At a board meeting in Baton Rouge on Friday, Tony Clayton — chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors and district attorney for Iberville, West Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee parishes — announced his intention to push for a system‑wide dress code. Clayton said he wants to bring together the chancellors from Southern’s five campuses to discuss the proposal ahead of the board’s next meeting on Sept. 18.

Reasoning behind the proposal

Clayton told board members, “I walked around campus the other day. I think we need it.” He cited other historically Black colleges and universities that already have dress policies, suggesting Southern should follow their lead.

Examples from other HBCUs

The chairman referenced Tuskegee University in Alabama, which recently introduced a dress code that bans revealing clothing, “bedroom shoes, bonnets, or do‑rags” in classrooms and the cafeteria. The policy has drawn criticism from some students, who argue the public announcement painted the student body in a negative light. Tuskegee students expressed mixed reactions on the first day of classes.

Other HBCUs handle attire differently. Hampton University and Fisk University maintain campus‑wide dress codes, while Howard University and Morehouse College enforce rules that are not applied uniformly across campus.

Next steps

Clayton plans to convene the five campus chancellors for a discussion before the board’s September 18 session, where a formal recommendation could be presented. No details on enforcement or penalties have been released for any prospective Southern University policy.

Andrea Tinker contributed to the original report for the Alabama Reflector.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.