Hacker News Reader

Comment by epochwolf | Hacker News Reader

Is it actually legal for the university to do this?

Of course. He's not legally obligated to pay the fine, but they don't have to give him his degree.

If I walk into a store, buy something, and am then "fined" $300 and told I can't leave with the item I just bought unless I pay the fine... someone's going to be sued, and it's not going to be me. Of course, colleges won't admit that they are a degree store, but...

I'm in high school, but surely you sign some sort of document giving the college the right to do that?

Such a clause would have to be very broad, like "don't do anything that might embarrass the university". That would probably be considered abusive, and void.

They probably don't have the right, and count on your inability to effectively sue them.

Difference is, as the parent post said, they don't have to give you a degree. There are all sorts of strings attached to that. You pay for the possibility of a degree; they are not obliged to hand them out.

As an aside, I'm not sure this would be governed by contract law. In .au, this sort of thing has been the subject of administrative law cases...

Wait a minute. This sounds like they can deny you a degree, based on facts that (1) have nothing to do with your abilities, and (2) have nothing to do with the university at all. We have a word for that: "discrimination".

Under which wicked jurisdiction discrimination could ever be considered legal?

If you have done all the work and gotten all the grades necessary for a degree, as stipulated by the university, then they probably can't deny you one. However they can deny you those necessary grades if they haven't been awarded yet.

Of course they can. But on what grounds, if you eventually ace your exams, and do nothing wrong within the university?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com