By Daniel Tyler Chua
56YP MA Humanities
Today, the UA&P Center for Student Affairs announced a new university-wide dress code, which primarily implements business casual as the minimum for students and staff members of the University.
To start, “business casual” is not the same thing as “business formal.” To dispel any potential misunderstandings, we must clarify the nature of “business casual” according to the University’s Student Handbook (2024–2025) and the newly announced “University Attire Policy”.
Business casual, as per the Student Handbook, consists of “business-appropriate short or long-sleeved tops/blouses” for women and “short or long-sleeved collared shirts [ . . .] or polo barong” for men, which are to be worn with “full length slacks or trousers” for either sex, or “skirts or dresses” for women exclusively (p. 128). Women are also asked to wear “closed/peep-toe shoes; pumps; dress heels,” whereas men are asked to come to school in “dress shoes, oxfords, loafers or closed walking shoes with socks.”
For this reason, business casual can still be interpreted quite flexibly. The bare minimum for business casual in the handbook is a well-fitted collared shirt, a well-fitted pair of trousers, and a decent pair of shoes. In fact, the idea behind business casual is that one may appear presentable without necessarily having to look uniform. In other words, business casual is what university instructors and professors are asked to wear daily.
The new dress code does not mandate “business formal,” which consists of a suit and tie (or its cultural equivalent) for men and “formal long or three-quarter sleeved tops with or without collar” for women (ibid., p. 127).
Talk of a change in dress code policy has been brought to the students’ attention since the beginning of the previous academic year. This has garnered significant amounts of controversy among students, on account of which I previously suggested that the implementation of these proposals has been delayed, and for a more lenient interpretation of “business casual.”
Fortunately, this has been done.
In the new “University Attire Policy”, the definition of business casual has actually been clarified and in many ways expanded. To begin with, women will not be required to wear heels. The new policy simply requires “sneakers” or, more generally, “open/closed-toe footwear, provided it has a back strap.” Furthermore, the new guidelines allow for “denim, chinos, khakis, dress slacks, and similar trousers” for both men and women. This means that jeans are permitted, so long as they are not “ripped jeans”
The old definition of business casual did not make any provisions for wearing T-shirts; however, the new policy permits those worn with “a blazer, sport coat, or business jacket” for men and “a blazer, cardigan, sweater, or business jacket” for women. “Business jacket” in this case can refer to a windbreaker or something similar.
In conclusion, the new policy actually allows students to wear, at minimum, a decent collared shirt, a decent pair of trousers, and a decent pair of shoes—including sneakers. The new policy is, in many ways, more flexible. A lot of things will remain the same.
It’s so helpful to have a “business casual” dress code defined like this, as everyone will have their own interpretation, which could extend to shorts, flip-flops and slashed jeans. Dressing appropriately is respectful to your institution and your colleagues - and it’s so refreshing to see this respect in action in the 21st century.