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Re: Meeting Schedule
As a student team leader, you need to tell these members that their approach to this is wrong and detrimental to the team. As a mentor, I would walk if my team did this to me. Can your team afford to lose these mentors? It is totally insulting to the efforts and sacrifices that your mentors are giving you and your team. Your members sound greedy and callous to the the needs and obligations of the mentors.
We have jobs (sometimes two jobs), families, and sometimes hobbies outside of FRC. Giving 20 hours a week is a big sacrifice for us and our spouses. If I understand you correctly, your team wants 45 - 50 hours per week.
Mentors want our teams to field a successful bots. I take pride in this team and I want them to be proud of their work. I suggest you look at your strategy at the beginning of build season. Break down the points and focus on mastering the easiest way to score. If you try to do everything, you may end up doing everything....poorly. This is true in FRC and in life.
I will now put on my manager hat and give you some leadership advice - overtime hours are generally not productive. It is easy to burn out, get lost in the weeds, and lose focus when you are putting in such long hours. You have to schedule breaks and respect the schedule. Take a day off and tell your members to work individually if necessary. Studying the rule book, looking at Robot in 3 day videos, scanning CD threads, scanning robot part vendor sites are all very beneficial activities but don't require a team meeting. Coming to build with a clear head is important. Long hours does not equal quality hours.
In parting - we work 3 nights a week 6-9 and Saturdays for 6-9 hours during build season. We reserve Sundays for when emergencies pop up but we generally try to work 20 hours per week. Members work independently and come to meetings with ideas and ready to get to work.
Good luck.
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