Greetings. I am The Voice. I am pleased to report that several changes were promised as a result of last month's piece, including several open meetings of the Student Council and the apparent reactivation of the cafeteria's bulletin board. Although minutes from meetings, numerical vote tallies, and the club's Constitution are still inaccessible, minimal progress is better than no progress.

This month's topic is far less urgent than last month's, yet as an issue of student life, it must be addressed. Since the mid-1990s, students have not been allowed to maintain any hair on their faces. This seemingly petty restriction caused a truckload of inconvenience last year and continues to cramp students' individuality.

Mr. Eamonn Casey of the religious studies department graduated from Malden Catholic in 1994. He was allowed to maintain a goatee as a student. As the student director of the Drama Club, when his roles called for a full beard, he was also allowed to grow it. There was no rule prohibiting facial hair when Mr. Casey was a student. In subsequent years, the administration installed the rule that exists today.

Mr. Casey ironically agrees with the rule as it stands today. "I think it's a very good rule. It adds more dignity to the way we look. I would support a change in the rule if it stipulated that the hair had to be neat." Mr. Casey sheepishly added, "I enjoyed having facial hair in my time."

Many students feel that they deserve the privilege of keeping whatever comes out of their chins and cheeks. More importantly, they feel the extreme inconvenience of being forced to shave to comply with school regulations. Upperclassmen will recall last year's administration demanding on-the-spot shaves, providing the student with either a pink razor or a pink detention slip. While enforcement is not as imposing this year, it is as strict. "I have had to skip brushing my teeth to shave," said one disgruntled senior. "I've been late to school because I had to shave," said junior Sean Ikeda. "I think the rule sucks," stated senior Steve Matthews. "The rule against facial hair is [expletive deleted]," said senior Dave Blaser. Senior Joe Benevento simply asked, "How does a lack of facial hair help you learn?"

Some students were more sympathetic to the rule, but still advocated its abolition. "I think it's a foolish rule, but I see where they're coming from," said senior Pete Carroll. Senior Chris Ciampa will put up with the rule this year, but he has different plans upon departure. "In college, I'm not going to shave at all."

Many faculty members are in support of the current rule. Ms. Angela Lee of the English department does not want to see scruffy faces in the hallways. "I like clean-shaven faces. If you're going to go into the business world, appearance is important. I don't think it takes away any individuality." Bro. Thomas Petitte, FMS, of the religious studies department, is in strong support of the rule. "I don't think that most students look good with facial hair. I look at students and I think that many aren't mature enough to have it. Half of them look scrubby when unshaven. When I was an assistant principal in 1972, I allowed students to have facial hair, but I changed the rule the next year. I think that our dress code should be shirt and tie. We're about business. Once in a while you can be relaxed, but not like we are now. Dress code affects students, and I would not be in favor of students' facial hair, because I don't think that students can deal with it."

Rather than saying that students can't deal with facial hair, senior Steve Gravallese believes that students should have their choice of shaving or not shaving. "We should be allowed to make our own choice," he said. The dress code is an unreasonable and unnecessary restriction of freedoms that students were once allowed. The rule seems to oscillate between permission and restriction of student facial hair. It is once again time to permit students to grow their fuzz and ditch their razors.

I propose a compromise that allows students to maintain neat facial hair in exchange for donning a necktie every day. Male faculty members are allowed to have facial hair, but they are also required to wear neckties. Bro. Petitte believes that there is no comparison between the two groups. "The faculty are supposed to be models for the students, which is why they are allowed to have facial hair. Comparing students to faculty is comparing apples and oranges." This is, of course, a dangerous double standard, but faculty members have other basic privileges that are denied to students as well. The privilege of growing facial hair remains on the long list. Bro. Petitte pointed out the different handbooks for faculty and students, but the dichotomy between faculty privileges and student privileges is like the difference between owners and workers in Marxist ideology.

A sizeable chunk of the senior class wore ties to school last Thursday. The faculty seemed impressed at how professional we looked. Wearing ties and facial hair together give the same air of professionalism without the inconvenience or imposition of having to shave. Shaving-related detentions should be a thing of the past. Next month, The Voice will be tackling the contentious issue of Christian service. Is the program really fulfilling its purpose? The Voice answers this question and more in the next edition.