A 19th-century bet on student integrity just ran into a 21st-century problem: ChatGPT. The Atlantic reports that Princeton University is effectively ending one of its most vaunted traditions—the provision in the 133-year-old Honor Code that has seen all students take unproctored exams on the strength of a signed pledge not to cheat and to report anyone they observe doing so. After a perceived spike in AI-enabled dishonesty, faculty on Monday voted to bring proctors back to exam rooms. "Students will still sign a pledge that they didn't cheat," writes Rose Horowitch. "But now professors will be watching to make sure they're telling the truth."
The Wall Street Journal cites a letter from Michael Gordin, Princeton's dean of the college, saying the vote came after "significant numbers" of undergrads and faculty requested the change, "given their perception that cheating on in-class exams has become widespread." Indeed, one in four graduating 2025 seniors who responded to a Daily Princetonian survey said they used ChatGPT when they were barred from doing so. The paper reports 44.6% said they knew about someone else cheating but didn't report it; 0.4% did report a violation.
As the Princetonian explains, as of July 1 the proctors will serve "as a witness to what happens" in an observational capacity only. In the event of a suspected Honor Code violation, proctors are to detail what they saw and file a report with the student-run Honor Committee. Proctors aren't the faculty's only response to the perceived problem, Horowitch notes. The number of take-home exams cratered by two-thirds in the last year; oral defenses and oral exams are becoming increasingly common.
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