Dress code–it’s what keeps students neat and uniform. It is an essential part of daily life, so why change it when the students are content? In April, Archbishop Riordan High School announced changes to its dress code, resulting in much backlash from students. This caused students to create a petition quickly, challenging the decision of the administration.

What could possibly have caused this reaction from the students? Well, it is simple, no black clothes. The new dress code states no black pants or tops at all. Only white, gray, and khaki pants allowed.

As students, we see that the majority of the school population wears black jeans and black tops almost daily. It is an essential part of the Riordan outfit.

The new dress code knocks out plenty of club hoodies and options. This effectively kills school spirit by eliminating what allows us to express ourselves through clubs.

The reaction alone should have been an indication of the displeasure about the changing dress code. Not even an hour after the announcement, a student created a petition form aimed to gather students’ signatures and opposing opinions on the new regulations.

We believe the new dress code is unjust. Black is such an important color for clothes that many students wear daily.

In addition, by introducing the new dress code, it forces students and parents to buy more clothes, which could be a financial issue for some families, who will have to buy a new wardrobe just to cater to an already expensive tuition.

The new dress code is not beneficial to students and should be reverted to the old dress code. While we understand that rules are necessary to ensure that the school day runs smoothly and that all members of the community are safe, we also feel that a compromise is necessary.

Although the original dress code was less strict, people will be breaking the new dress code more because there will be more dissent. Therefore, we ask the administration to reconsider the ban on black clothes in the Riordan uniform.