Universities, especially private schools with a religious focus, have the right to maintain their desired images. But some universities should consider abandoning archaic stances that stifle students in an overly oppressive manner.

Baylor University in Waco, Texas, warned female students that posing in Playboy could lead to suspension or other forms of punishment, according to reports. The warning came after Playboy photographers came to Baylor’s hometown, attempting to recruit models for a section on the Big 12 conference.

Samuel Oliver, vice president for student life at Baylor, said Playboy stands in contradiction to Baylor’s ethical traditions as a Southern Baptist college. Female students who pose in Playboy, he said, are in violation of Baylor’s code of conduct.

Baylor, according to reports, has a long tradition as a conservative school and only allowed dancing on campus as of 10 years ago.

Universities have a right to protect their desired image, and students should be aware of this, considering codes of conduct and other regulatory agreements as they decide where to pursue their higher education.

Female students who would pose in Playboy seem curiously out of place at a private, conservative Christian university like Baylor.

But Baylor should consider revamping its view of the outside world. A university that began to allow on-campus dancing only 10 years ago and would punish students for making the personal choice to pose in Playboy, is sorrowfully out of touch.

This is not to say that Baylor should abandon its Christian outlook or the moral standards that compose its image. But Baylor’s narrow interpretation of its code of conduct demonstrates a failure to account for students’ abilities to make their own personal decisions.

Certainly Baylor has the right to institute policies protecting its image, but it should avoid meddling in students’ personal decisions in such an extreme manner.