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College of Human Medicine

ADM-4 Dress Code

Effective Date: 1/1/2013
Last Revised: 5/1/2018
Responsible Party: Associate Dean for Administration
Persons Affected: Faculty & staff in all units of the College of Human Medicine Dean's Office

I. POLICY/PURPOSE

Faculty and staff are expected to come to work dressed in a manner that presents a professional image of the Dean’s Office of the College of Human Medicine.  Maintaining high standards of dress inspires confidence consistent with the high quality education and services we provide.  Further, dress or appearance should never be distracting or offensive to those with whom we interact.  Additionally, all employees are strongly encouraged to wear clearly visible, official MSU identification badges at all times.

II. DEFINITIONS

Examples of appropriate apparel

  • Coordinated slacks, sweaters, shirt/blouse ensembles
  • Dresses and skirt outfits of tasteful and respectable length
  • Shirts with collar for men (e.g., traditional collar, turtleneck, mock turtle neck) Suits and pantsuits
  • Shoes or boots designed for indoor wear

Examples of inappropriate apparel

  • T-shirts
  • Shirts with writing or advertisements. (Exception: shirts with MSU or CHM logo that meet other requirements are permitted)
  • Halter tops, spaghetti straps, tube tops, tops that expose the midriff or breasts
  • Form-fitting pants such as leggings/jeggings (unless worn under dress/skirt of appropriate length)
  • Sweatpants, sweatshirts with or without hoods, warm-ups, work-out clothing, yoga wear
  • Jeans (except on officially approved, designated “jeans days”)
  • See-through or revealing attire including any attire that allows undergarments to be seen (e.g., bra straps)
  • Shorts
  • Bib overalls
  • Flip flops, soccer slides, water shoes, plastic-type shoes (eg, Crocs)
  • Hats

Exceptions

  • The above are minimum expectations. Supervisors have the authority to require stricter dress codes, within reason, for their reports (e.g., ties for men).
  • When jeans are worn on officially designated “jeans days,” they must be clean and neat and follow all other requirements (e.g., they should not have inappropriate or revealing holes, should not expose undergarments, etc.)
  • Employees working on projects that could result in soiled clothing may wear jeans or other appropriate casual attire if pre-approved by the supervisor.
  • The Dean’s Office may make exceptions to this policy for special occasions that were not planned for (e.g., MSU spirit wear on the day before a major football game or Final Four game).

REVISION HISTORY

1.0 - Effective date: 1/1/13 - Revised by B. Forney - Original
2.0 - Effective date: 5/1/18 - Revised by S. Morgan, B. Forney - Addition of hats and sweatshirts