Princeton Exams and Trusting Students

While I agree with the importance of actual adherence to the Honor Code by students, the pearl clutching over having proctors at exams is a bit much. The fact is that Princeton has not trusted its students to be honest since at least the ’70s in the situations where it matters. When I was a freshman in 1974, my biology final conflicted with my sister’s college graduation. I requested to take the exam early and immediately leave for the summer so I could attend the graduation, but was told that Princeton’s exam policy prohibited that, notwithstanding the Honor Code. Whether proctors are present or absent in exams rooms is of no benefit to students; whether students are forced to miss important family events because the University does not believe its students are honest is far more serious.