Scott Walker was Booted from Marquette University for Cheating- Fiction!

Scott Walker was Booted from Marquette University for Cheating – Fiction!
Scott Walker had a 2.3 GPA in College – Unproven!

Summary of eRumor: 

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had a 2.3 GPA when he was forced to leave Marquette University for cheating.

 
The Truth:

Scott Walker was not kicked out of Marquette University for cheating, and the claim that he had a 2.3 GPA is unproven.

The two-term Republican governor and presidential hopeful left Marquette University during his senior year and never earned a degree. In a 2011 interview, Scott Walker said, “Certainly I wanted an education for more than just a job, but my primary purpose was to get a job, and so I left school before finishing my senior year.”

Marquette University released two statements (with Scott Walker’s approval) in 2013 that back up Walker’s account of leaving college early, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

“Gov. Scott Walker was a student at Marquette from fall of 1986 until spring 1990 and was a senior in good standing when he voluntarily withdrew from Marquette.”

“Governor Walker was in good standing each term while he was enrolled at Marquette University and when he left Marquette University. Governor Walker was not expelled or suspended from the university at any time.”

And the claim that Scott Walker had a 2.3 GPA when he left school can’t be proven. School records are not public record, and Scott Walker has never released his college transcripts. During a run for governor in 2010, however, Scott Walker’s campaign said that he had earned 94 credits and accumulated a 2.59 GPA in college.

The debate about Scott Walker’s college education started when he campaigned for governor in 2010. Then, in December of 2013, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin claimed that Walker had been “kicked out” of Marquette University for violating student election rules. The group later rolled back that claim and said, “Walker has proffered a number of conflicting explanations, including the unbelievable explanation that a job offer — not bad grades or worse — was what led him to not finish his pricey degree.”

The “cheating” claim often relates to Scott Walker’s bid to become student body president at Marquette University in 1988, but there’s no evidence that he left college early because of it. The Marquette Tribune reported in February of 1988 that:

“Potential ASMU presidential candidate Scott Walker was found guilty of illegal campaigning in a grievance hearing before members of the elections commission Monday night.

‘By speaking before a meeting of the Delta Chi fraternity Jan. 24, Walker, an arts and sciences sophomore, violated the rule which states, ‘No campaigning may begin before a candidate is registered,’ the committee ruled.’

“The election rules say candidates for president may not register until Feb. 3.”

Then, Marquette University administrators investigated the “mass theft” of Marquette Tribune newspapers after its editors endorsed Scott Walker’s opponent in the race, which has fueled even more speculation. But the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that details of that investigation were sealed, and Scott Walker denied any involvement with the stolen papers. It should also be noted that Walker remained at Marquette University for a number of years after his failed election attempt.

In February of 2015, claims about Scott Walker’s college days once again went viral on social media after the governor released a budget plan that called for a $300 million funding cut for the University of Wisconsin System. One viral social media post states:

“Walker had a 2.3 GPA when he was asked to leave Marquette University for cheating. Is it any wonder he’s attacking teachers now?”

The post repeats earlier claims about Scott Walker that are untrue or unproven.