If the exemption is retained, or modified as in Option 3, then the committee should suggest clarifications of terms and rules for exams held during dead week. Option 1 is favored by undergraduate students who prefer to use the finals week for job hunting, relocation preparation and hosting family and friends who come to Atlanta for the graduation ceremony. They want the reward of a real diploma and the feeling that they have successfully graduated. They want the graduation ceremony to be meaningful. Option 1 is favored by some faculty who think that, in a 15-week semester, undergraduate degree candidates can be fairly evaluated without a special exam in dead week or finals week.
Some faculty regard the existing exemption from finals as a nice perk.
They may have to arrange for alternate housing and extra expenses while they await their diploma. Options 2 and 3 are not favored by the traditionalists who want certified diplomas to be given at a graduating ceremony. The process of grade appeals, re-examinations, and determination of honors would be impeded or difficult because faculty would be on break. The extra week would be inconvenient and expensive for degree candidates, which would cause participation at graduation to diminish.