The Honor Code

Submitted: Feb. 5, 2008 @ 3:07 pm by Nathan Daines

According to one online survey 80% of women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five find facial hair attractive (Are). Translation –to get more dates we, as guys, need to grow out our goatees and sideburns. Unfortunately the Honor Code does not currently allow such practices. I concur with most of the guidelines set forth in the Honor Code. I find the majority of the rules are extremely helpful, protecting us both physically and spiritually. On the other hand, the standards prohibiting the growth of most facial hair are not helpful to the student body and therefore the rules barring certain styles of facial hair are in need of revision.

In order for us to have a meaningful dialogue about this particular guideline I find that it would be beneficial to review it as it currently stands. "Sideburns should not extend below the earlobe or onto the cheek. If worn, moustaches should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or below the corners of the mouth. Men are expected to be clean shaven; beards are not acceptable." (Dress). Those rules seem to pale in comparison to the standards surrounding moral cleanliness or being honest in school work. There is nothing helpful in forcing us to shave every day.

In fact neatly kempt facial hair is becoming a distinguishing feature that adds class and sophistication to a man's appearance. One of the most common and dignified form of facial hair in today's society is the goatee. According to a survey conducted by the Wahl® Trimmer company 19.7 million men under the age of 55 sport a goatee –making it the most popular form of facial hair (Cigelske). In today's more casual society the goatee has infiltrated the business realm. Evenly tapered and well kempt goatees help to create a look of maturity, sophistication and style.

Neatly groomed sideburns compliment goatees in a very natural way. The current regulation concerning sideburns makes this symbiotic relationship between goatee and sideburns impossible. Goatees and sideburns are today's acceptable type of facial hair. They have replaced the former norm of mustaches. It is time that we update our guidelines in order to allow the students to express themselves while maintaining a professional look on campus.

Furthermore we, as young single adults of the church, have recently been counseled to ask a close friend what we can do to improve our physical appearance. It is not my place to assume I am a close friend to all who may read this. However it is my belief that a goatee is not going to damage any males' looks. Not only that but according to the survey conducted by Wahl® Trimmers the number one response women gave to the prompt "describe men with facial hair," was: they look attractive and rugged. Those seem like positive things to me, even attributes I would like to posses. In stark contrast, the women described men without facial hair as: "non-descript" (Cigelske). Personally I prefer to look handsome and strong as opposed to dull or boring.

"Worldly women" may find facial hair insanely attractive, but it is more important what the girls on campus think of it. In talking with BYU co-eds I found a mixture of opinions concerning the wearing of facial hair. Approximately half the girls I spoke with got weak at the knees as they elaborated on their favorite style of facial hair. The other half almost seemed to become physically ill at the mention of such an absurd idea. It would make sense that those males who desire to grow facial hair will attract the girls who like that sort of thing. Whereas I am positive there will be a large population of guys who would choose not to grow and thus the females who do not like facial hair will also be pleased. Both groups, facial hair lovers and haters –will be happy.

I understand that not all of you will agree with the statement: "facial hair is not inherently evil." There can be a good deal of prejudice in this world and some of us have negative connotation associated with the word goatee, or beard, or chops. However, by exploring the history of facial hair we can discover that facial hair is not evil in and of itself, although the styles of facial hair are subject to social acceptance. There was once a time, in the history of this nation, when facial hair was not looked down upon but was a sign of prestige. The fall of facial hair began with World War I. Toward the beginning of US engagement in WWI, military officials discovered the difficulty in wearing a gas-mask while sporting a beard. It was for this reason that a clean-shaven look was first adopted by the military. At first the new clean-shaven look was met with resistance. The soldiers were shamefully dubbed "doughboys," due to the pasty appearance they had after removing their lifelong beards.

Directly following the war an ingenious businessman created and launched a one-million dollar campaign promoting the clean-shaven look. He just happened to own a wet-blade, or razor, company. Through the advertisements in the media, the clean-shaven look became a sign of both patriotism and good worth. Since the media never steers us astray it must be true that to have facial hair is to show that we are good for nothing and in favor of anarchy!

Given these few facts on the history and evolution of facial hair in the United States it is clear to see that facial hair is not inherently evil –it is just a subject of social acceptance. If you have any qualms with the virtue of facial hair you may address your comments to Brigham Young (he had a nice face of hair).

It is true that the Honor Code is endorsed by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Or in other words, the Prophets of God have agreed with these guidelines being implemented. The Honor Code, however, is subject to change and has changed many times. The first Honor Code was drafted by a council of students and presented to the President of the University for approval; it dealt solely with honesty in school work and integrity in test taking. After its official adoption in the 1949-50 school year, the Honor Code has undergone several revisions. For example the guidelines found in the dress and grooming standards for 1974 include: "Dresses sweaters, blouses with skirts, culottes, slacks or modest pant suits, not to include levis, are the only acceptable women's wear for attendance at classes." We all know that those guidelines are no longer contained in the Honor Code we live by today.

An important thing for us to understand is the difference between policy and doctrine, and how that applies to this discussion. The Honor Code is policy. It is policy based off of some doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I find it marvelous how the Lord gives us, His children, eternal truths and allows us the freedom of making rules and guidelines based of those doctrines. To better illustrate this we can look at one of the policies each of us agreed to live by. We promised to allow members of the opposite sex to visit our apartments only between certain hours and to never enter our bed rooms. These rules are, in part, established to help us live the law of chastity; they are not the only possible set of rules able to assist us in this vital commandment. They are, however, the guidelines established for us at this time. Policy can be changed, it can be molded at our discretion to help us better fulfill the commandments of God. We are obligated to take good and proper care of our physical bodies. The guidelines surrounding the appropriateness of facial hair are not necessarily doing any damage; nevertheless they are not helping in any way.

As we just discuss, policy is flexible. It is about time we begin to reshape the policy to adapt to today's society. By changing the grooming guidelines to include a more expanded acceptance of clean facial hair we will be following the counsel of the General Authorities by helping the male population of the student body to enhance our looks. And by so doing we will make the male population more attractive candidates for courtship and marriage. By changing the Honor Code to allow for more freedom, freedom within appropriate limits –we will create a more diverse and open atmosphere on campus. The increased diversity and freedom will help each of us become more adapted for life beyond our experience at this wonderful university.