The University of West Alabama at Livingston is among the first of the nation's state-supported universities to enact a dress code for students.

Sleeveless undershirts, tube tops, net shirts, baseball caps, do-rags, bare feet and waistlines that reveal underwear are against the rules in class. At major programs such as honors convocations, career fairs and job-recruitment events, students cannot wear shorts, miniskirts, jeans, T-shirts, sweat suits and flip-flops.

Those are reasonable standards of dress, and one has only to look around to see why university officials took on what amounts to a campus-wide remedial issue.

Some young people's dress habits are out of control. They know few boundaries.

Some high school habits carry over to college, but more is expected of students when they march off to a university with diploma in hand. Many students need exposure to the dress for success philosophy if they wish to be taken seriously.

The university no doubt had rather devote its efforts to educating students about more serious topics than clothing. They had rather spend time teaching freshman English and first-year calculus.

But, like the students who don't come to class with necessary math and language skills, West Alabama is also giving those lacking good taste in clothing remedial help.

Let's hope the trend catches on at other schools.

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