Cheating in FRC

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by The_ShamWOW88

You're correct in that we do not know how they are actively breaking the rules other than they are "going over the 6 week limit" and it shouldn't be shamed.

However, this still represents a serious problem, not just for FIRST, but for high school programs as a whole. If adults are willingly and knowingly breaking a rule(s) and the students feel threatened enough to not speak up outside of anonymously posting on a public forum, there's an issue.
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I agree that some sort of mediation may required if everything explained in the original post were in fact legitimate grievances and not a misunderstanding. However, I implore you to be a bit more objective while looking at this situation.

We do not know which rules, if any, were broken. We do not know anything about the relationship between this student and the mentor, or the student and her or his peers. We do not know about the culture of the team, or what would qualify a student to become part of the leadership structure. It's very hard to make an assessment of the situation before knowing these things.

I would recommend the student in question try again to speak to the mentor in question. If you believe a rule was broken, politely ask for clarification on the rule and why your team worked in the manner it did. If you were not selected for leadership, ask about which skills and qualities you can work to improve for next season. Remember, your mentors are there to help you. Instead of being hostile, be as polite as possible and make it impossible for them to leave you behind. If by the end of this conversation you are convinced they are still "out to get you", try to have a discussion with your peers or other mentors about how to remedy this situation.