The San Francisco call., 1903-12-04
STUDENTS TALK
OF HONOR SYSTEM
Stanford Men Not Ali
Agreed on Princeton
Plans Value.
Collegians in Mass Meeting
Discuss Examination
Cheating.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


STAMFORD UNIVERSITY, Dec. 8.
"A mass meeting of the student body
was held in Assembly Hall this morn
ing for the purpose of discussing the
advisability of adopting at Stanford
the so-called honor system as it is
in vogue at Princeton. The main idea
of the system is to rest the control of
the punishment of students found
cheating in examinations with the
students themselves and make all of
the students bound by pledge to re-
port any student found cheating to
the student tribunal appointed to
judge in such cases and let that be a
court of last resort to determine
whether or not the offense has been
committed. If the accused is found
guilty he is to be reported to the fac
ulty. who may either cancel his regis
tration or, in a fragrant case, expeI
him from the university. A pledge is
also taken by every student that he
will neither give nor receive help in
an examination.
The college has become thoroughly
aroused over the question, which has
been agitated in the college daily pa
per for several days. Editorials and
communications, all in favor of the
proposed system, have almost filled
the official student body organ for sew
eral issues. However, that the Daily
Palo Alto has not won the entire stu
dent body to it's view of the matter
was evidenced by the opposition to it
that appeared in the mass meeting
this morning.
A great many of the students quite
justly feel that there is not any
amount of cheating done in the uni
versity large enough to justify such
a radical measure and that it's adop-
ton may lead the general public to
the erroneous conclusion that cheat
ing is prevalent at Stanford, The op-
ponents of the scheme favor allowing
each man being put on his individual
honor and oppose the requirement.
that man should be in duty bound
to report fellow student. This svs-
tenn of each man being regarded as
on his individual honor not to cheat
is practically in vogue in the law de-
partment and is proving a thorough
success there, hence it is argued that
the students of the other departments
should live up to the same code. as
all the students are supposed to have
an equally high sense of honor and
self-respect
The meeting this morning was al
together student affair." President
Jordan appeared at the opening of
the meeting and made few remarks.
in which he stated that he regarded
some sort of an honor system as in
evitable in our educational institu-
tions in this country in the not very
distant future. President Jordan also
read letter from Harwood Hall of
the Sherman Institute at Riverside.
the school that supports the Perris
Indian football eleven, congra atuIat-
ing Stanford on having an eleven
which played such clean and sports
manlike football as that put up
against the Indians on THANKSGIVING
day in Los Angeles. After his few
remarks President Jordan, the only
faculty member present, withdrew
and a discussion of the honor sys-
tenn by the students followed.
o. A. Wilson, editor of the Daily
Palo Alto, read an extended paper in
favor of the system, covering most of
the materiaI tiisst has appeared in the
college daily and also letters from
Princeton students AID others in re-
gard to the proposes system, includ-
ing one from DR.. Farrand of the STAN
ford history department, who is the
chief exponent of the system. he hav-
ing seen it in operation at Princeton.
Among others who took part in the
discussion pro and con were Captain
Bansbach of the varsity eleven, Cap
tain Ball of the varsity nine, B. p.
Oakford, 'O2; R. C. McComich, 'O3:
H. A. Moran, '04; H. P. Kuhn. 'O3.
and o. c. Ritter, '04.
The matter will probably be put to
a vote of the Associated Students be-
fore the end of the present semester.
1t must first be acted upon by the ex-
ecutive committee and then reported
to the student body as a whole. which
will probably be done next Wednes-
day.