At the finest colleges and universities in the country, grade inflation not only exists, it thrives. Here at Amherst, we appreciate grade inflation. We like knowing that scoring the median will earn us a B+ and scoring above the bottom quarter will earn us a B-. Of course grade inflation exists at the College, but why would we complain about something that we benefit from? The rationale that Harvard uses should apply to us as well: many students graduate with honors because these students would be at the top of their class at almost any other institution.

At Princeton University, the faculty will decide whether or not to adopt a system of grade quotas, which is expected to pass. Currently, 46 percent of Princeton grades are As; if the new system is adopted that number will drop to 35 percent. As a result of this policy, each department will be forced to restrict the total number of As to 35 percent.

In addition to regulating the percentage of students receiving As, Princeton would also require each department to publicize its grade distributions. Students and faculty alike would be able to view how each department allocates its grades and will be able to compare grade distributions across departments.

Grade quotas are unnecessary at Amherst, and at any other college. They increase competition, which could result in increased dishonesty as students compete over a limited resource.

Such quotas also undermine the academic freedom of the liberal arts education. Students will be hesitant to take classes outside of their area of expertise for fear of lowering their GPA. Establishing such a system would also infringe upon professors' freedom. Furthermore, instituting quotas is a step that should not be taken without the support and collaboration of the other NESCAC schools and comparable liberal arts colleges in the country. Doing so without collaboration would place Amherst students at a disadvantage when applying to graduate school and finding post-graduate jobs. While Amherst could still publish the GPA distribution as it does now, many employers place great importance on GPA regardless of the difficulty of the college students attend or the classes they take.

We are glad that Amherst is not considering a system like the one proposed at Princeton, and hope that if grade inflation needs to be addressed in the future, other means can be found.