The DU Career Closet allows any DU student or alum to browse, try on and take up to four clothing items to keep for free.
A few years back, David Corsun, professor and director of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, realized a student didn’t have the clothes he needed for a career fair. So Corsun took the student to a thrift store and bought him clothes that would work for the student’s professional networking opportunity.
Realizing that other students were experiencing the same issue—especially those who may need extra financial help—Corsun had an idea: creating a fund that would give hospitality students at the Daniels College of Business access to professional clothes, without adding even more expenses to their college education and career prep.
“It became very evident to us that if we’re requiring students to be professionally dressed on the career fair floor, then we need to help those who don’t have access to the resources to get professional dress to actually purchase it,” Corsun said.
About five years ago, the donor-supported Clothing Account for Students in Hospitality (C.A.S.H.) Fund was born. It offers monetary support for students in need of professional clothing, as well as a shopping partner—usually someone who works at Daniels—“so that they are being steered to the right look, to a look that is going to work for them,” Corsun said. “We’re not trying to create a cookie-cutter look, but we want to make sure that when they encounter recruiters in the building or when they are at a professional business function, that they are going to be received as a professional businessperson.”
The C.A.S.H. Fund is not the only resource DU offers students to help them secure professional clothing for important moments in kicking off their careers—interviews, headshots and networking events among them.
Fritz also has a partnership with Dress for Success, a Denver-based organization that provides job-readiness tools, professional attire and post-employment support to women. The organization brings dress clothing to campus a couple of times a year for female students. “Pre-career fair, they come in with a truckload of clothes, shoes, purses, right outside the building,” Corsun said. “And somebody from Dress for Success works through sizing. Students are signed up for appointments, and they walk away outfitted.”
Then there’s DU’s Career Closet, which allows any DU student or alum to browse, try on and take up to four clothing items to keep for free. The closet is stocked by donations.
“It’s for all students, all majors, PhDs to undergrads—anybody can access the closet. And there’s no financial barrier to prove, so there’s no stigma attached,” said Alison McCarty, associate director and career coach for Daniels Career Services. “A student can even go in to borrow a jacket just for an hour to go get their headshot done.”
The closet has had a very positive response, and importantly ensures that students look the right part.
“It’s been really impactful for students,” McCarty said. “First impressions are such an important factor when getting interviewed. When you dress up for a career fair, putting that best foot forward is important for our recruiters. After a career fair, if a recruiter and I talk, they mostly comment on a student’s professionalism—their ability to look put together, make eye contact, have a firm handshake, those kinds of things. And the dress piece showcases professionalism, too.”
All of the clothing initiatives are about equity and accessibility, which ties into to DU’s overall mission of empowering and helping students through scholarships, opportunities, career preparation and more.
“It’s about elevating everyone’s opportunity,” Corsun said. “We are changing lives by creating this opportunity. We are enabling students to compete successfully for jobs that, if they weren’t professionally dressed, they wouldn’t be able to compete for. It all fits very much with our overall mission.”