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> students are expected to use the app or face suspension How does this work in the contract the college has with the student? Is there a term in the contract

> students are expected to use the app or face suspension How does this work in the contract the college has with the student? Is there a term in the contract that allows the college to unilaterally add additional terms — terms which can then lead to unilateral termination of the contract by the college with or without some kind of notice period? Presumably “suspension”, while framed as a punitive measure against students, is legally just the college withdrawing from the contract under previously agreed terms? I ask because I’m increasingly encouraging young people to recognize that they are legal adults when they go off to higher education, and they should politely resist any trend for colleges to infantalise them by reframing terms of contracts as silly rules.

applecrazy 6y ago
As a university student (not attending the university mentioned however), I can chime in here. If we chose to come on-campus, we were given an addendum to our housing agreement to sign before we moved in. Simply put, no addendum signed = no housing (since they reserve the right to terminate one's housing for any reason). I imagine it's a similar situation for many universities nationwide. Regarding your second point: > Presumably “suspension”, while framed as a punitive measure against students, is legally just the college withdrawing from the contract under previously agreed terms? The article addresses this: private universities have a lot more leeway on how they conduct business.
- jacobkania 6y ago
  If you already signed a lease, you don’t have to agree to new terms for that lease. It’s already a valid lease that can’t easily be terminated, and Michigan has pretty good renter protection laws (I used to live there). Not a lawyer though, but a lease is a binding agreement that they can’t just arbitrarily change and force you to accept
  - brown9-2 6y ago
    Students don’t lease dorm rooms in the traditional sense of a lease
  - svrb 6y ago
    > they can’t just arbitrarily change and force you to accept They can if "they" are the state.
gowld 6y ago
"suspension" is was one of many terms schools use to intimidate students and create an illusion of power. A tier-3 private liberal arts college has no power except what they trick students to giving them along with the $50K/yr (!!!) tuition.

applecrazy 6y ago

As a university student (not attending the university mentioned however), I can chime in here. If we chose to come on-campus, we were given an addendum to our housing agreement to sign before we moved in. Simply put, no addendum signed = no housing (since they reserve the right to terminate one's housing for any reason). I imagine it's a similar situation for many universities nationwide. Regarding your second point: > Presumably “suspension”, while framed as a punitive measure against students, is legally just the college withdrawing from the contract under previously agreed terms? The article addresses this: private universities have a lot more leeway on how they conduct business.

jacobkania 6y ago
If you already signed a lease, you don’t have to agree to new terms for that lease. It’s already a valid lease that can’t easily be terminated, and Michigan has pretty good renter protection laws (I used to live there). Not a lawyer though, but a lease is a binding agreement that they can’t just arbitrarily change and force you to accept
- brown9-2 6y ago
  Students don’t lease dorm rooms in the traditional sense of a lease
- svrb 6y ago
  > they can’t just arbitrarily change and force you to accept They can if "they" are the state.

gowld 6y ago

"suspension" is was one of many terms schools use to intimidate students and create an illusion of power. A tier-3 private liberal arts college has no power except what they trick students to giving them along with the $50K/yr (!!!) tuition.