<p>Mini, a great demonstration of something I just learned: Epstean's law, conceived (somewhat) by Albert Jay Nock, a early 20th century social critic. As stated by one website: "Man tends always to satisfy his needs and desires with the least possible exertion."
Another of Nock's fundamental laws (the other two were not his creations, although he may have been the first to apply them to society) applicable here: Gresham's law, that bad money drives out the good. (His last law is that of diminishing returns.)</p>
<p>I think that the best solution is for the Ivy League as a group, to decide on a certain model or curve. Unilateral action is not effective. Most plausible is Harvard deciding to take on grade inflation, and calling on the other Ivies to follow suit, with other schools following. It's quite ironic (at least from what I've seen, true or not) that colleges seem conformist, notably in grade inflation, a universal trend.</p>