Protesting Won't Affect Admission To Princeton, School Says

PRINCETON, NJ — Disciplinary actions taken against students who participate in peaceful protests will not affect high schoolers' chances of getting into Princeton University, the university said on Monday.

“Students who act on their conscience in peaceful, principled protest will receive full consideration in our admissions process,” the university said in a statement. “Many forms of peaceful protest are fully consistent with the rules of American high schools, and we have no reason to suppose that such protests will result in disciplinary action. If students are disciplined by their high school, they will be encouraged to augment their application to Princeton with a statement that addresses why they were moved to protest and why they were subject to discipline.”

The university further explained that it requires this of any applicant who has been disciplined by their high school.

“We evaluate such statements in the light of all relevant circumstances, including the character of the student conduct involved and the school’s justification for disciplining it,” the university said.

This would apply to students at Cherry Hill High School East, who were told by their school’s administration that participating in a protest on Monday could result in a suspension and not being allowed to go to the prom. Students at the Camden County high school were protesting the suspension of a teacher who said he was concerned about his school’s safety following a school shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school earlier this month.

Students at Eastern Regional High School, Southern Regional High School and Middletown High School also staged recent walkouts. In fact, high school students across the country have been planning walkouts to protest gun violence in the wake of the shootings in Florida that left 17 dead. While some administrators have been supportive of the protests, others have said participating students will be suspended.

Princeton was among a handful of universities to take this stance. Rutgers, Monmouth and Drew all tweeted out their stance on the protests. Rider told Patch on Tuesday peaceful protests related to gun violence would have no impact on their applicants' admissions process. The College Of New Jersey told nj.com that they would be overlooking protest-related punishments.

Patch file photo