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<p>To me, it’s not so much that people who are high achievers or have the assets to get into Harvard should have / appreciate good character, but anyone who is old enough to be contemplating a 4-year university should already know this stuff. If they don’t, it’s probably because they consciously choose to be self-absorbed and cruel, and if someone is like that at age 18 they’re probably not going to change because they were coaxed or pressured into signing a pledge.</p>
<p>I value niceness, but I think it’s something that you have to work on. It’s not a matter of signing a contract and it’s not something that can be formally ‘taught’ like calculus or law. If someone seriously doesn’t value compassion, human decency, etc. they probably have more issues than any pledge can still.</p>
<p>It’s kind of like an academic integrity pledge – all it can do is describe the desired values but anyone who was going to plagiarize or perjure themselves is going to do it even if someone politely asked them not to beforehand.</p>