Many of Riordan’s male students can relate to the experience of reluctantly shaving every night for school, or especially on days when they’ve been informed of an upcoming spot check. According to Riordan, this rule is in place to encourage students to prepare to follow professional standards. However, it is clear that in this day and age professional standards are changing, including for those mandating students to shave.
Students often point out that despite the school policy, members of faculty and staff often have visible facial hair. This is a valid argument to be made. If the professionals at our school who are responsible for educating students and providing positive examples for students can have facial hair, students should also be able to.
Outside of Riordan, it stands true that professional standards have changed and well-groomed facial hair is considered acceptable in many professional settings. In my experience as an engineering intern at a major tech company, many employees including those of high rank come to the office with facial hair.
There are some careers in which employees are expected to be clean shaven, such as the military. However, there are often exceptions, such as workers being allowed exemption from shaving due to religion or skin irritation, which are not considered acceptable reasons at Riordan.
One point of emphasis is that in a professional setting, facial hair is well groomed and maintained. Riordan has a similar policy, where students’ hairstyles may not be disruptive and hair must be properly groomed and maintained. This policy could easily be extended to facial hair, allowing students to have well groomed and maintained facial hair.
It is clear that Riordan has the goal of educating students and preparing them for their lives in the professional world. However it has also been clear that the professional world around us has changed. Students at Riordan should be permitted to maintain well groomed facial hair if they so choose, mirroring the reality of the professional realm they will soon enter.
