No...the issue is that a stated, and published rule was deliberately not followed, and people are butt hurt because the rule was enforced.

If you want to take the emotional route and talk about being "fair by the students", think on this....

What would be the least fair to students: what has just happened, or, letting it go when there have been students/ensembles in the past in similar situations, and their organizations followed the rule to the letter? If what just happened was just allowed to be "let go"...that isn't fair to students in the past whose organizations followed the rules.