BYU - What I'm Missing

August 2nd, 2007

For most of the years I attended Brigham Young University, I was among the most conservative of the Mormon school's clean-shaven youngsters. Now, looking back as one who passed through the veil of BYU's brand of conformity and beyond into a world of more independent thought, stories from BYU provide no end of amusement.

Two days ago BYU's student newspaper posted a story about students who were caught perpetrating illegal acts by BYU's ever vigilant Honor Code Office. The Honor Code folks were tipped off by photos from Facebook, the online social networking site.

My favorite account was of six female students who were turned in to the Honor Code office after they posted photos of themselves hanging out in their own dorm rooms "dressed immodestly". (At BYU, dressing immodestly often consists of shorts above the knee and sleeveless tops). According to one of the students involved:

She didn't consider the pictures bad or immoral, but was surprised when approximately 50 pages of pictures portraying the girls dressed immodestly were given to BYU's Honor Code Office with a note reading, "Thought you should know."

I can just see the consternation on the Honor Code official's face when he reviews these photos... of students in their own dorm rooms! So now apparently it's illegal to dress immodestly in your own bedroom at BYU. (laugh, choke).

Ah, BYU. Wish I was there. Read the original story here.