Monday’s will be a little different at Grambling State University in the coming weeks as cardigans, bow ties and dress shoes will be covering the campus.
Freshman Village Resident Assistant Reginald Mask is trying to put a stop to the inappropriate dressing habit by starting GSU Motivational Mondays. This event is used to reach out to freshmen, but Mask wants everybody to join and hopes to teach students the proper way to dress and learn the difference between business casual and business professional.
“I don’t like how the students are dressing unprofessional, we want to do this event so we can make it cool as well look good to dress up casually,” said Mask. “We don’t want a bad reputation on the school by how students are dressing.”
Social media is also playing a huge part in getting Mask’s initiative accomplished, which includes rules and a prize. Every Monday students are to dress professionally and take a picture and upload it to Instagram. Once uploaded, students have to mention @ReginaldDenard and tag #GSUMotivationalMonday. The student who has the most pictures wins a $100 gift card to Dillard’s.
“I hope the prize will help motivate students to participate because I’m trying to enhance tradition and make even a better name on the university, because if students continue to dress any kind of way then it will turn out bad,” said Mask.
Mask believes that this issue is happening at all levels from seniors down to freshmen and he says that the seniors are doing a poor job in being role models for the underclassmen.
“I personally know seniors that come to class with their pants down to their ankles. It is highly unprofessional to be anywhere dressing like that and it sets a bad example for our younger students,” said Mask.
Some students on campus agree with the dress issue and strongly believe the Motivational Mondays will help GSU students tremendously.
“I believe motivational Mondays will help students a lot but it will take time for students to adjust,” said sophomore Computer Information systems major Matthew Williams. “It will give a thought to students on how to dress appropriately and with class. People come from different areas and have their own trends but this event should help students to come together and make a change.”
Dressing professionally is not only about clothes, but also hairstyles.
According to Mask students should always keep a clean cut. High-Top fades and long parts with designs are not acceptable in the business world.
Even the opposite sex chimed in on the wardrobe selection of males on campus.
“I feel like its unattractive and it looks bad,” It is degrading, allows black men to be prejudged and it keeps them away from a job opportunity,” said sophomore Lashontana Gordon.
Others believe it shows a sign of immaturity.
“Sagging is highly unattractive to many women it does nothing to their so called swag but diminishes it,” said Kristal Ben, a psychology major. “Sagging doesn’t indicate gentlemen but boys.”
Mask will continue his message in February with his King’s Week.
“This is a week to honor our men of GSU and to further help them to grow and become more professional,” said Mask.