[Breitbart] Students and faculty at Washington and Lee University in Lexington city, Virginia, are demanding that the school remove photos of George Washington and Robert E. Lee from their diplomas."We, the undersigned, call on the administration of Washington and Lee University and President William Dudley to provide students with the option of removing the portraits of namesakes Robert E. Lee and George Washington from their diplomas," proclaim the law students in their petition.
Washington and Lee University diplomas display portraits of both George Washington and Robert E. Lee, given that the school has been named after them.
The petition insists that its signees will be satisfied if school administrators simply give students "the option to have a diploma without portraits," rather than making the change "mandatory" for all diplomas.
"The goal of establishing this option is to create a diploma that alumni are proud to prominently display in their homes and places of work," affirms the petition, noting that the school had made changes to its diplomas in the past, "such as the transition from sheepskin diplomas to paper diplomas."
The students go on to cite "the aftermath of the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville and the heightened awareness of making Washington & Lee an inclusive and compassionate environment to all students" as their reasons for desiring such changes.