How reductive. Sure, there are paper mills and non-reputable colleges that hand out degrees, but that's clearly not what the author is writing about ('lecturers' there won't care about students cheating anyway).

So with that, what student expects college to be an easy pass to a job? College has always involved work, not a coupon for a free job.

students who never signed up for the author's version of what education is

What? That's what college is. Students sign up to be taught however the college wants to teach. Students can choose to apply to colleges that match their style, but that hasn't changed at all.

I'm curious what you think students expect when they enroll in a reputable college