E.g., one of the most common ways to get a work permit in the US is to do a university degree, then you get to work for one year ("OPT"), during which your employer can apply for an H1B visa for you.
But the literal meaning of OPT is "optional practical training", and your job is referred to as "practical training" in all documents. Of course it's nothing of the sort, it's just a job. For me, coming from a foreign country, this seems super dodgy and against the spirit of the law. But it's completely standard and above-the-board.
If you want an example, here's one off the cuff: the law that says you can only bring free water out at restaurants if the patron asks. If anything, the automatic water displaces the consumption of other drinks, which generally require other ag products that are far more rainwater intense per liter consumed. So if I'm a waiter, am I undermining or supporting "the spirit of that law" if I remind people to ask?
In that story, the university was the scammer, always asking for a few more days to "get their money back" and giving them a good faith gift as soon as students started asking questions.
Then, the government punished them for biting to the government run scam.
So just like most Ivy League schools?