Some policy “alterations” do not align with other dress code standards.

After a fun summer, students came back and were shocked at perceived changes to the dress shoe policy.

The administration sent an email communication to parents in August explaining “some alterations to the handbook regarding dress code.” Included in these revisions was the statement, “Sandals, sneakers, sneaker-like shoes (those with prominent visible logos, white soled, or with athletic laces, e.g. Vans, Nike casual line etc.) and clogs are not permitted.”

According to Dean of Students Mr. Tim Dougherty, this has been a rule most likely since Malvern was opened.

“If you look in the handbook, I guarantee even in 1997, it said no sneakers,” Dougherty said.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The biggest shock was the dress code becoming more causal last year, while the shoe policy became stricter this year. No more blazer, no more ties on most days, but you can not wear what was deemed a casual shoe last year and now is considered a sneaker?[/perfectpullquote]

According to Dougherty, the actual reason behind the ban of the various types of shoes was actually the shoe companies. If you visit the Sperry website, the casual shoes many Malvern students have worn since the start of their careers are now located under the heading of sneaker.

Well, who exactly cares about what the company calls a “sneaker”? People call countless items different things and they all mean the same thing. Saying Italian ice and water ice indicate two different objects but are in fact the same thing. Water (Philly accent) and water sound different but are the same thing.

The big problem, according to Dougherty, is where these evolving classifications of shoes may lead.

“Because of the causal look of those, it leads to the Hawaiian print shoes, the Star Wars sneakers, the Vans sneakers that are puffy and white and look like basketball shoes from the 1980s,” Dougherty said.

“Where is the sensible boundary, because the Wahoo two-eyed sneaker that you have looks like a boat shoe, but it’s not,” Dougherty said.

We consulted with Mr. Dougherty to see if the following shoes were in dress code.

[HDquiz quiz = “280”]

Now let’s get a bit scientific here. The term sneaker, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a sports shoe with a pliable rubber sole. But what is a boat shoe? As defined by Merriam-Webster, a boat shoe is a low-cut shoe with a slip-resistant sole. Has anyone around campus slipped or fallen due to the pliable rubber sole? Can a slip-resistant sole and a pliable rubber sole both be slip resistant? If they are not, why has no one around campus fallen during the many rainy days so far this year?

But this is not the main issue. We, as Malvern students, should be allowed to wear comfortable and school appropriate casual shoes as our past Malvern brothers have done for over a decade of fashion.

The school communicated via email to nearly 600 students and families in August—barely a month before school was starting— that they could no longer wear a staple item of the dress code since the start of their school careers.

How fair was that to students who got special deals and sales on shoes before the email, or the parents who had to pay for another pair of shoes that did not meet these newly communicated “alterations for the dress code?”

The biggest shock was the dress code becoming more causal last year, while the shoe policy became stricter this year. This seemed hypocritical to what the school is trying to accomplish with the other parts of the dress code. No more blazer, no more ties on most days, but you can not wear what was deemed a casual shoe last year and now is considered a sneaker?

Will the dress code actually change? No.

Will Mr. Dougherty give after-school detentions to those out of dress code? Yes.

How long is that after-school detention? 45 minutes.

As a reader, I would be asking myself at this point, “Who cares about the shoes? Just buy new ones.”

But we lost our sugar sodas, super cookies (if you ever saw and ate them you would complain, too), and Timbs (which are now no longer allowed), so we cannot lose our ability to wear comfortable casual shoes.