NU enforces uniform policy

As more teachers at Norwich start wearing the uniform of the Vermont State Militia, complaints are heard campus wide about staff members wearing uniforms incorrectly, even though the correct uniforms are not even supplied, according to Patricia Ferreira, an associate professor of English. 

"It is Vermont law that if you are required to wear a uniform for work, then the institution has to provide it for you," Ferreira said.

Teachers have been wearing uniforms for years at Norwich University, but Professor Ferreira feels she speaks for a lot of the female professors who wear the uniform when she stated that every time she has to wear a uniform, she is essentially cross dressing.

"I don't know what the reason is but they can't get a sweater for me because all of the men's sizes don't fit properly," Ferreira said.

"The only thing for a woman in relation to my uniform is my skirt," said Ferreira, as she took a seat in her new Vermont state militia uniform.

Even with a strict uniform standard policy found in the Faculty and Staff Uniform Manual (http://www.norwich.edu/about/policy/uniform/index.html), issues have arisen due to complaints from staff and students alike.

"We have heard of some professors wearing it very very well," said Brigadier General Michael Kelley, the vice president of academic affairs and commandant of Cadets, "We have (also) had other complaints or issues about professors not doing it well or not rendering the proper military courtesies."

Kelley stated that the administration is working very hard to deal with the issue and the president of the university has made it an area of interest over the past few months.

"We recently revised the Norwich University Staff and Faculty Uniform Manual," Kelley said. "We attempted to steer in even closer to what I would call the Army standard."

With the updated version of the uniform manual, professors with questions of how to wear the uniform correctly can defer to the Army regulations. According to Kelley, the uniform standard would be easy for everyone to understand.

The uniform manual consists of military costumes and courtesies, uniform standards, and what is supposed to be issued by the university to professors and staff who dress in Vermont State Militia attire. 

The manual has everything that a person in uniform would need to know from how to wear the uniform correctly to saluting cadets and other faculty and staff. 

"We have faculty standards," Ferreira said. "If I'm wearing long sleeves I have to wear the tie and I can't wear the cardigan outside. I would presume it goes along with the U.S. Army."

According to Kelley, many years ago all of the professors at Norwich University wore the Vermont State Militia uniform, which has patterned itself after the uniforms of the U.S. Army. It was only when Norwich sold Vermont College 15 years ago when teachers started to wear civilian attire. 

"For example, when architecture moved down here, since they had previously been out of uniform in Vermont College," Kelley said, "they remained out of uniform down here."

Kelley stated that he has gone both ways on the issues of teachers in uniforms butoverall he feels that because Norwich is a military college, it is appropriate for the faculty and staff to dress accordingly. 

"I do side on the idea of faculty and staff being in uniform," Kelley said. "I have heard of other staff members that are not currently in uniform who desire to be, maybe not necessarily a military uniform like (the Vermont State Militia), but being in a Norwich specific uniform such as a maroon sweater and gray slacks."

Professor Ferreira said that she does not have strong feelings about the uniform one way or another but the fact that the uniform that she does wear is not biologically made for a female makes her wonder if the university administration is fully aware of the needs of the staff.

"We have made our feelings known. The administrations know that aside from the skirt that the rest of the uniform is made for men," Ferreira said. "If they truly want us to wear the uniform properly, then they should get ones that are made for women's bodies."

Ferreira also feels that the uniform takes away from the cultural differences at Norwich University and wonders if the administration acknowledges that there are cultural differences at all.

Brigadier General Kelley insists that the uniform is a piece of Norwich history. 

"We have had this tradition dating back down, I'm confident, 50 years or more," Kelley said.  "I can easily go back into the yearbooks of 50 years ago and see professors in uniforms."

Kelley stated that the issue of teachers in uniforms becomes a matter of discussion every once and a while and with the U.S. Army phasing out its current uniform, more problems may rise when it is time for Norwich to switch over to the Army dress blues.