Academically Honest University

Academic honesty pervades the student body of Marian University.

On an annual basis, only 20 cases of academic dishonesty arise.

“It seems fairly clear that violations are rare,” said Dean of Academic Affairs William Harting.


Seven broad violations of academic honesty are enumerated in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities contained in every Marian University planner: cheating, plagiarism, multiple submissions, fabrication, misuse of materials, misrepresentation, and facilitation of academic honesty. One can find the repercussions and proceedings for violations of academic honesty there as well.

Essentially, first-time offenders risk losing credit for whatever material they cheated on, or course failure. After that, students who cheat may be suspended or expelled from Marian. In the first case, students may appeal to have the case reviewed, while a panel is set up for the sole purpose of hearing cases with a history of offenses.

Much of academic dishonesty occurs in 100- and 200-level courses, which are mostly taken by lowerclassmen. Harting explains that this “certainly make sense” because such courses,

“are the ones during which a student is learning certain rules of academic writing which may be unfamiliar to them from their previous studies at the secondary level.”

Most of the violations tend to happen in courses from the School of Liberal Arts, which also makes sense as approximately 60% of registrations are at the 100- and 200-level courses fall within that discipline, as do much of the required general education courses. No information is kept regarding the major program, sex, class level, or other characteristics of individuals who have had cases brought against them.