The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-02-02
At PRINCE TON
Honor System In Vogue At
the Great University of
New Jersey
STUDENTS ARE LEFT ALONE
FRESHMEN ARE INSTRUCTED IN
COLLEGE PRINCIPLES AND
ARE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW
THEM-oTHER COLLEGES CON
DEMN.


DEMN. a.
Il pledge my honor as a gentleman
that have neither given nor received as
sistance in this examination"
princeton examination pledge.)
College morality has ever been a
queer, qu;rky thing, evolved from with
in, not from without (as they know at
the Naval Academy, often whimsical
and inconsistent, often different from
other morality. often tolerant Of what
Ia bic as the hills "OltGn tolerant u
what others condemn The least in
formed need not be told of how under
graduate sentiment everywhere has wink
ed at surreptitious cheating in examina-
ton (how easy to do and difficult TO de-
tect) and how everywhere 1t has failed
to censure the cheaters, save only in the
contest for honor, says writer in the
Newark Evening News"
With that exception, roo often has the
attitude of the student and instructor
been hostile and the thought of the for
mer, .'if they are watching for cheating;
they are expecting it; let them catch US
if they can In the contest for honors
the offender has been visited by the stu
dents with the ostracism meted out to
cheaters at play Student morality has
generally gone thus far, but no farther.
Princeton men point out that the system
evolved from within her walls has these
thirteen years gone to its logical con-
clusion Of banishing the professors from
examination room and substituting the
honor pledge of the student body, BAN
ished cheating from her halls.
There is no cheating at Princeton. The
freshman, no matter what may have been
his early training, is Immediately brought
up hard and fast against student senti-
ment which promises a punishment so
swift and condign in case of dishonesty,
that to become perfectly honest becomes
second nature to him. Few other col
leges in all the country, save the Uni
yersity of Virginia, can show the like.
The system in brief, is simply this: At
the opening of the examinations, the pro-
fessor distributes the printed question
papers. waits and then leaves the hall.
AS the students finish their papers and
hand them in they write these words at
the bottom: Il pledge my honor as a
gentleman that during this examination
sistanee" Woe to a student if he be
detected by fellow-student in cheating!
Before the sun sets, caught in his lie, he
finds himself facing the most exacting
and most searching tribunal q student
can ever meet-the committee of his fel-
lows.
The president of each class and two
additional upper classmen (elected by the
students) compose it. No dodge or eva
sion succeeds with the judges; they are
students themselves, loved and respected
by all, but intensely jealous of the stu
dent honor They are just men and hear
fairly before they determine--then fol-
lows Judgment swift and sure. Some
tlmes it is acquittal, but. as charge is
seldom made unless the proofs are clear,
the verdict is usually guilty" Under
the constitution the committee transmits
the name and findings to the dean of the
university. One adjudged guilty is al
| lowed twenty-four hours within which
to withdraw voluntarily or appeal to tie
| faculty. In the absence of Withdrawal
or appeal. expulsion follows as a. mat
| ter of course. Little can be expected
| from an appeal, as the committee never
! takes positive action unless the proof is
absolutely clear. No one outside of the
accused, the committee and the witness
es is present at the hearing, and strictest
measures are now taken by the commit
/ tee and the faculty to prevent charges of