Shorts allowed on all BYU campuses, beards still prohibited in updated educational guidelines

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a few significant changes to rules at its university campuses on Thursday ahead of the upcoming school year.

Although the Church Educational System Honor Code was already consistent across all of the church-owned campuses, the new update indicates dress and grooming standards are also now unified across campuses — meaning shorts are allowed on all campuses, even at BYU-Idaho.

The update also mentions ecclesiastical endorsement interviews between students and their bishop or other religious leader each year should focus on spiritual growth and ecclesiastical standards rather than Honor Code dress and grooming policies.

Some alterations were made to the Church Educational System Honor Code to “highlight its role in accomplishing the religious mission of CES,” Thursday’s announcement said.

The Honor Code now specifically states, “Living a chaste and virtuous life also includes abstaining from same-sex romantic behavior,” whereas, the most recent version of rules of behavior specified that sexual relations outside marriage were not appropriate.

However, the church’s announcement was clear — no LGBTQ policies have been changed.

“CES is deeply committed to helping all our students, including our LGBTQ students, feel both the love and covenant expectations of the Savior. Same-sex romantic behavior has been and continues to be contrary to the principles included in the CES Honor Code. LGBTQ students are a welcomed and valued part of the campus community and share a common identity with every student as sons and daughters of God,” the statement says.

The updated Honor Code also says that students should abstain from marijuana. Previously, marijuana was not specifically listed but may have been interpreted within abstaining from “substance abuse” in the same paragraph.

Students at church-owned schools will now be required to “respect others, including the avoidance of profane and vulgar language” and encourage others to comply with dress and grooming standards, in addition to encouraging following the Honor Code which was previously required.

A clause specifying only church members are required to participate in church services was removed from the Honor Code, meaning all students will need to participate in some services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The updates are principle-based, provide consistency across CES institutions, and better align student endorsement interviews with church leaders’ ecclesiastical responsibilities. The changes are designed to help students grow closer to Jesus Christ and strengthen the overall student experience,” the church’s announcement states.

Elder Clark G. Gilbert, commissioner of education for the church, said the changes will help people embrace the purpose of the Church Educational System institutions and develop as disciples of Christ.

“Our goal is that all students and employees feel the love of the Savior, experience the growth from applying gospel principles, and more fully realize the joy associated with being part of a covenant-keeping community,” he said.

The new guidelines will be implemented across all schools — BYU, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho and Ensign College — on Wednesday.

The changes were made after presidents at each church-owned school collaborated and considered input from students who participated in focus groups. They felt the updates would “inspire both students and employees and add to the unity that is felt across CES,” the statement said.

The updated Student Ecclesiastical Endorsement Questions are available online. The questions are focused on student efforts of striving toward spiritual growth. They are similar to the questions asked in a temple recommend interview but are different, the news release explains, as the standard of worthiness for the temple is different from the standard for students.

“CES recognizes that students are striving to deepen their faith and testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Recognizing that we sometimes fall short of perfectly realizing these aspirations, and in order to encourage continued growth, students are invited to strive toward certain ideals while upholding foundational standards of conduct,” the update states.

The effort to encourage striving for growth allows ecclesiastical leaders to work with students who are trying to reach the standards, although “clear violations” of the standards should not be ignored, the church statement continues.

The newly unified “CES Dress and Grooming Principles and Expectations” outline that students, employees and volunteers on campus commit to representing Christ, the church and the Church Educational System with their dress; “preserve an inspiring environment;” promote neatness, restraint and modesty in dress; and, “maintain an elevated standard distinctive to educational institutions of the Church of Jesus Christ.”

Thursday’s announcement states men and women should “be modest in fit and style” and not wear “sloppy, overly casual, ragged or extreme clothing.” It also says both genders should avoid extreme hair styles or colors, and men should be clean shaven — any mustaches should be neatly trimmed.