Walking down McKinley Avenue during the week, one thing is apparent — many Ball State students love their pajamas and sweatpants. While they do not exactly make a fashion statement, their comfort is what drives students to wear them to class.
Aaron Wellman, a junior in psychology, said he feels very comfortable when going out in sweatpants.
"My motto is people shouldn't go dressed up when going to class," he said. "Especially when we're paying thousands of dollars to go to school."
Wellman said he thinks college students deserve the freedom to wear whatever they desire.
"I don't think what we wear to class defines who we are," he said. "If I'm going to a lecture, I'm going to be as comfortable as possible."
Wellman said he prefers his cotton sweatpants, hoodie and tennis shoes when going to class.
"I think [wearing sweatpants] is much more comfortable than going to class in skin-tight clothing," he said.
Angelina Zulas, a junior in social work, said she is not in favor of pajamas and sweatpants on campus.
"When people wear pajamas to class, it shows how much they're committed to their work at school," Zulas said. "I think that wearing sweats, and especially pajama pants, is careless."
Zulas said the way a student dresses reflects their personality to some degree.
"Dressing is an outward way to show people what you are like," she said. "You're communicating something to people."
As a senator in the Student Government Association, Zulas said she takes care of herself to give a good impression to others. She said she likes to wear cardigans, scarves, pants and her ankle boots to classes and meetings.
Bennett Williamson, a freshman apparel design major, said he has never worn sweatpants until he got to college. Williamson has an 8 a.m. class, and he usually wakes up 10 or 15 minutes before it starts.
"I roll out of my bed and put on my BSU sweatpants," he said. "It's about comfort and getting where I need to be."
Williamson said he feels that even in sweatpants, there is a limit to how haphazard someone can look to class.
"I'm not always put-together, but even in sweatpants, there's a standard," he said.
Dru Patrick, a senior metals major, said she has very strong feelings about students in pajamas.
"Being in college doesn't give you a license to dress like a slob," she said. "It's not nice on the eyes."
Patrick said she believes if people do not go to job interviews in pajamas and sweatpants, they should not go to class in them as well.
"I see college as a gateway to the professional world," she said. "The way people dress sometimes shows the way they respect themselves."
She said she thinks people wear pajamas and sweatpants to class as an excuse. She said she believes that regular pants are just as easy to put on instead of sweatpants. Dressing well is a way to start Patrick's day with confidence.
"If I go to class and I feel like a slob, it's going to bring my work ethic down," she said. "People don't think that clothing doesn't have that kind of effect on you, but I think it does."
Patrick does not sacrifice style for comfort. They go hand in hand for her.
"I feel just as comfortable in jeans and a blouse as I am in sweatpants," she said. "I want to challenge women to put on an outfit that makes them feel confident, and see if it changes their work ethic."
Valerie Birk, an instructor in apparel design, said she knows that students in pajamas and sweatpants are trying to be comfortable, but she believes that they are not practicing image or impression management.
"They're not really concerned about what their teachers and other students are thinking about them," Birk said. "It spills over to their total personality. It's called the halo perspective."
When Birk sees well-dressed students, she said she thinks to herself that they have themselves put together. She said well-dressed students will be better prepared for what they are going to encounter.
"Your appearance is an overall perception of how people and others view you," she said. "The representation of you in class translates into real life."
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