Mormon leader Brigham Young sported a bushy, white beard as he led his people across the United States to settle in Utah territory during the 1800s. Brigham Young University students can't pay tribute to their school's namesake with their own beards due to a ban against excess facial hair.
BYU student Shane Pittson organized the "Bike for Beards" rally on Sept. 26 to convince his university to repeal the rule. About 50 students, some wearing paper beards, biked, skateboarded or rollerbladed from the Provo City Library to campus to call attention to their cause.
"I love BYU. I love being a student here," Pittson told The Salt Lake Tribune. "But the rule on beards I find particularly outdated."
He organized the event only a few days before it took place. The rally also asked supporters to sign a petition that asked the school to reconsider its position on the ban. The BYU student grew a beard over the summer but shaved before coming back to school.
"I figured it would make more of an impact to say, 'I respect the university and here I am abiding by the rules but asking for change,'" Pittson told the Tribune.
The BYU Honor Code, one of the most rigid in the country, states that "men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable." A medical condition, such as scarring, can exempt a student from the ban.
Students agree to the grooming rules before the first day of classes. The ban was also imposed by students, according to university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins.
"It's nothing against beards. It's just how we choose to represent ourselves at the university," Jenkins told the Tribune.
The Mormon church-owned institution also forbids premarital sex, drinking alcohol and tattoos. Basketball standout Brandon Davies had his sophomore season cut short when he admitted to having sex with his girlfriend. Football player Spencer Hadley was suspended for five games when the school received a photo of him holding a bottle of champagne at a party (a member of rival school University of Utah made BYU aware of Hadley's actions).
