Washington and Lee University diploma.

Should graduates of Washington and Lee University be able to opt out of having the visages of the university's namesakes appear on their diplomas?

Several hundred current law students and alumni think so. They've circulated a petition asking the university to let students request that George Washington and Robert E. Lee's portraits be kept off their degrees. In the current diploma design, pictures of the two men flank the university name at the top of the document.

According to the petition, the ability to receive a degree without those pictures will create a more "inclusive" atmosphere, but it stops short of detailing why some graduates may feel uncomfortable with the men appearing on their diplomas. (George Washington was a slave owner and Lee led the Confederate Army before serving as president of the Lexington, Virginia, university after the Civil War.) The goal, according to the petition, is to have diplomas that graduates are "proud" to display in their homes and offices.

"Given 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, we believe this request provides alumni the ability to honor their alma mater without the presence of the portraits that some may find controversial or offensive," the petition reads.

Among the groups supporting the effort are the leadership of the law school's Student Bar Association; the Women Law Students Organization; the Black Law Students Association; OutLaw; the Jewish Law Student Association; and the Latin American Law Student Association. Several law school faculty and staff have also signed the petition.

A law school spokesman said Wednesday that officials are aware of the petition but that university president William Dudley has yet to receive it and thus the school has no comment on the matter. But some alumni have come out in opposition to the idea of letting graduates opt out of having the portraits appear on their diplomas.

"The petition is a symptom of strong undercurrents within the university to dismantle the traditions, values and history of Washington and Lee," according to a statement released this week by the Generals Redoubt, a group that says it's dedicated to the preservation of the tradition and history of Washington and Lee University. "The removal of the likeness of George Washington and Robert E. Lee, which adorns the offices and homes of many of our alumni is a severe affront to the generous and loyal alumni who respect the character and values of our namesakes."

The petition is the latest example of law schools and university campuses grappling with their relationships to controversial historical figures and donors. Harvard Law School in 2016 decided to do away with its official seal because it featured elements of the family coat of arms of early donor and slaveholder Isaac Royall Jr.

The University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 2018 removed the Boalt name from one of the law school's four buildings and excised other references to early benefactor John Henry Boalt—his wife gave money to the school after Boalt's death—due to his ardent support of the racist 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Florida State University is also struggling with the legacy of former Florida Supreme Court justice B.K. Roberts, for whom the law school's building is named. A university panel in 2018 recommended removing the Roberts name in light of his resistance to integration from the bench, but that move is stalled in the state legislature.

Washington and Lee itself has seen plenty activism surrounding the campus' embrace of its namesakes—primarily Lee's Confederate legacy. A committee of law students in 2014 successfully pushed for a number of changes on the campus, including the recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day by the law school and, later, by the whole campus. The law students also succeeded in getting the university to remove the Confederate flag around campus, among other changes.