Action needs to be taken about the dress codes at downtown clubs, student leaders and faculty decided last night.

Leaders from the NAACP, Black Student Union, Latino Student Union and Undergraduate Student Government came together in the Union to voice their opinions about the downtown dress codes, and to decide what their next step may be.

At the meeting, leaders discussed what actions could be taken to let the club owners know they are unhappy with the current dress codes.

Student leaders plan to inform the members of their groups about the issue and to ask for feedback from them. They also want to speak with the club owners about the issue.

Other options that were discussed include boycotts of the establishments with dress codes and possible legal action.

On Wednesday, Sept. 28, The BG News ran a story about the controversy over the dress codes at Skybar Night Club and Uptown-Downton, where students alleged the dress codes were discriminatory, while club owners said they were legal and just.

Attendants at last night’s meeting were angry about both the enforcement of the dress codes, and their overall existence.

Jakell Wilson, president of NAACP, doesn’t think that the dress codes are fair or necessary.

“It doesn’t mean that everyone in a white T gets in a fight. Let’s be real,” Wilson said.

Wilson also questions the choice of dress code rules that prohibit clothing deemed as “urbanwear,” because of the music played at the clubs.

“You can’t wear white Ts but they play the song ‘In My White T,” she said.

Bettina Shuford, advisor for NAACP, called this aspect of the dress codes a double-standard, criticizing the promotion of this clothing on the clubs television screens – but stopping it at the door.

“If you’re saying that gangs are a bad thing, don’t promote it with the videos you’re showing,” she said.

Angelita Cruz-Bridges, lawyer for Student Legal Services, spoke to the assembly about the legal aspects of the issue and students’ rights in this situation.

There are two parts to the legality of the issue, Cruz-Bridges said.

Businesses have the legal right to have dress codes, but dress codes must be applied indiscriminately.

Others at the meeting were in agreement that even if the dress codes are legal, they aren’t really ethical.

Richard Anderson, assistant professor of psychology at the University, said the dress codes seem to be targeting a particular culture if not race.

It’s embarrassing to live in Bowling Green and see the dress codes posted while walking downtown, Anderson said.

Doug Dorn, owner of Skybar, disagreed in an over-the-phone interview that his club’s dress code is racist.

“I just think there’s just a very distorted perception of what’s going on,” Dorn said.

He said the dress code is in place for safety reasons and to create an image based on the clientele wanted.

Like a restaurant, “if we are trying to uphold a certain image for our club and if they can’t conform to that, then they can’t come in,” he said.

Dorn was adamant that the dress codes are legal and not racist because they are applied to all patrons.

“If someone violates the dress code, and they come back not in violation of the dress code, they’re going to get in,” Dorn said.

In response to students’ questions about a double-standard of what is played and what is banned, Dorn said, “we play all different kinds of videos. We play what’s popular.”

And not just urban apparel is banned. Cowboy hats are also against the dress code.

Dorn also said he would take action if he learned that the club’s dress code was not enforced properly.

But would the dress code ever change if students continued to support the clubs?

Hector Hernandez, president of Latino Student Union, thinks money could be a factor in the dress codes.

“If we were a community that was influential in their pockets, this dress code wouldn’t be in place,” Hernandez said.

But other attendants wondered if enough students would get a behind a boycott to make it affective.

Derrick Jones, a BGSU residence hall director, said students seem to be more interested in going to clubs and being social than about how the dress codes affect them.

Aaron Shumaker, president of USG, also wonders how far students will be willing to go to take action.

“Is our student body willing to not frequent their establishments or not dance there?” Shumaker said.

If students want to take legal action, Student Legal Services will help students who believe they have been discriminated against, Cruz-Bridges said.

Students can file a complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, which investigates matters of alleged discrimination, she said. But the Commission needs specific names, dates, and details of what happened to be able to investigate the allegation.

Brian Dixon, political action chair of the Latino Student Union, was excited about the outcome of the meeting, and expects action to be taken – and changes to be made.

“I do get the feeling that this time the ball will not be dropped,” Dixon said.