Tuskegee University: New Dress Code Requires Professional Attire on Campus

In August 2026, Tuskegee University president Mark A. Brown announced a new campus dress code. The code bans clothing with messages or images containing profanity or promoting alcohol and tobacco, as well as particular “unprofessional” apparel and styles, such as du-rags, bonnets, and sagging pants. FIRE wrote Tuskegee, urging it to revise its dress code policy to conform to the university’s stated commitment to student free expression. FIRE explained that clothing is a form of expression, and restrictions on adult students’ clothing choices infringe on their free expression rights when those restrictions are unnecessary to prevent substantial disruption or advance an important university interest.