DEAN'S LIST PRIVILEGE

According to a vote of the administrative board announced by Dean Hanford this morning, all undergraduates whose academic grades at the November reckoning averaged B or better may exercise the Dean's List privilege in regard to the extension of their Christmas holidays. This step is both wise and timely. It recognizes and removes the stigma of illegality from what has been a common practice among men who did not attain official Dean's List ranking at the January or June times of demarcation, but raised the record of their scholastic progress to the required level at November.

Further, it touches upon the principle that the Dean's List privilege is, or should be, relative to current standing. The freedom granted by academic excellence is not so great that it should be accorded only twice a year, and it may be so valuable, properly used, that more students should enjoy it, for however slight a time, whenever they qualify in their courses. Such temporary elevation in standing needs careful guard to prevent its abuse; perhaps it was this knowledge that led the authorities to require consultation with the assistant deans before employment of the privilege.

To give latitude to non-Dean's List men when they momentarily reach the mark does not imply a withdrawal of rank from those men who fall below the Third Group in November or April. High standing is too desirable and not to be encouraged by quick reward and too rare to have its perhaps momentary lapse incur a penalty.