New-York tribune., 1921-02-27
Senior Council
To Be PrincetOn
Morals Court
Faculty Grants Ii Power to
Try Students Accused of
Hurting Good Name and
High Tone of the Place
May Suggest Punishment
Has Right TO Withhold Its
Proof From Instructors i'm
Making Recommendation
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

PRINCETON, N. j., Feb. 26.-Prince-
ton University took this week what
is thought here to be the greatest
stride toward student government
that any American university of the
i first rank has ever tried. This was
the unanimous approval by the uni :
versity faculty of a resolution giving
to the senior council, which is the
student governing board, the right to
recommend the dismissal from the uni-
versity, without the requirement of a
statement of cause or submission of
evidence to the discipline committee of
| the faculty or any other body.
This comes as logical sequence of
the success Of the honor system at the
| university, which has been widely
| copied, and which permits students to
leave examination rooms. or even to
typewrite their papers in their own
rooms.
Cases of violations of the honor sys-
| tenn always have been brought before
the honor committee of students, and
Dean McClenahan, who is in charge
of university discipline, recently said
that in the entire twenty-eight years
that the system has been in force in
Princeton "the number of proven
cases of dishonesty might almost be
counted on the fingers of two hands"
In the same statement the dean, who
was himself an undergraduate in the
days before the introduction of the
honor system, said that cribbing was
lone of Princeton's favorite indoor
sports up to this time"
Senior on Faculty Committee
The honor system proved so salts
factory and the elements Of self gov
eminent by the students proved such
success. that members Of the senior
council were placed on the discipline
committee of the faculty, and finally
a spirit of the honor system commit
tee" was formed to deal with all cases
of dishonesty in any form Of univer-
sity work.
President John Grier Hibben to-day
issued a statement with regard to the
faculty resolution, as follows:
We are now taking further and,
we believe, important step in this direc-
tlon. The senior council has asked
permission Of the discipline committee
to take up d type of case which here
tofore it has been difficult to deal with
fairly and justly. Students are un-
! willing to report the misdeeds of their
fellows TO an outside body. 1t is occa-
slonally, however, known to them that
certain members of the university are
| guilty of conduct which is detrimenta
| to the good name of Princeton and to
| the moral tone of the place. They
| commit actions or are guilty of courses
! OF conduct which, in their words, are
! hurting the good name of Princeton
and the moral tone of the place The
senior council, has, therefore, reque ed
| permission to take up these cases on
| its own initiative, to examine them, and
! to recommend to the faculty what pun
| ishment is TO be meted out to men who
! have violated the spirit of the place
| They are allowed to withhold the evi-
| dence on which their decision has been
made. After the student has appeared
before them and has been given a fair
| trial they merely make the recommen-
dation to the discipline committee OF
the university.
Student May Appeal
"In case any student feels that an
injustice has been done him, he
may appeal his case from the decision
of the council to the discipline com.
nnittee of the university, and his case
! is then brought before that body with
all the evidence.
1--WE have granted this request, and
in doing so we feel that we have taker
a further important step for the good
| name and welfare Of the community il
which they live. We feel that if we
can make them feel the responsibility
during these four years at Princeton
they viii feel it likewise for the Ions
decades of their life in the great worlc
beyond"
The resolution adopted by the fac.
ulty on the subject requires that tC
convict three-quarters majority vote
of the council be had.