Effective next year, seniors will be required to fill out a short form when preregistering for spring semester courses, indicating their preference for either paper or sheepskin diplomas. Students who do not complete this form will be unable to register for courses that semester.
A petition from 15 professors to Gerety sparked the recent controversy.
Noah T. Winer '01 and Student Government Organization President Steve Ruckman '01 met with Registrar Gerald Mager and the policy was changed.
Winer said, "I think this is perfect. For a long time, I've thought that it is best for people to choose for themselves. The default had always gotten in the way of that before."
At a recent Student Senate meeting, Winer proposed a resolution that would make the default paper instead of sheepskin for next year. In the discussion, Steve Vladeck '01 suggested that there be no default.
President Tom Gerety said that this solution might provide the impetus to make paper the default in the future. "I'm looking for the anti-sheepskin contingent to build a consensus. I hope this will help them to do that."