As Seniors Print Theses, Classics Shifts to Digital Submissions

As deadlines for thesis submissions approach and many seniors scramble to print a physical copy of their nearly year-long research effort, the Classics Department will require its thesis writers to submit only digital copies of their work.

Printing and submission guidelines for theses vary across concentrations, with the Government Department providing binders for students through the Undergraduate Program Office on a first-come, first-serve basis, and others expecting students to print and purchase materials on their own.

Following a decision made several weeks ago, seniors in the Classics Department will, for the first time, only be required to submit a PDF copy of their thesis, according to the Classics Director of Undergraduate Studies David F. Elmer.

“It was purely a logistical decision to try and make the process a bit smoother so that we could really get all the theses in by the scheduled deadline and not worry about printers running out of paper or that kind of thing,” Elmer said.

Classics thesis writer Elliot A. Wilson ’15 said he welcomed the announcement. “We already as thesis writers have a lot of stress in the days preceding the submission date,” Wilson said.

But according to Elmer, the shift away from the traditional hard copy may disappoint some Classics concentrators.

By Megan M. Ross

“For most students, the thesis is the longest piece of written work they have ever created, and it’s hard to appreciate the scope of what has been achieved without feeling the physical object in your hands,” Elmer said. “A PDF doesn’t have much presence.”

Prior to this decision, the Classics Department already accommodated its thesis writers, providing students with binders and allowing them to print on department printers, according to Elmer.

Leading up to thesis submission deadlines for departments that require printed copies, local printing locations like Gnomon Copy become swamped with seniors. Andrea Lane, an employee at Bob Slate Stationers on Brattle Street, said she interacts with many seniors stressed by the printing process this time of year.

“Normally we get folks in the morning, early, early, before we’re open, kind of hanging out with their noses pressed against the glass or like 15 minutes after we close, and we feel really bad,” Lane said.

Pressed for time, many students opt to print their thesis out on their own, bypassing professional printing companies. However, many students expressed anxiety towards this approach.

“I’m really bad with technology, so this has been the one thing that has scared me the most about my thesis. I know can write a thesis, but the freaky thing is printing it,” Meghan G. Laughner ’15 said.