Husky Closet: dress for success

This winter quarter, ASUWT moves forward on several projects to benefit student life. The “Husky Closet,” lead by Milgard Business Senator Drew Dunston, who hopes to provide professional business attire to students who would otherwise not be able to afford it.

Dunston explained how one study across the tri-campus showed that UW Tacoma students were the least likely to be dressed appropriately for interviews. By providing professional business attire to students, Dunston hopes this will create confidence and success in regards to networking and interviews.

“The data highlights how lack of accessibility to get clothes directly impacts students availability to get jobs,” said Dunston. “The data also shows that students even avoid interviews because they can not afford the proper attire.”

Husky Closet hopes to minimize this concern and provide more opportunities to those less financially stable.

“..UWT is a historically low-income campus. We already have some great resources for students who are low-income as of now like the food pantry and the new micro apartments,” Dunston stated. “I thought it only made sense to also have a resource for free clothes.”

In November, two funding proposals for Husky Closet were submitted to the dean of the Milgard School of Business, Altaf Merchant, and are currently awaiting his feedback.

“Essentially, what happened is I met with him in November and pitched this idea to him,” Dunston said. “He said he fully supports it and that the business school might even fund it … but he would need to see the proposals first.”

For the proposals, Dunston  emphasized the fact that this resource should be open to all students regardless of their major, discipline or year. Once the quarter starts, Dunston and Merchant plan to continue their talks and how to move forward with the project.

Previously in the fall quarter, the project faced the obstacle of acquiring a room to store such attire with limited space available on campus. However, Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship — known as VIBE — has provided full support with a space for the Husky Closet on the fourth floor of the Tioga Library Building. It is expected to function similar to the Pantry and will use student workers to monitor the Closet. Students are not required to return the articles of clothing.

Husky Closet is expected to open by the end of winter quarter 2020.

Donations are currently being accepted for Husky Closet. For more information or inquiries about the project, contact asuwtbus@uw.edu.