University-Provided Clothing

Policy

The University will provide or identify sanctioned clothing for groups of employees to wear on-the-job using measures that assure continuity and consistency.

In addition, at University-sponsored events, employees and volunteers are encouraged to be uniformly represented in appearance by adhering to the University Visual Identity Standards.

Procedure

Work Rule Regarding Required University-Sanctioned Clothing

Employees are required to wear appropriate apparel for their respective jobs and are required to wear clothing either purchased or rented by the University according to the following guidelines.

a). Decision Authority Regarding University Clothing
The Vice President in each division has the responsibility for determining the appropriate groups of people in her/his division for whom apparel will be provided; whether the apparel is purchased or rented; and what type of apparel will be provided. These decisions will be guided by various factors including cost, budget, work content, public contact, personal safety, consistency, and continuity.

The University authorized personnel will negotiate with a vendor(s) a discount on purchase or rental of university clothing for employees in each division who wear University-sanctioned clothing.

b). Decision to Rent or Purchase
The decision to rent or purchase will vary by work area and will be guided by the type of work a group of employees does. Renting will be the preferred means of providing university-sanctioned clothing where the work lends to soiling and/or disrepair, whereas clothing may be purchased by the University for those in other types of jobs.

c). Responsibility for Cleaning/Repairing
The decision of who has responsibility for cleaning and repairing of University-provided clothing will be based on the manner in which it is procured. The vendor will be responsible for cleaning and repairing of rental clothing and the employee will be responsible for cleaning and repairing of purchased clothing.

d). Off-the-Job Activities
Employees that have University-issued clothing are required to get divisional Vice Presidents approval to wear the apparel off campus.

Work Rule Regarding Not Required University-Sanctioned Clothing

Employees are not required to wear appropriate apparel for specific uses and occasions for their respective jobs and for whom the clothing is purchased or rented by department funds according to the following guidelines.

a). Decision Authority Regarding University Clothing
The Vice President in each division has the responsibility for determining the appropriate groups of people in her/his division for whom apparel will be provided; whether the apparel is purchased or rented; and what type of apparel will be provided. These decisions will be guided by various factors including cost, budget, work content, public contact, personal safety, consistency, and continuity.

The University authorized personnel will negotiate with a vendor(s) a discount on purchase or rental of university clothing for employees in each division who wish to wear University-sanctioned clothing, but for whom it is determined the University will not provide clothing.

b). Decision to Rent or Purchase
The decision to rent or purchase will vary by work area and will be guided by the type of work a group of employees does. Renting will be the preferred means of providing university-sanctioned clothing where the work lends to soiling and/or disrepair, whereas clothing may be purchased by the University for those in other types of jobs.

c). Responsibility for Cleaning/Repairing
The decision of who has responsibility for cleaning and repairing of University-provided clothing will be based on the manner in which it is procured. The vendor will be responsible for cleaning and repairing of rental clothing and the employee will be responsible for cleaning and repairing of purchased clothing.

d). Off-the-Job Activities
Employees that have University-issued clothing are required to get divisional Vice Presidents approval to wear the apparel off campus.

Guidelines for Clothing:

a). Type of Apparel
The decision of the type of apparel to purchase or rent will be based on the work area and type of work done. For selected areas, the University will provide a full set of clothing, i.e. shirts, trousers, summer shorts and jackets (light and heavyweight) to those groups of employees whose primary work lends to soiling and/or disrepair, whereas employees in other types of jobs may be provided shirts and/or sweatshirts.

Employees being supplied with University-sanctioned clothing will receive an appropriate amount of properly fitting apparel as determined by their department.

The choice of fabric, style, color (in accordance with Graphic Identity Standards), pockets, etc. will be made by each work group for whom the appropriate vice president determines University-sanctioned clothing will be provided and choices are subject to final approval by the appropriate divisional vice president. All requests for clothing containing any of the University symbols must receive design approval from the Office of Integrated Marketing prior to purchase.

If the type of apparel includes personal protective clothing, such as high visibility garments, then MSU, Mankato’s Department of Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management Director is to be notified prior to purchasing.

All clothing must be purchased from approved vendors which are licensed through Licensing Resource Group (LRG) and can be found by visiting: http://www.lrgusa.com/, go to “RESOURCES”, then “Licensed Manufacturers” and go to Minnesota State University, Mankato for current vendors.

The State purchasing guidelines, Minnesota Statute 181.986, regarding U.S. manufactured clothing must be adhered to and can be found by visiting: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/pubs/.

b). Imprints on Shirts/Jackets
All shirts, sweatshirts and jackets provided by the University are subject to the Graphic Standards Guide guidelines as described at the following web site (http://www.mnsu.edu/standards/).

All requests for clothing containing any of the university symbols must receive design approval from the Office of Integrated Marketing prior to purchase. For more information about Minnesota State University, Mankato’s licensing program, contact the Office of Integrated Marketing.

Rationale

The University-Provided clothing policy was established in recognition of the importance of the University’s image, employee morale, enhanced personal safety, and staff visibility. Certain segments of the University by the nature of the work for which they are responsible (examples include but are not limited to Security, Emergency Medical Technicians, Buildings and Grounds) are required to wear “uniforms” of a specific style and color.