As students walk to the Braitmayer, the dress code restricts their freedom and creativity. Inside the Braitmayer, students are allowed to wear whatever they want but must be in dress code while going to and from. Since the art center allows casual in, it is only logical that they should also be free to walk there without adhering to the dress code. I have had multiple experiences where I am in a suit and tie which then becomes muddy and stained with my failed attempts at pottery. Then I walk into the chapel looking like I had just come back from war while Ms. Gardiner glares at me as I walk through the doors.
Ceramics is not for clean and especially not for nice clothes. There is an option of changing whilst inside but that is inconvenient to then just change back and leave a pair of clothes in the Braitmayer. The five-minute transition time is not enough to run back to your dorm and change so it is too hard to wear casual clothes to ceramics with an academic class immediately after.
The act of changing into comfortable clothing is not only a practical matter; it symbolizes a shift from a formal academic setting to a more relaxed and free-flowing creative space. The change in policy would be a small, but vital to art students. I love art because I see it as an escape from my stressful classes, but when I am in khakis and a collared shirt, it feels like I am trapped in a cage of formality.
