[JamesCH95]

It sounds like you need to develop a team mission/charter and other policy documents. A constitution if you will. Something that embodies the spirit of your team and the overarching policies to which you are beholden. This would make the decision to accept outside students a clear-cut objective one instead of a emotionally-drive one.

In HS I was on the same team as an ex-girlfriend. We were even on the drive team together. It was challenging, but that's where the professional in 'gracious professionalism' comes into play. We all have to work with people who aren't our best friends, and coping with those situations is a very important skill in succeeding professionally. As head coach on 95 I demand this level of professionalism from my students because I believe that it directly reflects FIRST's the core principle of Gracious Professionalism.

Overall it sounds like your team needs to develop a more robust leadership structure and a methodology for resolving these sorts of disagreements. Our team is run as a benign dictatorship, and it works for us. Other teams may be run differently with comparable or superior results. Find what works for you and your team!