Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Point System Committee records

The Point System Committee was established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1908 by the student government's Institute Committee to ensure that the time students spent on extracurricular activities was compatible with the time required for study. The committee was composed of three students appointed from the student body at large by the executive committee of the Institute Committee. The Point System Committee assigned various positions in each student activity a number of points based on: the actual amount of work; the responsibility of the position; whether the student's undivided attention was required; efficient distribution of jobs. The most important and demanding positions received ten points, the maximum number of points a student could carry in a semester. The committee also kept a record of each student's number of points, and alerted the Institute Committee to overextended students.