Central Florida Rec Center Clarifies Shirt Policy

The University of Central Florida Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC) addressed its shirt policy after some male students were wearing “Y-back” tank tops in the center.

The RWC told Orlando TV station WKMG on Wednesday that tank tops are allowed in the center, but they cannot expose more skin than usual because of sweat that could get on equipment. In a guide sent to the station titled “Do it the Knight Way,” the RWC said, “Shirts that expose the back, abdominal area or ribcage are not considered appropriate.”

Earlier in the week, the TV station reported students were turned away from the RWC because of their attire. The RWC said students were not kicked out of the center but some students were offered new T-shirts to wear in the center, according to WKMG.

Last year, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee implemented a new dress code for T-shirts worn at the Klotsche Center and Pavilion. According to the policy, T-shirts must have sleeves and must fully cover the back, shoulders, chest, stomach and sides. The school says those shirts not only protect equipment from sweat and body oil, but they also reduce chances of students acquiring an illness or infection, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).