When I was in college, I actually lost a term paper to a tornado. I was given a full day to complete it. That’s it. No puppies, no coloring books.
In Syracuse, in the 1950s, when you cut the class 3 times, you got no higher than a B; 6 times, no more than C; and 9 times, no more than D; regardless of the course and test marks. If you didn’t turn in the term paper on time, you flunked. No excuses. And that was before government-backed loans, when your parents or you paid the tuition.