Decades-old diplomas remain unclaimed in storage
Old diplomas lie unclaimed in the attic of Murphy Hall. Though slightly smaller than diplomas of the past, current University of California diplomas still share many of the same features. (Ryan Leou/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Stuart Key
Nov. 1, 2016 12:34 a.m.
Diplomas that date from UCLA’s early history sit in Murphy Hall, waiting for retrieval by their rightful owners.
Unclaimed diplomas reside in fireproof file cabinets in the Office of the Registrar because people either forget or choose not to claim them. Assistant Registrar Brian Venner said the university has no plans to get rid of the diplomas for the time being.
UCLA spokesperson Rebecca Kendall said people who want to retrieve their physical diplomas must request them. The university does not try to match graduates with their diplomas.
“The onus is on the alumnus to claim their diploma, if they choose to – whether they pick it up in person, request to have it mailed or shipped, or designate another person to claim it on their behalf,” Kendall said.
When no order is made, the Registrar’s office keeps the physical diploma and eventually puts it into long-term storage after about 10 years. Venner said the Registrar rarely opens the cabinets in the attic of Murphy Hall.
Unclaimed diplomas are not uncommon because a large number of students leave Westwood every year, Kendall said.
There are many reasons graduates don’t claim their diplomas. For instance, some people might not want to display them or don’t need their diplomas, Kendall said.
Many alumni also forget their diplomas because they are unnecessary to prove they are college graduates, Kendall added. An employer can contact the university to verify someone’s degree, she said.
The university currently holds thousands from years past; some are a few decades old, while others date back to the 1920s.
Some of the oldest diplomas in the Registrar’s collection are unlikely to be picked up soon. A number of them belong to deceased recipients and will likely remain in storage because of university policy, Venner said.
Venner said the oldest diplomas are slightly larger than today’s standard 8.5-by-11-inch certificates. But the layout remains largely the same as today’s diplomas, bearing signatures of the officeholders at the time.
[Throwback: Schwarzenegger’s signature graces 250,000 diplomas in 2004]
Venner also said the Office of the Registrar receives only about three requests for diplomas per month. Most requests are made by fairly new graduates, and are not for the oldest diplomas that the Registrar holds, he added.
Alumni who want to pick up diplomas from years ago must go to the Registrar’s office to fill out paperwork. New graduates can use MyUCLA’s diploma request feature, so that printers can send the diplomas directly to the graduate, instead of sending them to UCLA.
Venner added that all diplomas can be mailed, picked up in person or picked up by an agent chosen by the graduate.
