The college’s “business casual” dress code is for its marketing and business teacher education classes.

Norris Porter, assistant to the dean for student services at Illinois State University College of Business, said the sales department has already run a four-year pilot program to get feedback from students and faculty.

“We were trying to get students in the kind of mind-set of being professional,” Porter said. “It’s like how nursing students are required to wear scrubs.”

Michael Mazzeo, associate dean for undergraduate programs and finance, said he understands the idea of getting students to start thinking about professional development, but mandating a dress code for MSU’s Eli Broad College of Business would be unnecessary now.

The college has an obligation to inform students of the professional attributes expected in the professional world, he said.

“We have the Lear Corporation Career Services Center that teaches students how to develop a resume and sets up mock interviews,” Mazzeo said.

Dave Alford, an MSU supply chain management senior, said dressing up for class puts him in a more studious state of mind.

“A general business dress code wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Alford said. “It would be better for the business college.”

Both Alford and Amber Stokosa, a general management junior, agreed it would be a hard rule to enforce because of the college’s size.

The business college should address the way to dress in an interview, but while a student is in school, learning is more important than the way a person dresses, Stokosa said.

“That’s why we have internships — that’s the time to learn how to dress,” she said.

Geoff Humphrys, director of the career services center, said since the center came to campus nine years ago, there has been a change in the students’ attire because of mock interviews.

The center is located in the Business College Complex.

“We do a lot of career development and dressing for success, and several interviews are held in the center,” Humphrys said.

Some students who are interviewing at the center won’t have time to change after class so they will get to go class in what they plan to be interviewed in, Humphrys said.

“During the academic year there are visiting speakers and professionals coming in and out of the college and being properly dressed could give a better impression,” he said. “But on the other hand, employers know it’s a college campus.”

Many Illinois State University students are happy with the new dress code and hopefully it will become common practice to dress up for class, Porter said.

“Faculty have already noticed students seem to be more prepared and engaged in the classroom,” he said.