Tilburg University: 'Please show up in suit for exam'

Students should be immaculately dressed for business or professional occasions, in the opinion of Floris van Laanen, lecturer at the faculty of Law. His fourth-year students received an e-mail from him saying he would appreciate it if they also complied with this dress code during oral exams. Instead of tops or Bermuda shorts, Van Laanen prefers to receive his students at oral exams wearing a tenue the ville (which means suit) or, at least, a pair of neat trousers. Van Laanen's dress code for the ladies: a skirt with a shirt or neat blouse. Several students were surprised by Van Laanen's e-mail request. Some think it is inappropriate, especially when even jeans are not allowed. Others say that they will comply with the request by 'appearing very neatly dressed'. "The e-mail was not meant to put the students under an obligation", explains Van Laanen. "But I do want to point out to students that they should dress properly for professional occasions. That is simply the desired standard. When I spend the day doing research I wear jeans, but when I have an appointment, I wear a suit. It is an uncomfortable situation for me to give an exam to a scantily dressed student, all dolled up."//Tilburg University