You are being rather reactionary. If the premise of your questions was true, I would indeed find the situation as ridiculous as you do. But the problem was not

You are being rather reactionary. If the premise of your questions was true, I would indeed find the situation as ridiculous as you do. But the problem was not just the stupid letter, it was the tone deaf way in which they disregarded any feedback in the conversation that ensued. They were hired to be mentors for these students (separately from their faculty positions) but made no honest attempt to listen to them, which resulted in everyone being frustrated.