As a student who had accommodations in my first year of University, and had to make use of a VOI (Verification of Illness) form in my third year, from my experience this article is way off base. I agree that students should not be coddled, but they should be seen as human beings. Beyond the debate of whether accommodations and VOIs should exist, I can tell you with absolute certainty that they are not given out indiscriminately. You need an explicit recommendation from a Doctor or an explicit recommendation from a Doctor and a Psychiatrist, and then the accommodations are set by Accessibility Services and are subject to frequent review. For VOI forms, they must be signed and explicitly detailed by a Doctor on the day of the problem, with no substitutes. In the "real world" if a relative dies, you are assaulted, mentally overwhelmed, etc...in the vast majority of cases you get time off and are treated with sympathy and respect. Why should it be any different for students?