Most students at La Salle are well aware that this school year has seen a pretty significant change in our school’s dress code. Every Friday is now a “Falcon Friday,” a day in which the dress code has been altered to allow more athletic attire. It has been a welcome adjustment.

But why tiptoe in the direction of the inevitable and needed change, making athletic attire acceptable all days of the week, when all it would take is a single step?

School dress code has always been a hot topic at La Salle. Over the last ten years, there has been a slow but mostly progressive shift in leniency in our dress code. The addition of being able to wear athletic attire on Fridays, such as leggings and basketball shorts, has been a small but meaningful addition to the daily experience of the student body.

Thankfully this has not been the only change made this year. Students are now also allowed to wear leggings the entire rest of the week, as long as they are wearing a “tunic” long enough to reach their fingertips.

These changes are certainly nice, but all in all, it seems that the majority of students at La Salle are disappointed in such incremental changes.

As someone who was elected to be a part of the La Salle student senate last year, it disappoints me that after all of that time and energy that we spent discussing and probing our dress code, this was the outcome: students may now wear leggings as long as their shirt can reach their fingertips, and every Friday students are allowed to wear athletic clothing.

But take my disappointment with a grain of salt; after all, the administration has indeed made a change, a small step in the direction of leniency.

Although we do have a desire for more changes still to be implemented, we are appreciative of the new changes that have already been put in place. It gives students something to look forward to on Fridays, on top of the already spectacular second late start in the week.

But given that the most meaningful change of dress code is on Fridays exclusively, why can’t it just be applied to all five days in the school week?

The administration and other faculty have repeatedly told students that they are not being dress-coded based on their inappropriate choice of clothing, but on the simple fact that their outfit is not fit for the “professional” standard La Salle strives for.

I believe La Salle’s administration can no longer use this excuse of non-professionalism to dress-code students during the rest of the week, because the administration has already proven that it is acceptable attire, given that there’s an entire day in which students are allowed to wear athletic clothing.

La Salle does strive for a professional environment, and this is an understandable goal to reach for, but maybe our school tries a little bit too hard.

La Salle’s professional environment won’t change if the dress code changes; clothing doesn’t define who we are as students. We will still abide by all the rules and continue to uphold and live out the banners; clothing doesn’t need to be made this big of an issue.

The reason why Falcon Fridays exist is to give students a “casual Friday” feel, something many businesses implement to give employees a break from professionalism. But this is not a business; it is a place where students come to learn.

So what’s holding the administration back from making athletic wear acceptable for all days of the week?

Altering the dress code for Fridays has been a progressive and positive shift for La Salle. However, if there is to be a serious and more meaningful shift in dress code at La Salle, the next change should be to apply the dress code for Fridays to all five days of the school week.

Imagine the compromise that this proposition would create. There would no longer be a need for teachers to dress-code students on a regular basis, which is a win-win for both parties.

Teachers should be spending their time teaching. The extra stress of keeping a sharp eye out for “inappropriately” clothed students is a waste of time and energy. Not to mention that when a student is dress coded, they miss valuable class time trying to scavenge for something to wear in La Salle’s literal basket of clothes.

Simply put, if the school were to change the dress code by making the Friday guidelines applicable all days of the week, La Salle’s students would be happier, and more comfortable, too.