By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Student Senate unanimously passed legislation Thursday calling on Campus Recreation to consider allowing sleeveless athletic attire in designated Student Life Center fitness areas.
The legislation, which passed 29-0, asks Campus Recreation to review the SLC’s current dress code and consider permitting athletic tank tops, sleeveless shirts and other sleeveless athletic attire in designated fitness areas.
Under the proposed change, clothing would still have to provide reasonable coverage of the chest and torso, be clean and properly fitting, suitable for physical activity and comply with existing safety, hygiene and facility standards.
The legislation also asks Campus Recreation to evaluate whether it can maintain those health and safety objectives while allowing sleeveless athletic clothing and to communicate any changes through signage, digital communication, social media and other educational materials.
According to the Campus Recreation website, SLC users must “wear a full-length shirt with sleeves.” The legislation will not immediately change the SLC’s dress code; however, it asks Campus Recreation to consider whether its health and safety objectives can be maintained while allowing sleeveless athletic clothing.
Rapid City, South Dakota, junior Sen. Lydia Kowalchuk, who introduced the legislation, said she initially assumed the dress code was primarily a modesty issue. After speaking with Campus Recreation staff, she said she learned the policy also addressed concerns about infections and shared equipment.
Kowalchuk said the goal of the legislation is to make the SLC more accessible while allowing students to wear clothing that is comfortable and appropriate for exercise.
“I want as many students as possible to have access to the SLC workout areas,” Kowalchuk said.
She said clothing requirements can create barriers for students who may not have appropriate athletic clothing available. She described a student she knew who wanted to work out between classes but was turned away because he was wearing jeans.
“I know this bill doesn’t say anything about denim, but it’s just that kind of idea that maybe the dress code can be re-evaluated,” Kowalchuk said.
Kowalchuk emphasized that the legislation is intended to communicate student concerns to Campus Recreation rather than impose an immediate policy change.
“This is literally just us saying from the voice of the student body, this is what the students want,” Kowalchuk said.
San Diego sophomore Noah Seroter, chair of the Senate’s Campus Improvements and Affairs Committee, helped Kowalchuk draft the resolution and met with Campus Recreation. Seroter said the legislation was intentionally written as a narrow request rather than a push to eliminate the dress code entirely.
“We’re not advocating for a complete change within the policy,” Seroter said. “We’re just asking for students to be able to wear sleeveless shirts, essentially.”
The resolution, Seroter said, will next be sent to Campus Recreation representatives and Vice President for Student Life Dr. Sharra Hynes. Senate can continue discussions with campus leaders, but the resolution itself does not require the university to change the dress code.
“This bill type is basically just a vessel of the student voice to our campus partners through Senate,” Seroter said. “It’s not like we can fund a policy change with our resources.”
