Lets learn a new skill today. It's called the Executive Email Carpet Bomb (EECB). You use it on large (and sometimes small) organizations that you are having a problem with or want to change.
The way it works is:
Figure out who is in charge. In our sample case today, we go to the site and click on About Us and we get a link
for the Common App Board of Directors
All of the directors and where they work is presented. Lets pick the first name
THYRA BRIGGS
Vice President for Admission & Financial Aid
Harvey Mudd College
Now we track Ms Briggs down. Google is my friend, it can be your friend too. So
Let me Google that for you
And we get back as the first choice
Thyra Briggs Bio from her job at Harvey Mudd.
Perfect, a phone number and an email. (Bonus, a picture, she looks happy and eager to help!)
Next is the hard step:
Write a nice, polite,
concise letter of your problem and a proposed solution. You want it to be short since Miss Briggs is going to read it and she is a busy person. You want to keep her focus. You want to be nice and polite since her finger is hovering over the delete key. The solution should be easy and something that the underling she is about to forward your email to can do.
[Edited to add: I read Ellen's petition, it's got all the facts, but it's too long for the people that you want to get to do something. But it's a great place to start with your letter, it has lots of facts (71,000 roboteers, etc.) that you can use. ]
Proof read, check for grammar, spelling errors, etc.
Twice. You want to appear like a smart person asking for a reasonable request.
Send the email off.
Repeat for each person that you found on the page. Bonus points if you customize the letter, but having it the same will be fine.
Do not put all the people on one massive To: list. You want them to think you wrote to them. If they see lots of people, they will say "umm, someone else will deal with this".
Wait for results.
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You have gone to the top. You've presented your case. Because you and 100's of other FIRST Roboteers have written, they know this is a real issue and they will react. A petition from some radical outside organization (change.org in your case) won't have any weight.
I've used this to resolve a number of problems.
Good luck on your new project!