I think the reason for this is that this behavior is self-perpetuating, in the sense that "a gang of crooks" is much more likely to assemble than "a gang of goo

I think the reason for this is that this behavior is self-perpetuating, in the sense that "a gang of crooks" is much more likely to assemble than "a gang of good people". Whenever "a gang of crooks" takes hold of a Uni, it is extremely difficult to take them out, and people who don't want to comply with their modus operandi get pushed away and removed. The only time "a gang of crooks" is dethroned is when someone (usually, worse) seizes their power to instill their own. >People get randomly fired from academia for the smallest of things. Only those on the outgroup, :^).