[Astrokid248]

I'm gonna say something that will probably be hilariously controversial, but here it goes:

As a student on a team that is supposed to build robots, you need to build a robot. Even on a team with 90% mentor-driven design and build, you as the student have a responsibility to try and learn from these guys. I feel like my time as a student in FRC was productive because I grabbed the bull by the horns and forced my way into the design and build process. Taking the initiative and actively showing the mentors of a team that you want to BUILD ROBOTS is the only way to move beyond simple inspiration. I have seen too many teams accused of being mentor-driven when the problem is actually students not participating. Sure, it would be ideal if the mentors could just teach and not actually do any hands on design/building, but let's face it: you'd have to extend the season by about 4 weeks to make that happen.

So, my opinion is, it is always acceptable for the mentors to work on the design and build of the robot, as long as they aren't actively pushing students away. It is always unacceptable as a student to just throw up your hands and not try to help out. This argument is a 2-way road, double-edged sword, etc., but just blaming the mentors helps nothing.