One side...CON Beard Policy

To Beard or Not to Beard?

Walking around BYU campus is like looking in a bowl full of jellybeans: I see many different kinds of people.  However, the thing that catches my eye the most is when I see a male student with facial hair that is not in line with the Honor Code.  When I see this, I think to myself, “How is he getting away with that?”  I’ve never experienced a person being turned away from the testing center because of facial hair violations, but I know that it happens.  Many students prefer to have facial hair, which is against BYU’s Honor Code.  And so I ask, how does BYU impact their students by maintaining their Honor Code standards on facial hair?

First of all, let’s get our facts straight.  Here is what the Honor Code states about facial hair: Sideburns should not extend below the earlobe or onto the cheek.  If worn, moustaches should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or below the corners of the mouth.  Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable. 

Back in 1971, Elder Oaks spoke to BYU students when he was the President of BYU. He said, “Unlike modesty, which is an eternal value in the sense of rightness or wrongness in the eyes of God, our rules against beards and long hair are contemporary and pragmatic.  They are responsive to conditions and attitudes in our own society at this particular point in time.  Historical precedents are worthless in this area.  The rules are subject to change, and I would be surprised if they were not changed at some time in the future.”  Also during his talk he said that the policy was in place because if a person had a beard, it was a symbol of the hippie and drug culture.  This is no longer the case.  Beards are now a trendy style.  Practically everyone who can have one, has one.  Elder Oaks himself said that the policy will most likely change in the future.  Well, it’s the future.

Lawrence Benson, a BYU administrator, said, “Beards do not belong here at BYU. They are a way of expressing individual difference and uniqueness. But what we are going for here at BYU is to repress our inner selfish desires and conform to what the Lord wants us to be.”  I don’t completely agree with this statement.  I honestly don’t think the Lord really cares about whether men have a beard or not.  In 1^st Samuel chapter 16 verse 7 it says, “…the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”  If intentions and actions are good, then it shouldn’t matter if a person has a little stubble on their chin.  Instead of worrying about if guys are shaving or not, we should worry about if students are cheating or not.  I know it’s easier to tell if someone didn’t shave that morning rather than if they plan to cheat on a test, but if they are, it’s them that should be turned away from the testing center.

I’ve heard another argument that states that being clean-shaven represents a more “professional” look.  Of course, if I were a guy, I probably wouldn’t go to my first job interview with stubble.  However, facial hair is becoming more accepted in the business world.  In a study, results “showed positive estimations of social/physical attractiveness, personality, competency, and composure for the men who wore facial hair.”  The men in the study were hiring managers for companies and were shown 6 different ink sketches of men either clean-shaven, with moustaches, or with beards.  It was just a first impression that they were recording.  Therefore, a person with facial hair might give a great first impression, but then they could totally bomb the interview questions.  BYU should stop focusing on first impression material, like facial hair, and instead focus on actual interviewing skills.  If a person gives a bad first impression, they can always change it around with an awesome interview.

What I’m trying to get at is the fact that because of BYU’s actions, we are focusing on a little thing that does not matter.  It is not a sin to have facial hair and we aren’t going to get kicked out of heaven for having it.  Just let us out of the “No Beard Zone” and we can get on with our lives and focus on more important things than whether or not we can grow hair on our faces.