As the coach of 1836, I was really pleased to see our team take serious notice of the IFI/VEX posts on this forum. We appreciate the bravery of the individuals who have come forward, as well as the support they’ve received from the FRC community. We had thoughtful discussions on what our team should do, and I’m proud of the statement that our students have composed.
At 1836, we were incredibly disheartened to hear about the harassment, misogyny, and transphobia, along with the myriad of other issues that have been reported at VEX Robotics and IFI. As a team, we pride ourselves on our respect and inclusivity of all people; we believe that this FIRST Core Value is something that should be perpetuated through all teams and corporations alike. We will continue to use our current inventory of VEX products, but will not add to our supply. Moving forward, we will work to transition all VEX products out of our ecosystem, and we encourage similar action for all teams who have the capability to do so. We strongly encourage everyone to recognize VEX’s offenses and work to find alternative products and vendors when possible. FIRST Robotics is, and should always be, a place for all students interested in STEM, and we hope to move forward from this as better individuals, better teams, and a better community as a whole.