[smt88]

> You're making my point with every sentence.

No, I'm not. You're treating your own ethics as being universal and absolute. I don't agree with all of your implied premises.

In a vacuum, defending the harassed students would be ethical. But it isn't a vacuum, and the university has a responsibility not to burn cash (or brand value) on lengthy legal battles that only affect a small minority of students. A large public school in the US could harm literally 100,000+ people (with degrees completed or in progress) just to spare a few students from an unpleasant project.

> But the University has a responsibility to step in if that doesn't work.

Yes, they do. That's a much milder assertion than your original one. "Stepping in" does not immediately mean a lawsuit, disciplinary action, or expulsion. It probably means the professor would just ask the student to complete the project alone.

[scottlamb]

Please don't put words in my mouth. I made the point that they are not legally prevented from even expulsion, but I never said that should be their first step. There are plenty of ways of solving the problem. Their current approach, denial, isn't one of them.