University Open Days- what do you expect staff to wear?

[PoisonedIvy]

Completely random question prompted by a discussion with a colleague.

I've just taken over the running of my department's open days. I'm leading one this Saturday.

Do you expect/want the academics leading open days to be dressed smart? I normally dress very casual for work and was planning to wear the same type of thing as usual for the open day (jeans, leather jacket, top, boots). But my colleague who ran open days where she used to work was of the opinion that staff should dress up a bit smart.

So, what do you think?

I'd expect fairly smart. Not jeans.

What's wrong with jeans?

I don't own a pair of jeans and haven't for years, but I cannot for the life of me understand why they create any impression beyond the impression that this person is wearing denim.

LRD: as you are at a highly selective university, perhaps you feel jeans are OK. (Though they are not worn at open days at my selective university.)

But in general jeans/very casual clothes do give parents and students the impression that you haven't made an effort. This is not the message most universities would want to give out.

Yes, women lecturers get judged unfairly, based on how they look, what they wear etc. Yes, women throughout society are subject to unfair dress code rules.

But I'm not sure that dressing a bit smarter for open days to give students and parents the feeling that you've made an effort, that you're really happy they've come, is such a bad thing. Nobody is saying that women have to wear something specific like skirts or dresses or suits.

I'm an academic. Oxbridge. I've never given it much thought, but I think colleagues dress the same as on any other day ( we don't do Saturday open days!). That means suits for some, jeans for a few, mostly inbetween. The non-academic staff and student helpers wear college sweatshirts. I think for us it is generally a good thing to dress down to counter the idea that we are too posh for the average teen.

Yes, I agree that one would avoid being too smart for fear of putting some kids off.

Nobody is saying that women have to wear something specific like skirts or dresses or suits.

I think we're reading different threads! People are suggesting quite specific things, I think. The OP didn't actually suggest wearing jeans, and to my mind what she suggested wasn't especially casual. That's why it surprised me it wasn't good enough.

I admit I am a (very junior, very precarious) member of staff at a university that has the same issues irregular mentions, but I think they spread through most universities. Yes, some parents will drag their children to an open day and hope to see lecturers in smart suits. But there will also be students who've shown up, despite perhaps fighting against quite a bit of imposter syndrome, and who may not want to think we all wear smart suits.

I think it does in part depend on your subject area.

I cannot imagine any in our Art institute dressing up more than jeans and smarting shirt.

I think you just need to not look like a fellow student... so if your lanyard is clearly visible that will do! If you had been a law lecturer i think you would have to be smarter?

Our law tutors tend to be the smartest. And business/management.

Smart casual or 'prpfessory' clothes (you know, mostly linen/wool/tweed)

LRD I'm sure you're right about women being judged more than men - I'm actually in a very male dominated department (hard sciences) and I feel like being a woman just instantly makes you 100 x more visible!

I wouldn't want to see a male in your role dressed in Jeans neither, and the college dress code I referred to went for men too.

The men wore smartish/ not suit trousers and open necked shirt, or blazer, no sports shoes, but not dress ones either.

At all the open days we have been to the staff have worn traditional office wear (ie not jeans) IMO it helps differentiate the staff from the visitors and makes it easier for the prospective students to see who to talk to.

I couldn't tell you what any of the staff wore at any of the open days I've attended over the last few years. But weirdly every presenting sociologist I've met at several conferences over the last few years has been mid 30s, very skinny and wearing grey jeans.
And male

I think clean and smart/casual is fine. Smarter dress is good too.

Personally I'd like academic staff to dress like Professor Snape. I think it would appeal to students and parents.

I have three levels of work clothes

1. Indoor - mostly variations on pyjamas when working from home
2. Casual - jeans/leggings for internal stuff like teaching/tutorials
3. Smart Casual - scrubbed up a bit if I’m going to meet external people or visiting other places

I feel more confident when I’m scrubbed up so it works for me better at open days. Though I don’t judge how other people choose to dress and have never seen anything more than a mildly raised eyebrow at the more casually dressed staff from my institution

I would love to wear an academic gown all the time Hes! Some lecturers wore gowns to teach in when I was a student (and a lot of teachers did at school), mostly to keep chalk off their clothes. I vividly remember a management lecturer sweeping up and down the aisles of an exam in the gown he'd worn specially for the occasion. Those were the day, before chalk was abolished. I will survey my colleagues and those from other departments at tomorrow's open day, it will take my mind off being at work on a Saturday again.

Ooh, yes. Gowns are fab because they mean you can wear what the fuck you like underneath.

I really object to paying out for clothes I'd wear once a year, purely to impress a certain sector of students' parents.

I wear a suit or slacks and blouse when delivering Open Days.

I think what I wear at open days has followed the evolution of my wardrobe. I came back into academia from industry so wore business suits 25 years ago so shoulderpads were prominent). Then I went through a trouser and shirt stage before settling into my current shift dress plus cardigan phase. I'm feeling bored of this phase now but I'm not sure what will come next. Maybe if I had not gone into industry I would have worn less formal clothes when I was young. I don't think I would feel comfortable in casual clothes when public facing, but that is my personal feeling. I totally agree that nobody should be buying special open day clothes.

DS is about to go to Oxford; we only went to open days at highly competitive universities. I kind of liked seeing them scruffy! (If they had been in suits I would have thought it a bit try hard.) And as you say, I am paying the fees upfront.

I'm not sure if that helps, but that's what I expected.

Wear what will make you feel comfortable.

If parents care more about the clothes on your back than whether their child believes the university is the correct fit for them or offers the course that most suits their interests then that says an enormous amount about them and absolutely nothing about you or your department.

Wear what you would wear to teach.

No point in "selling" yourself as something you are not.

A massive hat saying "I work here" would be useful, so potential students can identify you amongst the crowds - do you have one of those?

As long as you don't smell, or have Ginsters crumbs down your front, I think it's fine. I think academics, out of all professions, have a certain amount of leeway in what they wear, as you'd expect people to be more interested in what you know, and how you impart it, than how you dress.

Personally I'd like academic staff to dress like Professor Snape. I think it would appeal to students and parents.

I withdraw my previous statement and would like to subscribe to this one instead. A determined stride, gown billowing behind, should also be mandatory.

I am a parent, and I would be impressed by scruffy.