Townhall is a popular Short North destination for many Ohio State students. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The Undergraduate Student Government unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday, requesting Ohio State to acknowledge discriminatory dress codes of off-campus bars and restaurants.
The resolution comes after an investigation published in The Lantern in December 2022 that revealed racial discrimination by three off-campus businesses. The resolution formally requested that the university release a statement addressing the exclusion of Black students based on false stereotypes from establishments surrounding campus.
The resolution urges The Big Bar & Grill, TownHall and Mandrake Rooftop — all establishments that were named by The Lantern’s investigation — to publish fair and comprehensive dress codes, erasing any vagueness and discriminatory behaviors to promote an inclusive nightlife atmosphere. Mandrake’s dress code currently bans clothes The Lantern’s investigation states is more heavily worn by the Black community — including baggy clothes, chains, athletic wear, backward or sideways hats, work boots, tank tops and more.
Brayon Miller, president of the Ohio State chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was the primary sponsor of the resolution and believes Ohio State can help bring awareness to “what the bars and local restaurants are doing.”
“Dress codes historically are used as a tool for racial discrimination for people of color, especially African Americans,” Miller, a third-year in public policy analysis and city and regional planning, said. “After reading The Lantern article in December, I’m disappointed but not surprised to see that discriminatory dress codes have manifested themselves into my college career.”
The Lantern’s investigation included testimony from USG Vice President and fourth-year in information science Derek Moore, who shared his experience at TownHall where he felt he was wrongly dress coded and asked to leave by a security guard. Moore was not the only student to speak out about his experience, and a poll in the Black Ohio State Group Me chat showed over half have experienced this form of discrimination, witnessed it or know someone who was dress coded.
Yondris Ferguson, USG speaker of the General Assembly, said he hopes the university takes action because they “yield a lot more power than we do here.”
“I sincerely do hope that these establishments consider either creating comprehensive inclusive dress policies or changing existing dress policies that I do believe are discriminatory,” Ferguson said.
The NAACP released a statement Jan. 17 in concurrence of the resolution, stating there is still a “spiteful response to the liberation of African Americans following the Civil Rights Movement.”
“These dress codes are based on false stereotypes of violence and crime, which remains today as the most prominent rationale for actively discriminating African Americans from employment opportunities, economic prosperity, and access to resources essential for their survival,” the NAACP stated. “Rationales as such only serve to restrict equality and equity not only for students attending The Ohio State University, but also for marginalized minority groups across the country.”
The statement demanded the university acknowledge “the voices of all the students expressing distress at the discrimination” they have faced in the university area.
University spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email the university is committed to fighting discrimination in the Ohio State and Columbus communities.
“The university respects the role of the Undergraduate Student Government General Assembly to act as the student voice on issues pertinent to campus affairs,” Booker said. “Ohio State values diversity, equity and inclusion and is committed to working against the discrimination and harassment that too many in our communities and throughout the nation and world are still experiencing today.”
The Lantern reached out to Big Bar, Mandrake and TownHall late Thursday evening and is awaiting a response to statements from USG and the NAACP. Big Bar doesn’t open until 8 p.m., after the time of publication.
