BYU enforces a strict honor code, especially when it comes to grooming standards. One of the most heavily contested of these rules involves men’s facial hair. The honor code states: “Men are expected to be clean shaven; beards are not acceptable.”
If you obtain a beard waiver, you can both avoid your razor this no-shave November and maintain good graces with the honor code office.
There are three conditions that will allow you to get a beard card.
One is a medical condition.
Joining an LDS film or theatrical performance that requires facial hair will also do the trick, or if your religion dictates the growth of a beard that will work too.
So, for those of us who are not prone to acting and don’t fall into the other two sections, there are still a few options.
Mustaches do not fall under the beard restriction, and while any teacher may choose to enforce the honor code policy in their classroom, Brantly Thomas said, “I’ve had professors mention it a couple of times. Like on a rubric they’ll say ‘Do you have a beard card?’ but they’ve never actually docked me points.”
The most consistent enforcer is the testing center. Individuals who arrive at the testing center with facial hair have one of two options: either buy a razor and shave, or take a warning, which they are given one of each semester.
For those who still covet the beard waiver, Kevin John, a faculty at BYU who recently acquired a beard card, said it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. “A beard card essentially says that you do not shave, so as part of those regulations that a lot of people don’t realize is you’re not actually allowed to trim it, not allowed to trim around the neck or selectively on the face”.
