East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-04-15
FACULTIES
WATCH OUTCOME Of y
PRINCETON'S PLAN
Colleges Experiment is to Have
Undergraduates Handle Nor
ais of Under Student Body.

PRINCETON, y. j., April 15.--(A
| P.D University faculties throughout
the United States are watching with
Keen interest the experiment put in ef-
feet at Princeton to have the under
graduates handle the situation with re-
gard to the morals of the student
| body, The ruling marks tho begin
Eing of an epoch in student govern
ment in American universities, The
professors Of Old Nassau have decid-
cd the time has come when the under
graduate is better able to handle the
question of morals than the discipline
committee OF the faculty itself Ac-
cordingly they have placed in the Sc
nior council the power to recommend
the punishment of students for acts
tending to injure the good name or the
moral tone of the university" without
giving reasons or evidence to the fac
ulty.
Princeton has an efficient protorial
system under the guidance of Henry
Bowie, known to Princetonlans in song
and story as Hank the Cop" The
duty Of the University Proctor has
dated from the days before the Ameri-
can revolution when all the Princeton
students lived in Nassau. hall, and, as
the old records show. INDUCED in
smuggling roast fowl and beer into
their rooms through the medium Of
the negro slaves residing in Prince
ton" But with the introduction OF
/ the Honor system into University life
I'm the 'nineties, much of the duty and
/ importance of the Proctor was alb
sorbed by the various undergraduate
| bodies, chief of which is the honor
committee itself. Almost all phases
OF undergraduate activity come un-
der this system from cheating in ex-
aminations to the use of PLANTS in
the seats Of absentees in lecture
rooms.
The Princeton senior council recent.
~ came to the conclusion that at in
frequent intervals acts occur on tho
| campus that need punishment, and
| which escape the notice of the Proc
tor, but not of the undergraduates
! themselves. The mental state of an
undergraduate is such that his con
science does not allow him to report
| his follows to anyone even remotely
connected with the faculty but he is
willing to report such proceedings to
the senior council with the provision
that 1t shall so no farther. IT was to
deal with this situation that the new
ruling at Princeton was passed.
The council. an elective body Of SEN
4 iors, usually including the class off
GERS, the major sport captains and the
heads of the important campus activ-
tiles meets every Monday night in the
/ council chamber of Murray Dodge
Hall to consider the affairs of the Uni
Versity. In case charges of serious
nature are brought against any stu
dent by his fellows the proceedings
are kept secret, and the council sits
as jury on the case. The offender
is brought into the room and seated
at the head of the long table and In.
formed of the accusations. He has
the right Of stating his case and he
may bring in witnesses--and while
the defendant is at liberty to call up
on anyone he desires in his defense,
the testimony of the faculty or Of the
proctor's force would not be admitted
against him.
Witnesses for the state" are then
questioned, and while their testimony
may cause anguish to his friends, they
have never been known to refuse II.
though the council has no means OF
forcing students to appear in the wit
ness box
The whole proceeding is carried on
under the honor system, and the word
Of the defendant carries more weight
than circumstantial evidence After
the testimony is completed, the coun-
Gil goes into deliberation. Points Of
law do not exist and the purpose is 10
reach decision in equity. A three
quarter vote is necessary to convlc-
ton, any smaller majority amounting
to acquittal A similar majority is
necessary in fixing the penalty The
president of the council then reports
to the faculty that his colleagues have
recommended certain penalties to be
inflicted upon the defendant, a rec
ommendatlon which is accepted with
out question.
student has the right Of appeal
to the discipline of the faculty, in
which case all the evidence is present
ed.