A student who was kicked out of the College of Charleston’s fitness facility for wearing a shirt that exposed her midriff got some attention on social media this week, but C-of-C is standing firm in its choice to ask her to leave.
Sarah Villafane was kicked out of the student gym and on Wednesday posted about the incident on Facebook.
In her post, Villafane said that she spoke to professors on the day of the incident that didn’t think the outfit was inappropriate.
A spokesperson for College of Charleston said that there are posted signs regarding the student dress code, and that the rules are less about policing the appropriateness of outfits and more about sanitation.
“The practice of wearing a t-shirt is for sanitary reasons,” spokesperson Mike Robertson said in a statement to ABC News 4. “We want to reduce skin contact with facility equipment. These rules are applied to both males and females.”
Robertson cited similar policies at other schools.
Disease-causing germs, including the bacterial infection MRSA, can be spread among gym-users in cases where users come into direct contact with equipment. Reducing skin contact with equipment and proper disinfecting after use can help to minimize that risk.
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{module Fitness dress code}