Because they're not going to college to learn, they're going to get a degree. The prevailing mentality is "I'm paying for this so that I can go through the motions and graduate so that I'll meet the minimum qualifications for an entry level position."
It's a result of the commodification of education: treating universities like a business rather than as centers of learning. Everything's transactory.
Professors are afraid to fail students because the administration wants the best retention ratings, and cause bad reviews might mean they lose their jobs.
Oh, and because expecting college students to actually learn something is elitist, apparently...
Don't get caught forming coherent thoughts in complete sentences with proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Someone might accuse you of being petite bourgeois and get your professor fired for playing favorites...