Bill Bradley '65 drew on his wide variety of life experiences as he encouraged students to uphold standards of integrity at an assembly on Cannon Green last night.
In his speech, Bradley encouraged students to start by defining their own codes of honor.
"I say never give up and never sell out. You don't have to give up your idealism in America to be successful," Bradley said. "And it begins with how you put together your own code of honor . . . and it begins with having the courage to live by that code."
Lizzie Biney-Amissah '04 and English professor John Fleming GS '63 spoke as well.
While all three of the speeches at the assembly focused on integrity in the broad sense, they all addressed the Honor Code.
The Code came under scrutiny last year when it was amended twice, once by USG vote and once by student referendum. The significance of the Honor Code has also been debated because anecdotal and statistical evidence indicates many students and professors do not support it, Fleming said in his speech.
Speaking on how integrity plays a role in life beyond the Honor Code, Bradley turned to his own experiences as a professional basketball player, as a U.S. senator and as an author.
He named Larry Bird, a former Boston Celtics player, and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., as models of integrity.
During one of his Senate campaigns, Feingold declined to accept donations that, while legal, compromised his platform of campaign finance reform. Despite the Democratic National Committee's assurances that he would lose without this money, Feingold won.
"He refused to compromise his principles. He put his Senate career on the line for what he believed, and he won," Bradley said. "So you see you'll need your moral compass long after you sign your last honor pledge at Princeton."
In an interview after his speech, Bradley said he found this speaking opportunity relating to integrity more appealing than a more general speaking opportunity at the University.
"It gave me a chance to think about what I would say about this in an anecdotal way," Bradley said.
Biney-Amissah asked students to remember the importance of integrity, even when tempted to act improperly.
Fleming used his four decades of experience as a faculty member to reflect on the Honor Code and integrity.
He urged students to assume responsibility for their own learning.
"There are certain things — the imperative for academic integrity among them — that go without saying but should not go unsaid," Fleming said.
Several of the event organizers said they were pleased with the speeches and the turnout.
"It's difficult to gauge how an event like this will affect students," Honor Committee chairperson Eli Goldsmith '04 said. "But I think certain remarks will stay in people's heads."
Johnny Chavkin '05, who initiated the student referendum last spring, said the assembly went better than he expected.
"This assembly goes a long way in helping students think about the Honor Code and make it their own," Chavkin said.
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