I have to weigh in as a former student:

Dude! $250? That sucks!

And as an (adult) and good friend of several RAs: <hardass hat on>

Hey, look. They went over it in the hall meetings. (Which you probably didn't go to even though they are posted all over the place and are called mandatory for ...

I agree. There's really no excuse for missing a down marker. They are big orange signs, for crying out loud!