There are different university cultures around the world. Because Americans don't do PhDs as often as people in other developed countries, US universities import a lot of faculty from other cultures. And when cultures meet, locals often also adopt ideas from the foreign cultures.

When I was a student, the old "the university is not a school" culture was still strong in my university. The idea was that universities were places of learning, not teaching. Formal teaching was a supporting activity rather than a core part of education. The university made a honest effort to support you to the extent its resources allowed, but the responsibility to learn was 100% yours. If you failed a mandatory exam because the university could not offer the corresponding class that year, it was your fault.