Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
The president of Indiana University committed plagiarism in her doctoral thesis. Eighty-five consecutive words were submitted as her work without citing the original author, along with over 100 other examples. To ask the IU community to believe this is anything other than plagiarism is an insult to our collective intelligence.
The Board of Trustees commissioned a review from a law firm claiming to provide exonerating evidence — a report paid for by the board and Whitten that the IU community has yet to see. The board has refused to release the report, citing exemptions to Indiana’s public access laws, but this is their choice. There is nothing that prohibits the Board or even Whitten from releasing it. If there is no wrongdoing, release the report.
I'll leave the IU community to draw its own conclusions, but I would like to explore another question: What happens next? I see four possible outcomes, each with their own winners and losers.
1. The report is released and it exonerates Whitten.
Winners: Whitten and the Board. Whitten is allowed to claim innocence and the board is allowed to claim that they conducted a thorough investigation. The findings will be lies, but both parties will have some armor to shield themselves from public criticism.
Losers: IU and the “independent” law firm. Cooley, LLP and Jones Day have recently produced flattering reports of the administration following the Bomba and Dunn Meadow scandals. The agreements between law firms and customers in these scenarios are implicit but clear: say nice things and we’ll continue to give you our business. A report that exonerates a clearly guilty Whitten will severely damage the legitimacy of the firm that produced it. Of course, IU will also be forced to carry on with a president who has lost the trust of the community.
2. The report is released and it condemns Whitten.
Winners: IU and academic integrity. In an AI-powered world, academic integrity and intellectual property rights are becoming increasingly important and under attack. The academic community must hold itself accountable or risk losing reputation as credible institutions of open inquiry. Also, the board will have no choice but to lance the boil of this administration. There would be some poetic justice that, after multiple votes of no confidence and resolutions calling for her removal, it was her own academic dishonesty that provides a shortcut to Whitten's exit.
Losers: Whitten and the Board. A report that concludes Whitten is at fault is obviously damning. President Gay of Harvard resigned over much less serious plagiarism allegations. The bigger loser, however, is the board. Their support of Whitten—while baffling — has been steadfast. But if they had a report that confirmed Whitten’s plagiarism and lied about it, calling the claims meritless, I can think of no greater indictment on the university. Hearings, lawsuits, and even loss of accreditation could all be on the table. Of course, the board is currently rewriting its own ethics code, so they may be building in some protections for themselves at this very moment.
3. The report is not released, and Whitten stays on as president.
Winners: None
Losers: Everyone. In this scenario, the IU brand continues to lose its reputation while academic integrity takes a major blow. However, Whitten and the board also come out as losers. I and other members of the IU community will continue to demand accountability, and this scandal will continue to hang over the university like a storm cloud.
4. The report is not released, and Whitten resigns for “personal” reasons.
Winners: IU, Whitten, and the board. IU can maintain its reputation as a premier public university committed to academic excellence and integrity. Whitten is allowed to keep some semblance of dignity by resigning on her own terms. The board gets to leave this scandal behind without having its integrity seriously questioned.
Losers: Whitten. She's looking for work.
Michael Jonelis received a B.S. from the Kelley School of Business in 2021. He is currently a data scientist in Chicago.
