solved For this scenario, imagine you’re a college student in a

For this scenario, imagine you’re a college student in a business program. In an effort to increase job readiness, the department professors have implemented a dress code that requires students to wear business casual clothes to class. You were recently elected president of the student chapter of the business program, and some of your classmates want the chapter to fight the dress code. Some students don’t seem to mind, but others are very angry about this new policy. You are still considering how you feel about the policy, and are unsure what to do.
ENCOUNTERING ARGUMENTS
You decide to talk to more people in your program and ask for their perspectives. As you begin to listen to others explain their positions, you will want to use your critical thinking skills to determine whether their arguments are sound or have any flaws in reasoning.
You begin with Professor Palmer, who says she introduced the motion to implement a dress code:
I work closely with local employers, and there have been a lot of complaints that young people don’t know how to dress appropriately for work. Someone told me about an intern who came to the office wearing a strapless top and platform shoes, like she was going out dancing. And I’ve seen young men in tank tops and flip-flops. You know that one of our program goals is to teach students the norms of our profession. If we require our students to wear business casual clothes, they will be better prepared to enter the workforce. And dressing more professionally will help students take their classes more seriously.
You continue to gather information by talking to your fellow students. Micah is another officer in the student chapter and was the first one to contact you protesting the new policy:
I thought I was done with uniforms when I graduated from my private high school. Dress codes may be okay for K–12 schools, but I’ve never heard of them for colleges. We’re all adults, and we should be able to dress as we like. School isn’t work, and it should be a place where I can wear what I want, even pajamas. Professor Palmer is way too strict anyway; if this is her idea, then it should not become department policy.
Jolie, a chapter member, is against the policy for logistical reasons:
I work at a restaurant in addition to going to school. Sometimes I have to go right from work to class, or vice versa. I don’t have time to change into an entirely new outfit. I’m also a little worried about being able to afford new clothes on my paycheck. But I guess if all the other students are ok with it, then I shouldn’t object.
Dani is your classmate but is not in the chapter:
I’m okay with the dress code if I can use the clothes after I graduate. I feel like I’ll need these clothes anyway and if the professors think it is important, then I respect that.
Ben, a chapter member, is undecided about the policy, but he is concerned about the possibility of more requirements being imposed:
In some ways, I don’t mind uniforms, because these are clothes I would probably buy anyway for job interviews. But if we have to wear uniforms to class, are we then going to be required to wear them to other campus functions? Will we also be required to buy expensive accessories that our professors think we need? This could really add up.
Appeal to popularity: fallacy in which the arguer attempts to bolster their argument by mentioning that “everybody” (or a large group of people) shares the same belief, preference, or habit
Post hoc ergo propter hoc: fallacy in which the arguer assumes that because one event preceded the other, then the first must have caused the second; the phrase is Latin for “after this, therefore because of this”
Appeal to emotion: fallacy in which the arguer tries to persuade the audience by arousing feelings such as pity, fear, patriotism, flattery, etc. in lieu of presenting rational arguments
Unqualified authority: fallacy in which the arguer tries to get people to agree by appealing to the reputation of someone who is not an expert in the field or otherwise qualified to prove that something is true
Ad hominem: fallacy in which the arguer attacks their opponent’s personal characteristics, qualifications, or circumstances instead of the argument presented; the phrase is Latin for “to the man”
Straw man: fallacy in which the arguer sets up a vulnerable version of their opponent’s position and then presents evidence to knock down the distorted position
Red herring: fallacy in which the arguer raises an irrelevant side issue to distract the opponent or audience from what is really at stake
Slippery slope: fallacy in which the arguer suggests that one event is going to spark a chain of events leading up to an undesirable outcome, even when there is no logical reason to believe with certainty that the first event will cause that chain of events
1. Now that you have information from multiple perspectives, what is your understanding of the entire problem.
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
Now that you’ve talked to some other people, think about how you should define the problem. You should also consider what your own barriers to critical thinking could be. The following journal questions will help you to do this.
2. How can you rephrase the problem to state it in a different way?
3. What subproblems can you think of that go along with the main problem? You might include specific faculty and student concerns here.
4. What is your initial opinion on this issue?
5. What barriers to critical thinking could affect your own thought process or the arguments of others?
RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM
Next, you decide to look for information outside your department using the internet. You begin your search by looking to see what has been written about other universities or colleges implementing dress codes, and you discover two articles. The first is from a publication focused on higher education, and it provides information about the Illinois State University College of Business’s dress code. The second is a posting from an individual’s blog about academic freedom discussing that same dress code.
This section will walk you through the research process. As you read the articles, think about the arguments presented in each. Look for information that may support points you’ve uncovered through your conversations with Professor Palmer and your fellow students, and pay attention to any counterarguments that you need to consider.
The first article will appear below, and the second will follow on the next page. You will be able to complete a Critical Thinking Journal entry after reading each one.
Business (School) Casual
By Andy Guess
August 22, 2007
The College of Business at Illinois State University is taking the imperative to “dress for success” literally. Starting this fall, students majoring in marketing or business teacher education will have to watch what they wear, donning business casual attire in class—or risk getting kicked out for the day.
Business schools offer plenty of reasons to look professional but tend to stop short of requiring a dress code, opting instead to encourage students to look sharp for interviews and meetings with recruiters. While medical schools routinely mandate personal hygiene and clothing guidelines for students in clinical facilities, and while a number of private religious institutions mandate dress standards, the step is unusual in a classroom setting at a business school.
But college officials have implemented the move, they say, with significant input from the students themselves and a good look at companies’ codes of conduct. The dress code is part of a larger set of standards designed to encourage professionalism and intended to prepare students for the “real world” of business after graduation.
“I think you come in there, you say gosh, it becomes this kind of almost… mental shift,” said Tim Longfellow, the chairman of the Department of Marketing at Illinois State, which for the time being will be alone in mandating a dress code within the business college. The change was rolled out with a grace period as classes started this week, but beginning next Monday the rules will be in full force—for both students and teachers. The one exception so far is “Introduction to Marketing Management,” because non-majors can take the class.
Business casual for men generally means khakis or cotton pants with a collared button-down shirt or polo; no tie is necessary. For women, cotton pants or skirts are allowed with sweaters, polo shirts and blouses, but the guidelines… add more than a few caveats:
For women, “Solid colors work better than bright patterns.”
Students will also need to keep up on their dry cleaning (or ironing): “Clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled. Torn, dirty or frayed clothing is unacceptable. All seams must be finished.”
The types of pants acceptable for men is also clearly delineated: “Slacks that are similar to Dockers and other makers of cotton or synthetic material pants, wool pants, flannel pants, and nice looking dress synthetic pants are acceptable.”
There is a note of caution on skirts: “Dress and skirt length should be no shorter than four inches above the knee, or a length at which you can sit comfortably in public. Short, tight skirts that ride halfway up the thigh are inappropriate for the classroom.”
[. . .]
Administrators’ and faculty members’ arguments for the dress code are forceful. “They’re in a preprofessional environment; it’s not like a light switch gets flipped and you go from being students to a competent professional,” said Amy Humphreys, assistant to the college dean for constituent relations. “You can already just feel the difference [in attitude] between the kids who just come shuffling in with iPods and flip-flops, and then students who come in dressed for success.”
Students, who found out about the changes in a letter over the summer, are somewhat split on the issue. Chrystal Caban, a senior who is president of the college’s American Marketing Association chapter, said she normally has worn sweatpants and a T-shirt to class, “and I’ve always considered myself a good student.” She conceded that she doesn’t feel strongly either way and can see the merits of both sides.
But Rob Duerr, a junior who is president of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), implied that students who have trouble with the policy are acting out of laziness. He said there was also an added benefit for outside visitors to the college, such as recruiters, who “come and they see everyone dressed up and they get a better impression of what’s going on.”
6. What does the article indicate about the student response to the dress code?

 Students’ responses are mixed.
 Students are fully supportive of the dress code.
 Students do not feel strongly about the dress code

7. Which claim sums up Amy Humphreys’s argument in support of the dress code?

 Students who are dressed professionally seem more engaged in class.
 Students who dress informally are not motivated to excel in their classes.
 Corporations want universities to teach students professional norms.

The dress code grew from a larger effort to adopt wide-ranging standards of professional behavior and ethical conduct, which urge students (and professors) to “[d]ress appropriately, avoiding clothing that is revealing, provocative, or includes offensive language or visuals.” Norris Porter, assistant to the dean for student services, said the standards came about after the major business scandals earlier this decade and the financial decline in the wake of September 11. Colleges felt pressure from corporations, he said, which wanted to know how students were being prepared for the moral responsibilities awaiting them after graduation.
“In light of that, the college took the perspective that most corporations have these standards or codes of conduct or ‘how we do business’ statements, and we decided we’d do our own,” Porter said.
Before being taken department-wide, the dress code was first required in individual marketing classes starting in 2003. Last fall, all courses in the professional sales sequence followed suit (as some other similar tracks have done within other schools, Longfellow said). “Inputs from students and faculty alike have been extremely positive,” the guidelines state. “All have indicated that the professionalism exhibited in the class led to a better learning environment, students being better prepared for class, and students being more respectful of one another.”
Once the grace period this week is over, professors can theoretically ask students they consider to be in violation of the guidelines to leave the room, meaning they could lose credit for any work that day. Longfellow emphasized that there would be an appeals process and that students can speak with their professors if there is a misunderstanding, but said the department was still deciding whether a repeat offender could eventually be removed from his or her major. Caban suggested that some professors might enforce the policy more leniently than others, a possibility that might cause some students to choose their classes more strategically.
Other criticisms came from online, where the College Freedom blog suggested that the policy would disproportionately affect poorer students: “Buying business casual clothing may force already impoverished students to go into debt.” Longfellow said he hasn’t heard any complaints yet. “The thing is, you can look very nicely in business casual and not really spend a lot of money either,” he said—less than what it costs to buy designer jeans, he added.
Illinois State’s status as a public university presents another potential complication, although Longfellow said the policy passed muster with the legal team. Since students apply specifically to the program within the university, there wasn’t an issue of stifling expression, he said.
8. What is the purpose of this source?

 to persuade
 to call to action
 to inform

9. According to the article, the dress code came about as part of an effort to establish “standards of professional behavior.” Why were such standards established?

 Colleges felt pressure from corporations to prepare students for moral responsibilities in the business world.
 Colleges wanted to make it easier for professors to eject lower-performing students from their classes.
 Colleges wanted to train students to know which clothes were considered business casual.

10.  What information in this source supports facts you uncovered through your conversations with Professor Palmer and/or your fellow students?
11.  Did you locate any new information in this source that needs to be considered, such as a counterperspective or new evidence?
UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
The source you just read presented an informative overview of the issue featuring multiple opinions. You notice that within the text of the article, another source was mentioned: a College Freedom blog post. The writer of this blog took a strong stance against the dress code. This site identifies itself as “a blog about academic freedom and other issues in higher education,” and though it’s not a formal publication, you decide to follow up and take a look at the arguments presented in the blog post in order to thoroughly investigate all the positions surrounding the issue.
College Freedom
A blog about academic freedom and other issues in higher education, from John K. Wilson
Dress Codes for College Students
People who just don’t seem to understand what higher education is all about have tried to bring all kinds of bad ideas from K-12 to colleges in recent years: standardized testing, repression of the student press, bans on controversy. But now the department of marketing and business teacher education at Illinois State University has brought us a truly stupid idea: the dress code.
Yes, students in these classes will be forced to wear business casual clothes, and all sneakers, flip-flops, baseball caps, shorts, T-shirts, and pajama bottoms will be banned.
Dress codes impose a financial burden on poorer students. Buying business casual clothing may force already impoverished students to go into debt.
But the worst part of dress codes is that they send a message of conformity and repression (that’s why corporations and conservative religious colleges like them). The suppression of individual freedom is completely at odds with the nature of the university. Professors can’t impose their personal dress preferences on students. It’s even worse when an entire department seeks to impose a dress code. And it’s probably illegal.
The Supreme Court has never dealt with a dress code case directly. Federal appeals courts have upheld dress codes at public schools in Texas and Louisiana, but these were specifically authorized by state law for minors. Dress codes in K-12 public schools are only legal if a school has a direct interest in maintaining an effective educational environment. It’s doubtful that a dress code at a public college could pass constitutional scrutiny. Exactly why can’t college students learn in sneakers? But there’s never been a case involving a dress code at a public university, precisely because so few faculty would normally consider limiting student freedom in this way.
After all, wearing an anti-war button is not considered “professional” dress in the corporate environment. Does that mean that anyone who wears a political message will be banned from these business courses?
Marketing professor Linda Showers proclaimed, “We know how important it is for students to have an extra edge. They will establish these habits out the door.” Actually, dressing up is probably the least important lesson for students to learn. Do you really need a college degree to learn how to wear khakis? What students need to learn is how to think creatively, communicate effectively, and understand past and present ideas about their field. Learning how to follow a dress code is not the goal of a college education.
According to another professor, this dress code is simply an extension of one already imposed on some students in the sales program: “For a few years the sales faculty has been doing this and students adjusted to it and got positive feedback.” Students “adjusted” to it by obedience at the threat of being failed and expelled, of course.
The business faculty should reconsider their ill-advised rules. And if they don’t, the faculty senate should step in to declare that no dress code can be imposed on students.
Of course, professors and departments are perfectly free to urge a particular style of dress for students, and to educate students about what they think is proper fashion. They can hassle and deride students who don’t conform. But they can’t throw students out of a class for wearing sneakers. Doing so imposes a harsh penalty; a student who is not allowed to attend class is at a severe disadvantage, and is being deprived of the education tuition money is supposed to provide.
This stifling of individual liberty and personal expression is precisely the opposite of what students need to learn in order to become good marketers and good teachers. Pointless obedience shouldn’t be considered a virtue, especially not in academia. College students aren’t being trained to become docile little corporate peons (or at least they shouldn’t be). The purpose of a college education is to educate students about an intellectual field of knowledge, not to force them to dress (or think) in a certain way.
12. How does the writer respond to the counterargument that a dress code will help students “establish [good] habits” and gain “an extra edge,” as one faculty member suggests?

 Students need to be taught more important skills than how to dress.
 Students do not have the money needed for this dress code.
 The dress code would probably not be constitutionally sound if taken to court.

13. Which of these statements best summarizes the author’s overall argument?

 College should teach students to think, not to obey rules like dress codes.
 Dress codes are inherently sexist in their application.
 When implemented well, dress codes can be beneficial to students.

14.  What information in this source supports facts you uncovered through your conversations with Professor Palmer and/or your fellow students?
15. Did you locate any new information in this source that needs to be considered, such as a counterperspective or new evidence?
CONSIDERING YOUR OPTIONS
A good critical thinker will avoid the false dichotomy fallacy and consider whether more nuanced solutions are possible. In this case, the obvious options would be either to fight the dress code or to accept it. But between these two choices lie other possibilities. You could work to modify the dress code, for example.
Consider all the concerns expressed by Professor Palmer and your classmates and envision how they can be addressed. On this page, you will brainstorm ways that you could advocate for your fellow students and use the Critical Thinking Journal to evaluate your potential solutions.
16. What would a successful outcome need to look like?
17. Generate some options for a solution to this problem. List as many as you can without editing yourself.
CONSIDERING THE ETHICS
Now that you’ve come up with some options, you may want to consider how ethical perspectives may inform your decision. Use the table to review each ethical perspective and its focus, then answer the questions that follow.
You may be tempted to make a decision based purely on what’s best for you and your academic career. But good critical thinkers need to be able to balance self-interest with the well-being of the greater community. How would your actions affect others? As chapter president, you have a duty to advocate for your classmates and to represent their interests. As a student, you also have responsibilities to your university: to follow the rules set out by the administration and to be a good member of your campus community.
Perspective Focus
Utilitarianism Providing the best outcome for the greatest number of people
Rights-Based Ethics Respecting the rights of individuals
Justice-Based Ethics Evaluating the fairness of treatment or a given solution
Virtue-Based Ethics Associating admirable personal qualities and character traits with a position
Ethical Relativism Understanding that beliefs about what is right will differ from culture to culture
18.  Which of the ethical perspectives above do you find most relevant for considering this problem? Explain how this perspective influences your thinking about any of the options you’ve come up with.
MAKING YOUR DECISION
You have defined the problem, evaluated the options, and reflected on the ethics of the possible solutions; now it is time to make a decision. What are you going to do? Remember that there is rarely a perfect decision or even only one right decision; you will need to focus on the decision that you think makes the most sense in the situation described.
19.  What course of action will you propose to the student council? Explain your thinking to support this decision.
FINAL REFLECTION
It is critical to continue thinking about the decision even after you have implemented it. In your final reflection, explore the likely outcomes of the choice you have made. Think about the perspectives of the students and faculty you have heard from in this chapter, and imagine their reactions to your decision over time. You might also consider your own reactions as you moved through the decision-making process: Which steps were useful? Which steps were more difficult? Has this chapter helped you reflect on how you usually make decisions? If so, what changes might you make to your usual process?
20.  What do you think is likely to happen if your decision is implemented?
21. How did the critical thinking techniques you’ve learned come into play in this exercise?