A sign placed in the hallways at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Nursing stating that short skirts, low-rise pants and low-cut shirts revealing cleavage were all prohibited was quickly taken down this week.
The sign made its way up on bulletin boards at the UT Austin campus Tuesday evening, but were taken down by mid-to-late morning Wednesday, University Communications Director J.B. Bird told The Huffington Post.
The sign read "Revealing clothing MUST NOT be worn while in the School of Nursing Building. It distracts from the learning environment." It was first posted online by Jezebel.
The signs do not specifically say they are directed at female students, but it only mentions women's clothing.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Gayle Timmerman issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying "The wording of the signs made it sound as though we were worried about women’s clothing as a distraction in the learning environment. This is not the case."
"We're not in the business of measuring skirt lengths," Timmerman said. "We are in the business of educating a new generation of nurses."
Bird said the associate deans at the school were surprised to see them, and that it is by no means a representation of the school's policy. It was something put up by a part-time employee who, Bird theorized, had good intentions but ultimately struck a nerve.
Bird called it a "fascinating demonstration" of the speed at which information traveled, noting the sign wasn't even allowed to stay up for a full 24 hours.