From experience on the professor's side, the problem isn't the brilliant students who show up to one class and ace the exam like everyone in here seems to have been. The problem is the students who miss most lectures and get 50% or lower because they (and, increasingly, most students these days) don't actually understand how to study from a textbook.
Mostly that students are all giant piggybanks that spit out tuition every year. And, from experience, a lot of administrators view themselves as doing a service for marginalized students (who are often more likely to come in ill prepared and wash out like this). They are generally old and paternalistic (and sometimes a bit racist) and often just assume that all such students need lowered standards rather than what they actually need (a kick in the pants and plenty of resources to help them get their shit together).
But that said, I don’t believe this author is complaining that students generally don’t attend lecture. They’re complaining that absenteeism has increased, implying that it has increased substantially recently. And that this sudden increase in the delta is a cause for concern.