforms would eliminate a lot of this back and forth arguing about who is being unreasonable. I like not having a uniform, and after having one all through middle school, it’s nice to be able to wear clothes that you like and look good in.”
All in all, the Casady dress code is designed for students to dress for success. Personally, I believe the Casady Upper Division needs to transition into a uniform to eliminate confusion and stress, or adapt a dress code with clearer rules. However, it is the responsibility of the students to adhere to the current dress code rules.
