[EricH]

This is a tough one. There is no rule that says that mentors can't make those decisions, unless you have a team handbook.

I think you need to have an all-team meeting. The sooner the better. As a team, you'll need to discuss mentor roles and student roles. As a group of students, not as individuals, you need to politely talk to the mentors. Maybe they don't realize that you're feeling the way you are about your assignments within the team. Maybe they actually do have a reason for how the team has been assigned.

You may also want to bring a few of the mentor resources found at http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/mentoring to your mentors' attention.

If your mentors don't listen at an all-team meeting, then you should get parents involved, if they aren't already. Same strategy--just have the parents do the talking with the mentors.

You really need to have a team handbook that outlines the roles of students and mentors; if you don't have one, you may want to get one quickly (though offseason is better for working on one; a simple one-page "Mentor/Student Contract" will suffice for the duration of the season if possible).

If you really need a drastic move, then let mentors do all the work (which is what they seem to want based on your post), both in your shop and at competition. This includes attempting to drive the robot; the rules don't allow them to do that (this move requires no students at competition, or none willing to drive the robot for a few matches or until the students are allowed to get their hands in the robot). I don't recommend this unless the mentors just won't listen at all. It'll be hard on both the students and the mentors; however, I think it would get the mentors' attention. Especially if the students returned to work on the robot when they got the chance to work on it.