[Goose]

You misunderstood my sentence, sorry for not being more clear. By leaving college entirely, I did not mean they did not intend to return. I meant, during their time away from Stanford, they did not become a student at another 4-year college. In my opinion, they can do any of the things you mention and still return, EXCEPT transfer to a different college.  You are treating the transfer to T Tech as a job that happens to be at another university, but that ignores the requirement of being an enrolled STUDENT in a degree track, in good standing, at that college. You seem to regard that as a purely technical, nuisance requirement. Current environment in 2024 notwithstanding, I am unwilling to treat 4-year universities as universities attached to semi-pro athletic teams.

 
I understand your point. I understand you are unwilling to trivialize the academic significance of being enrolled in a degree program at another university. Certainly in the past that requirement was enforced by NCAA regulations. You couldn't jump around between universities even if the  universities would let you. I wish it was still that way. Unfortunately, it is not. TBH I think the current (lack of) regulations suck. I just can't bring myself to tell a student that they can't go make a lot of money and then return to Stanford because of a regulation (to be a "legitimate" degree candidate) that neither the universities nor the students take seriously.  Is the fact that neither take it seriously deplorable? IMO, yes it is. However that is the world in which we live. Casey Jacobsen was fortunate that his opportunity was in the NBA, which you don't object to. Canady doesn't have a similar option. Why are these two cases different? On that we just disagree, which is fine :-).

[Goose]

You misunderstood my sentence, sorry for not being more clear. By leaving college entirely, I did not mean they did not intend to return. I meant, during their time away from Stanford, they did not become a student at another 4-year college. In my opinion, they can do any of the things you mention and still return, EXCEPT transfer to a different college.  You are treating the transfer to T Tech as a job that happens to be at another university, but that ignores the requirement of being an enrolled STUDENT in a degree track, in good standing, at that college. You seem to regard that as a purely technical, nuisance requirement. Current environment in 2024 notwithstanding, I am unwilling to treat 4-year universities as universities attached to semi-pro athletic teams.

 
I understand your point. I understand you are unwilling to trivialize the academic significance of being enrolled in a degree program at another university. Certainly in the past that requirement was enforced by NCAA regulations. You couldn't jump around between universities even if the  universities would let you. I wish it was still that way. Unfortunately, it is not. TBH I think the current (lack of) regulations suck. I just can't bring myself to tell a student that they can't go make a lot of money and then return to Stanford because of a regulation (to be a "legitimate" degree candidate) that neither the universities nor the students take seriously.  Is the fact that neither take it seriously deplorable? IMO, yes it is. However that is the world in which we live. Casey Jacobsen was fortunate that his opportunity was in the NBA, which you don't object to. Canady doesn't have a similar option. Why are these two cases different? On that we just disagree, which is fine :-).