There is only one way for Marquette University to ethically resolve the conundrum of the Direct-Entry program:
Grant a degree & provide a graduation date for every student (past, present and future) who successfully completes, or has completed, the first 15 months of the Direct Entry program.
The only other option would be to immediately shut down the Direct-Entry program and revoke the nursing licenses of all of the students who have been a part of it. If these students do not have a degree, then they are not eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam, which is required for licensure. If Direct-Entry students are not registered nurses then they cannot complete the graduate portion of the program because they must be RNs in order to participate in graduate level clinical courses. Therefore Marquette can not run the Direct-Entry program unless they grant degrees to students after the first 15 months of the program. (I got an A in logic.)
I have a feeling that Marquette would prefer not to have to shut down the Direct-Entry program. I'm willing to bet that they would also prefer to avoid the bad press that would result from retroactively revoking the licenses of many nurses - some of whom have been practicing for years. Especially since Direct-Entry students complete all of the nursing theory and practical courses that Marquette requires of their regular BSN students.
