"Compelled"? Oh, brother. No, they weren't compelled. They did it in exchange for the plea bargain. They didn't have to, it was their part of the deal.
The student was guilty as hell. The dean was inciting a riot. The school was attempting to ruin the business through their vendor. The president considers theft a "rite of passage", not a crime. The entire affair is one giant, unapologetic demonstration of arrogance, entitlement, and boorish bullying on the part of an academic elite that considers itself morally and intellectually superior to the citizens who nurture the school. In fact, it is neither.
Amen.