To be fair, the orientation is the only mandatory meeting you have to go to and the remote transition probably makes these logistics harder.
I'm not sure if you are stating that as a reason for or against summarily kicking one out on the first misunderstanding?
Yes, it's harder to communicate in a remote setting and easier to cross wires and miss expectations. That's why you need to exercise more compassion and communicate more clearly. Sending a deluge of emails before the program start is not clear communication, and kicking someone out at the first miss-step is not compassionate.