UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | February 16, 2025

OPINION | Classy for the classroom: No more pajamas

Employees on campus are regarded to dress to a certain standard, yet, students are under no obligation to dress professionally. However, when students maintain a neat and respectable appearance, especially for presentations or interactions with faculty and staff, it shows respect. Elizabeth Harding | Sun News Daily

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Take a second to imagine the professor in your 9 a.m. lecture walking into the classroom wearing bright pink slippers, plaid pajama pants and a sweatshirt that looks like it’s had a few too many trips through the laundry machine.

It’s a strange situation to think about, isn’t it? It would without a doubt raise some eyebrows and questions about the professor’s sense of academic professionalism. 

Consider the reverse. If the roles were switched and a student was to show up to that same 9 a.m. lecture dressed in the same way, it’s safe to say that nobody would bat an eye or say a word. There’s a clear double standard where professors are held to higher rules and it’s not fair.

So what gives? If academia is so full of prestige and prowess, why are its students dressing like it’s a casual Sunday afternoon at a friend’s house?

Or is that something we shouldn’t even worry about? Does it really matter? The general consensus among some seems to be that it doesn’t matter and is mostly acceptable. 

I disagree. Students should hold themselves to a higher standard and not wear pajamas to class.

I’ve personally seen some students give presentations or meet with professors in their pajamas. I guarantee there isn’t an environment anywhere else where pajamas are accepted in professional environments.

A writer from the Harvard University Crimson newspaper quotes an interview with another Harvard student who said that it’s more acceptable to show up wearing pajamas. The sentiment behind this is that other students won’t judge and may empathize if the student has a lot going on in their life.

They also state that comfort is usually a priority when managing a boisterous college schedule, but there are ways to be comfortable besides rocking your pajamas and looking like you just rolled out of bed.

Utah Tech University doesn’t have an explicit student dress code, and a wide variety of outfits can be seen no matter where you go or who you talk to. It’s great to walk around and see everyone’s personal forms of self-expression evident in the clothes they wear, but there’s a certain threshold that shouldn’t be crossed. Pajamas in class lay on the dark side of that.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the misery of clawing out of bed when it’s 20 degrees outside with the subsequent temptation to stay in your warm, comfortable jammies, but there has to be some sort of happy medium. There is always a time and a place for certain clothes and pajamas don’t fall under many acceptable situations.

I remember hearing a phrase a while back that has dictated how I personally think about dress.

“Look good, feel good, do good.”

I always feel better when I come to class in jeans and a nice crewneck sweatshirt as opposed to sweatpants and whatever I picked up off the floor of my room. 

Those practices of making the effort early in the morning usually set the tone for my entire day, and I find that getting that sort of start to the day helps me feel more productive and motivated to get my work done. A lot of people would benefit from that boost of effort in the morning. 

I don’t dress in complicated outfits with multiple pieces, and professionalism in the classroom doesn’t have to be like that. It doesn’t require much effort to pick comfortable outfits that align with the standards of professional dress. 

With that being said, leave the Spider-Man pajamas at home. They’ll still be there when you get back from class.