Black sleeve on BJJ belts?

[MARXMAN]

I am new to the BJJ community so this is a newbie question. I noticed that a lot of companies offer belts with a black sleeve on one of the ends. I was wondering if this sleeve should be taken off if the BJJ school does not offer ranks for that belt. Does anyone know if the Gracie schools offer ranks other than with a black belt? Thanks...

[Ahoym8e]

just ignore the sleeve if your school doesn't award stripes...

The sleeve is what separates a BJJ practitioner's belt from anyone else's, stripes or not.