RIT Dress Neatly Campaign correspondence

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: RITArc-0110

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The RIT Dress Neatly Campaign correspondence mostly consists of letters from other educational institutions explaining their own dress code policies. The collection includes letters from the following organizations: Alfred University; Buffalo, NY Board of Education; Western Michigan College; Carnegie Institute of Technology; Drexel Institute of Technology; Illinois Institute of Technology; Pratt Institute; Case Institute of Technology; and Rice University. Additionally, there is a card containing information on the dress code at the Ohio State University.

Dates

Creation: 1961-1962

Creator

Rochester Institute of Technology. Student Affairs. Student Government (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

In 1961, the Rochester Institute of Technology's Student Government decided to sponsor a "Dress Neatly" campaign. According to a letter written by Student Government representative Gretchen Olin, the goal was to "encourage students of the Rochester Institute of Technology to dress as men and women aspiring to professional careers." Since the Institute was located in the city of Rochester at the time, it was felt that students were on public view and needed to represent the university appropriately.

A committee of six students was formed during the Fall of 1961 to address the issue. Additionally, the group sent out letters to twenty different institution requesting information on their school's dress codes. The response was mixed with some schools having policies in place and others not. Although it is not clear whether the campaign was a success, it was reported in 1964 that the Board of Trustees noticed a definite improvement in the students' dress on campus.

Extent

1 Folder(s)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

Correspondence between the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Student Government and other educational institutions regarding dress code policies. The RIT Dress Neatly Campaign was launched in 1961.