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This Week in Princeton History for February 6-12
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students request that their grades not be shared publicly, a writer cites a Princeton president to bolster an argument against dancing, and more. February 6, 1879—Students ask that the College cease the custom of printing their grades for public review, on the basis that it is embarrassing…
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This Week in Princeton History for October 3-9
In this week’s installment of our recurring series, posting bills in Trenton gets four students arrested, F. Scott Fitzgerald is not doing well, and more. October 3, 1970—A dozen state and local feminist groups, in their first general convention, join to discuss the basic issues of the women’s rights movement in the Princeton Inn. The…
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This Week in Princeton History for May 10-16
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the debate team loses to Harvard on immigration restrictions, the grading system is radically changed, and more. May 10, 1947—In the Chicago Defender, W. E. B. Du Bois reports that Princeton University had written…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 7-13
In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian criticizes the grading system, the Texas governor gives an on-campus club the designation “Texas Embassy in New Jersey,” and more. January 9, 1975—Princeton students are featured in the NBC documentary special The Changing…
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Grading at Princeton University
We sometimes get questions about what people see in alumni files. One of the more challenging things about reading academic records is dealing with unfamiliar grading rubrics. For example, we shared F. Scott Fitzgerald’s grade card with you a while ago. Though a dropped semester and repeated classes would indicate he did not do so…
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This Week in Princeton History for October 19-25
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the Princetonian suggests the grading “vogue” is a bad idea, the campus mourns Thomas Alva Edison, and more. October 19, 1876—The Daily Princetonian laments that the College of New Jersey (Princeton) has joined in the…
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This Week in Princeton History for January 12-18
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, final exams prove stressful, the Nude Olympics meet their end, and more. January 12, 1941—A pre-finals blackout distresses residents of five Princeton dormitories. The next morning, the Daily Princetonian will report: “After hesitatingly peering…
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F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Princeton Career and the Triangle Club
Written by Dan Linke Today marks the 118th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birth and 101 years since he entered Princeton University, the place he dubbed “the pleasantest country club in America.” That phrase, a great irritant to then University President John Grier Hibben, is found in his first novel, This Side of Paradise, which…
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