by Adam Williams
Does anyone out there remember the Bike for Beards campaign by BYU students late last year? For those not in the know, a fairly large group of BYU students brought a petition to administration at BYU–Provo asking that they overturn the longstanding ban on beards. Their hope, with fake beards on their faces and signatures in their hands, was that students would be able to grow a beard if they desired while studying at BYU. This campaign was done clear back in September and in mid-January the Salt Lake Tribune broke the story on BYU’s reaction.
BYU has finally set firm guidelines in its policy on policing beards, who can have them and who cannot. For current BYU students (and those at BYU–Hawaii) nothing has changed. Beard exemptions are given out to those with medical conditions, are in a theatre production or have religious obligations i.e. Muslim, Sikh, etc. The policy hasn’t changed, which is something the university can’t stress enough, but administrators now have a protocol to go by in giving out exemptions. Good, right? Can we put this story to rest now?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Does anyone out there remember the Bike for Beards campaign by BYU students late last year? For those not in the know, a fairly large group of BYU students brought a petition to administration at BYU–Provo asking that they overturn the longstanding ban on beards. Their hope, with fake beards on their faces and signatures in their hands, was that students would be able to grow a beard if they desired while studying at BYU. This campaign was done clear back in September and in mid-January the Salt Lake Tribune broke the story on BYU’s reaction.
BYU has finally set firm guidelines in its policy on policing beards, who can have them and who cannot. For current BYU students (and those at BYU–Hawaii) nothing has changed. Beard exemptions are given out to those with medical conditions, are in a theatre production or have religious obligations i.e. Muslim, Sikh, etc. The policy hasn’t changed, which is something the university can’t stress enough, but administrators now have a protocol to go by in giving out exemptions. Good, right? Can we put this story to rest now?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
KUTV also covered the beard story and included this little tidbit with BYU spokesman Carri Jenkins,
“...BYU is now adjusting the rules. This comes after recent national attention on the longstanding BYU beard ban. Some criticized the LDS church-owned school for not making exceptions for religion. [Spokeswoman] Jenkins insists this change is not in response to that.”
Let’s repeat that line for emphasis because honestly, it is the crux of this article.
“Jenkins insists this change is not in response to that.”
For me, that single statement reignited my own determination for the voices of students and alumni to be heard and taken seriously.
Why would it be such a big deal if changes in policy were a result of outside (and student) pressure? Why won’t the school admit that the recently implemented protocol was indeed a response to the national media firestorm and ridicule of 2014? Are we as a culture so insecure to think that adjusting how we do things due to the social climate is the same as bowing down to every demand of a fickle society and “fearing man more than God”? Why are we terrified to admit that we are led by fallible men and women? This issue (and it is an issue) is so interesting to me for two reasons: one because the beard ban was put in place in response to a social movement and we see the school denying that. And two: the people at the forefront who started the movement to allow beards have been vilified for the very act of asking for change. (Stay tuned for more on that side of this issue).
The Honor Code of the BYU school system is infamous well-known throughout the academic world. Outsiders who visit a BYU school can easily tell that something about that university is different. The clean-cut look of our student body is attractive for employers looking for recruits who won’t rock the boat. It’s a tactic that makes us as students appear more legitimate and conforming to a professional setting. So let’s make one thing clear, the Honor Code is a good thing. We should have it. However, it is important to understand that it is not set in stone. It was never set in stone.
Around 1971 beards and long hair were officially added to the Honor Code. At a school where beard competitions were a thing, I’m positive this was hard to swallow. But the board of trustees decided to respond to social norms of the time and put some distance between BYU students and the students at other higher places of learning who were being swept up by an attitude of “protest, revolution and rebellion against authority.” (But in the Vietnam era who of us wouldn’t have been swept up in the fight-against-the-man fervor??). Then-President Dallin H. Oaks, as a new BYU president, now a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated that the restriction on beards was, “contemporary and pragmatic”. In his first address to the student body of BYU he stated,
“[Beard and long hair restrictions] are responsive to conditions and attitudes in our own society at this particular point in time. Historical precedents are worthless in this area. The rules are subject to change, and I would be surprised if they were not changed at some time in the future. But the rules are with us now, and it is therefore important to understand the reasoning behind them.
“They are also symbols of the hippie and drug culture. Persons who wear beards or long hair, whether they desire it or not, may identify themselves with or emulate and honor the drug culture or the extreme practices of those who have made slovenly appearance a badge of protest and dissent.”
Can we take a moment to see that while the current administration of BYU repeatedly denies responding to societal norms, President Oaks has admitted that the ban on beards was in direct response to societal norms. I recommend everyone take a second to read President Oaks full address as it provides fantastic insight into the Honor Code.
“...BYU is now adjusting the rules. This comes after recent national attention on the longstanding BYU beard ban. Some criticized the LDS church-owned school for not making exceptions for religion. [Spokeswoman] Jenkins insists this change is not in response to that.”
Let’s repeat that line for emphasis because honestly, it is the crux of this article.
“Jenkins insists this change is not in response to that.”
For me, that single statement reignited my own determination for the voices of students and alumni to be heard and taken seriously.
Why would it be such a big deal if changes in policy were a result of outside (and student) pressure? Why won’t the school admit that the recently implemented protocol was indeed a response to the national media firestorm and ridicule of 2014? Are we as a culture so insecure to think that adjusting how we do things due to the social climate is the same as bowing down to every demand of a fickle society and “fearing man more than God”? Why are we terrified to admit that we are led by fallible men and women? This issue (and it is an issue) is so interesting to me for two reasons: one because the beard ban was put in place in response to a social movement and we see the school denying that. And two: the people at the forefront who started the movement to allow beards have been vilified for the very act of asking for change. (Stay tuned for more on that side of this issue).
The Honor Code of the BYU school system is infamous well-known throughout the academic world. Outsiders who visit a BYU school can easily tell that something about that university is different. The clean-cut look of our student body is attractive for employers looking for recruits who won’t rock the boat. It’s a tactic that makes us as students appear more legitimate and conforming to a professional setting. So let’s make one thing clear, the Honor Code is a good thing. We should have it. However, it is important to understand that it is not set in stone. It was never set in stone.
Around 1971 beards and long hair were officially added to the Honor Code. At a school where beard competitions were a thing, I’m positive this was hard to swallow. But the board of trustees decided to respond to social norms of the time and put some distance between BYU students and the students at other higher places of learning who were being swept up by an attitude of “protest, revolution and rebellion against authority.” (But in the Vietnam era who of us wouldn’t have been swept up in the fight-against-the-man fervor??). Then-President Dallin H. Oaks, as a new BYU president, now a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, stated that the restriction on beards was, “contemporary and pragmatic”. In his first address to the student body of BYU he stated,
“[Beard and long hair restrictions] are responsive to conditions and attitudes in our own society at this particular point in time. Historical precedents are worthless in this area. The rules are subject to change, and I would be surprised if they were not changed at some time in the future. But the rules are with us now, and it is therefore important to understand the reasoning behind them.
“They are also symbols of the hippie and drug culture. Persons who wear beards or long hair, whether they desire it or not, may identify themselves with or emulate and honor the drug culture or the extreme practices of those who have made slovenly appearance a badge of protest and dissent.”
Can we take a moment to see that while the current administration of BYU repeatedly denies responding to societal norms, President Oaks has admitted that the ban on beards was in direct response to societal norms. I recommend everyone take a second to read President Oaks full address as it provides fantastic insight into the Honor Code.
| What students today are trying to communicate to BYU officials with this Bike for Beards protest is that the culture surrounding beards has changed in the past 45 years and the honor code ought to reflect that. Business professionals have beards. Actors have beards. World leaders have beards. Beards have moved away from being a token of rebellion and again become a symbol of maturity and seriousness. We trust men who are able to pull off the beard look. For millennials, beards have become a rite of passage. For LDS young men, it can feel like a move away from the fresh baby-face look of the missionary to a man who looks like he knows what he wants and how to get it. |
So what do we do now? Will Bike for Beards live on? Will the honor code be modified to include facial hair? This author hopes so. Hopefully, one day soon I’ll come back and visit my alma mater of BYU–Hawaii and see ambitious, independent students sporting a nicely trimmed beard. But if I have anything to do with it, my own beard will be able to walk with me at graduation.
Give us your thoughts in the comments below. Should beards be kept off of BYU campuses, or should we let them grow freely? Stay tuned for a follow-up piece with your reactions.
Give us your thoughts in the comments below. Should beards be kept off of BYU campuses, or should we let them grow freely? Stay tuned for a follow-up piece with your reactions.