“Thirty-five percent A’s will set us apart from the pack in a way that identifies Princeton as a real leader in tackling this problem,” Malkiel wrote in the proposal.

Princeton’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Matt Margolin said that students are split on whether grade inflation needs to be addressed.

“There are more that are against this policy,” he said. “Naturally, it seems like an attack.”

But he added that the USG would solicit opinions about the plan through a referendum to the student body, and he would convey the results, along with the USG response to the plan, in an upcoming letter to Malkiel and Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman.

“Of course we like the idea that our school is trying to do something about this perceived problem,” Margolin said.

But he said the proposal failed to address the fact that students often choose the pass/fail option for classes in which they expect to perform poorly, enabling them to maintain inflated grade point averages.

He also worried that a cap on A’s might create a more cutthroat academic environment.

CLOSER TO HOME

Harvard administrators remain silent about future plans to curb grade inflation at the College.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson Robert Mitchell declined comment on whether Harvard is considering any plans similar to Princeton’s. Summers declined comment yesterday through a spokesperson.

Gross wrote in an e-mail that he had been in contact with Malkiel about Princeton’s proposed changes, although he declined to address whether Harvard will consider comparable measures.

“It will be interesting to see how the faculty at Princeton reacts to the proposal,” Gross wrote.

Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield ’53, one of the most vocal critics of grade inflation at Harvard, said he thought that 35 percent A’s was still too many.

“But it would be a definite improvement over the present situation at Harvard,” he said.

Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman said he thinks it is critical to distinguish the best students in classes.