By: Lizzie Bundy

      This year our students are wearing dress uniforms every other week. Ties and oxfords are worn by the boys, dress shoes must be worn by both genders and the dreaded dress shirts must be worn by females. No one minds pulling up their nicest socks and tying up their Sperrys, but when it comes to the female dress shirt, changing for physical educational goes from worst part of the day to the best.

     Sure, the boys have to sacrifice by wearing the tie, but their dress shirts are comfortable, and its fabric is breathable. The girls have one skirt option, four colors of polos and one dress shirt to wear on 180 days of the year. This new school year, the number of dress days are increasing. This increase limits the outfit options to an even smaller number.

    Students have argued that they are the ones who have to wear those uniforms every day, so why aren’t they the ones who get the most input? I asked Brenda Gideon, member of the uniform committee the same question. “We try not to make any big changes. Parents sometimes get upset. We just try to make it over all more simple,” said Gideon. The committee does not have a student representative. It does make sense that the committee is made up of parents;  however, since students are the ones who have to wear them, it would make sense if there was a student liaison on the committee (I would be obliged).

     Some parents could be concerned about the cost of the switch, but what they need to take into consideration is that, in addition to our dress shirts, we currently have to buy tank tops to prevent the shirt from being see- through.   

   Sweaters can be worn with the dress shirts, but on warm days the wool can be an issue.  I advocate that a great contribution to the female uniforms would be a light blazer. They are sophisticated and bring a very put-together look to the uniform. On the warmer days the sleeves could be rolled up, and the blazer would not be as hot as the heavy V-neck sweaters.     

    Senior Julia Haffner said, “The regular dress shirt fits awkwardly, isn’t very cute, and is very uncomfortable. I think the oxford shirt should be included in the dress code, not just be a senior privilege.” Most female students in favor of the oxfords think the reason they can’t have them is because the teachers don’t want to be constantly telling them to tuck their tails in. Girls would wear the shirts tucked in because that is the style in which the oxford shirts are made to be worn. Just because the guys don’t tuck their tails in, doesn’t mean the girls wouldn’t. They know that leaving the shirt tail out would lead to a detention.

     Uniforms are worn everyday and bring FRA together as a student body, so if our voices could be heard then we would not only be in uniform but unified.