JOKE ISSUE/'Nerdy' SEAS students to get uniforms

Starting this fall, undergraduates in the School of Engineering and Applied Science will be required to comply with a specific dress code -- consisting primarily of blue, double-breasted jackets and slacks and red and blue striped ties for males, and white blouses and red and blue pleated skirts for females -- University officials announced yesterday. Interim Engineering School Dean Eduardo Glandt said the purpose of the dress code is to give Engineering students the feeling that they aren't inferior to the rest of Penn's undergraduates. "Our primary goal is to create a more unified, community-like atmosphere in the School of Engineering," Glandt said. "Oh, and it's also to let our students know that they aren't as nerdy as they look." This past year, of the 2,414 freshmen who matriculated at the University, 430 students -- 17.9 percent of the class -- enrolled in the Engineering School. This statistic is similar across the classes. "This is a small figure," said Glandt. "At this large University, the Engineering students comprise a minority and they can get lost among their peers." He said the uniforms would facilitate bonding among Engineering undergraduates, who would be able to easily identify their "fellow Engineers -- students who share their interests." The Engineering School will cover the costs of the uniforms. Anticipating concerns from students and faculty, officials assert that sweatshops will play no role in the manufacturing of the apparel. According to Undergraduate Engineering Dean John Vohs, the objective of the uniforms is two-fold -- officials hope that by tightening the Engineering community, the dress code will improve the Engineering School's image. "Too often, when people think of Penn, they think only of Wharton, Wharton, Wharton, Wharton," Vohs said. "The uniforms will draw people's attention to Engineering," he added. "We in Engineering know where the real prestige lies. It lives and thrives in Engineering? and we want to drive that message home." Most students said they are looking forward to the change. Engineering freshman Laura Lai said with a hint of nostalgia that the dress code "will take me back to my days in private school? and the skirt will definitely make me feel taller." Still, some student leaders expressed disappointed that the Engineering School did not consult them about the dress code policy. They plan to hold a rally in the buff next week.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.