For the McCombs Fall Career Expo, students must adhere to a strict dress code to meet with employers. Although professional dress is a key component of the business world, some students are frustrated with the strictness of the dress code. If a student’s attire fails to meet established standards, McCombs has the right to bar them from the event. 

While some students already own the appropriate attire or have the means to purchase what they need, there are those who cannot afford this luxury. Professional networking opportunities should be equally accessible to all students, but the dress code may restrict access for students who cannot obtain the necessary clothes. 

Given that McCombs requires such a rigid dress code, McCombs Career Management and Corporate Relations should develop new initiatives to ensure that students are able to comply with McCombs Career Expo requirements. 

However, this isn’t to say that McCombs hasn’t worked to create a support network for students. During the fall 2022 Career Expo, McCombs Career Management and individual staff members loaned students their jackets. Prior to the expo, they also hosted a “pop-up shop” in coordination with the UT Outpost, which provides professional clothing and food free of cost to all UT students. 

Sarah Nathan, managing director of recruiting at McCombs, explained the “pop-up shop.” 

“We gathered donations of business professional clothing and then shared these donations in our ‘UT Outpost,’” Nathan said. “The event was very popular, and we ended up giving away everything that had been donated.” 

The pop-up shop gained popularity among students, but the event ultimately proved to be insufficient in meeting student demands. 

Business freshman Anirudh Karunakaran attended the UT Outpost before the expo. 

“Fortunately, I managed to find something that sort of worked,” Karunakaran said. “But I did see a lot of people who needed smaller sizes. They couldn’t find anything because I think those are the most common and thereby the most cleared out because a lot of people came to get those already.

To ensure that students can satisfy the dress code, McCombs Career Expo can begin by hosting more pop-up shops prior to the event. Hosting one event with a limited supply of donations is insufficient when there’s a significant amount of students relying on the outpost. Students need more options. 

The addition of more McCombs-hosted pop-up closet events, whether through the UT Outpost or not, would give students a greater window of opportunity for finding the right clothes. Because gathering enough donations to support various pop-up shop events is a challenge, it’s important that McCombs collaborates with other UT colleges and organizations. 

Further, McCombs could explore the option of implementing a $100 dress code stipend for first-year McCombs students who are Pell Grant recipients. Students could find greater flexibility and a wider variety of options with funds to purchase their own attire. Given that there is a potential limit to the donations that pop-up closets can offer, this stipend would also offer students a more reliable way to satisfy the dress code policy. Much like a textbook credit, it would ensure that students can afford the tools they need for success.

Based on the success of the original pop-up, Nathan said McCombs is planning to expand clothing drives with the UT Outpost to twice a year. Additionally, Nathan said the college is looking to expand its inventory of loanable jackets and continue to reevaluate its dress code policies.

Still, McCombs should seek out new initiatives to ensure that students are able to comply with the McCombs Career Expo dress code requirements. By following through on their plan to offer more  and implementing a dress code stipend for freshman Pell Grant students at McCombs, the college could ensure that students have the means to engage with employers and seek out new opportunities.

D’Eramo is a Plan II and international relations junior from Tyler, Texas.