[Matt Adams]

I'd just like to give an update that the Purdue Regional is definitely good to go for next year. We got the thumbs up from FIRST a couple weeks ago.

With the new entry fee increase, I'm sure that many of the Indiana teams will appreciate the chance to travel somewhere that's somewhat local and won't require hotel accomodations.

The reason I'm posting is to get some honest feedback about a conflict of interest.

Team 461 has all of it's engineering support in the form of undergraduate engineering students that attend Purdue University. There's been some lively discussion among our team about attending the regional which our Univeristy (and an independent group of students) is sponsoring. The cost savings would be enormous, and though we're not hurting terribly for money, every team would love to save 20 to 30% of their budget if possible.

Is this any different from having Motoroala teams attend what was once the Motorolla Midwest Regional? Are there other colleges that attend and host their own regional?

What is the probability of backlash if our team is successful at our own regional, or wins any sort of award?

Is this something that's practical?

Feel free to give some honest and constructive. Thanks in advance!

Matt