Defends Leonard

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

The discussion of the so-called "official" attitude concerning examinations and examination proctors contained in an anonymous letter to the Editors...seems to offer a challenge to the more satisfied and conservative element of Harvard's "small officialdom," i.e. the proctors with long service.

In the 150 hours or more that I have spent proctoring examinations this academic year, I feel that I have had adequate opportunity to examine and learn the attitudes of the various officials conducting the examinations in the University. Mr. Stanley Leonard has been my immediate supervisor at at least half of the examinations at which I have officiated, and as far as I could detect, his attitude at all times was far from misanthropic....

Last Friday afternoon at a meeting for the proctors Mr. Leonard outlined the responsibilities of such an officer of the University, and at such an occasion it is quite natural that he should cite one or two unusual cases that have come up before, in which cheating caused no little difficulty to the testing bureau, the faculty and the students themselves. The alleged assumption and assertion of Mr. Leonard that students will cheat was in reality a statement of undeniable fact: students have cheated before. And Mr. Leonard's instructions to the proctors were most explicit. Proctors are not to accuse or even suspect any student of dishonorable practices. In the last of instructions distributed to the proctors at the same meeting, Article 29 reads: "Tell Mr. Leonard at the first opportunity of any irregularity whatever occurring during the examination...." And it is interesting to note that the word "cheat" does not make a single appearance on this two-page sheet of instructions.

From my point of vantage the "official" attitude on the subject seems to be that the proctor receives his appointment with one chief aim in view. And that is to assist the students to fulfill all University rules and regulations with regard to examinations with a minimum of error and to assist the University itself to administer the vast and complicated procedures of the examination period....

... It is my sincere desire to clear the name of a friendly and honorable University official from an undeserved and undesirable title: "tamer of leopards and wildcats." Richard J. Browne.