Honor the Honor Code

I find it saddening to have read that the University is considering weakening the penalties for violation of the Honor Code (On the Campus, Feb. 7). Living in a society where absolute standards are giving way to moral relativism in all spheres, I appreciate Dean Jill Dolan’s statements regarding her concerns about fundamentally altering the University’s disciplinary penalties. At the same time, I find the comments of students Flanigan and Herskind disrespectful of the administration and the Honor Code. I always felt it a privilege to conclude each and every examination at Princeton by writing, “I pledge my honor as a gentleman that during this examination I have neither given nor received assistance.” I do hope that the Honor Code and penalties for violation will remain unchanged in a changing (not always for the better) world. I fail to see how weakening the Code could possibly be a good or honorable change.