Most mercs wont stay once they are done with the training. You may as well make some ISK out of it.

While this may raise some neutrality issues its just another thought.

Essentially you are 'selling' your education, by providing competent Mercs to established corps.
Again as long as you don't favour one corp over another (perhaps bidding on mercs could take place)
you shouldn't have a problem with neutrality.

Kev, your geek is showing again buddy

We are Mercs not Mentats :P

Not if the community agrees to it. If the community agrees to you have 3-4 districts on your own I wont call that as favoritism. I would call it support. Again like I said it all depends on what the community agress upon.

Are the core game mechanics going to be radically different (referring to the grunt experience)?

I don't think CCP would go for it and I really don't think this is the way to go anyways. It isn't "fair" to all of the other corps out there. Just because D-UNI and a couple of other bigger 'training' corps are known, I'm sure there are a few smaller ones that only have a few members and trying to start out. It wouldn't be fair for them to not get their own free districts.

Also, it would just open up a can of worms because if they were to get to the size of D-UNI they would want their own districts also and so on and so forth.

This is a question for Kevall and 3 bird.

Other than an income source, which is only a temporary problem due to lacking game mechanics, what does engaging in PConquering provide educationally?

Are the core game mechanics going to be radically different (referring to the grunt experience)?

If not cant things like comms etiquette, working as a team, and how to fill a specific role be taught outside of PConquest?

In short what educational benefit is Dust Uni going to gain from controlling planets that cant be gained using squads in FW and pub matches at a newberies level of play?

Welp if CCP doesn't do this kitten them. Let the community decide. Like Sextus pointed out;- reach out the the big name corps out there and ask for their support. If they agree, you are secured.

Quite honestly if smaller corps want to survive they better be able to field 16 players or join an alliance that could help them out. Either way they have no place owning a district if they cant defend it one way or the other.

Besides, we wouldn't want any college to get branded with the BoB taint, deserved or not.

I don't get this. I would like to know more about it but it can be done offline.

The main thing we feel at the moment is that the tactics used in the new system will be different. Each side will have a different objective.

The attackers will do everything in their power to extend the clock on the match while destroying as many clones as they can.

The deffenders will be doing everything they can to destroy the enemy MCC or kill reds while maintaining as many clones as possible.

The tactics used and the experience of the this type of battle, we feel, would be sufficiently different from a pub or FW match for us to be concerned about seeking the experience for students.

This is a question for Kevall and 3 bird.

Other than an income source, which is only a temporary problem due to lacking game mechanics, what does engaging in PConquering provide educationally?

Are the core game mechanics going to be radically different (referring to the grunt experience)?

If not cant things like comms etiquette, working as a team, and how to fill a specific role be taught outside of PConquest?

In short what educational benefit is Dust Uni going to gain from controlling planets that cant be gained using squads in FW and pub matches at a newberies level of play?

Fair enough. So the next step is to determine if this justifies D-Uni owning districts or trying to get dunistas involved through other means. Both options have difficulties that must be ironed out.

What is D-Uni currently leaning to and why?

This is a question for Kevall and 3 bird.

Other than an income source, which is only a temporary problem due to lacking game mechanics, what does engaging in PConquering provide educationally?

Are the core game mechanics going to be radically different (referring to the grunt experience)?

If not cant things like comms etiquette, working as a team, and how to fill a specific role be taught outside of PConquest?

In short what educational benefit is Dust Uni going to gain from controlling planets that cant be gained using squads in FW and pub matches at a newberies level of play?

The power blocs would agree to defend said planet from invaders while the owner of that planet provides the power blocs with fresh new recruits under the condition that no one power bloc is favored over the other.

I would say it's best to take a whole planet with the least amount of districts on it and just stick with it and have no further expansions. Even though New Eden is a harsh galaxy, there have been cases where the power blocs had a mutual agreement so long as it benefits them. The power blocs would agree to defend said planet from invaders while the owner of that planet provides the power blocs with fresh new recruits under the condition that no one power bloc is favored over the other.

I'm just throwing an idea out there. Not sure if this is a good idea or a bad one.

Bojo's School of the Trades wants in, we will be seeing you in conquest Uni

Calling all Allies! Red Rocks! Legacy Rising! Hell even those few people from PFBHz!

The problem we have with this model is that no matter how you do it it looks like favouritism from the outside. If your not one of the power blocs we have an agreement with, then you are that much less likly to get D-Uni grads entering your corp. Not because we want our guys to go to a specific corp/alliance in return for the protection, but just through familiarity and interaction.

If our guys talk to you, see you or interact with you more than any other corp it perfectly reasonable for them to want to join your corp when they graduate from D-Uni. But from the outside it looks like we are only training mercs for those surrounding power blocs. Any agreement of this nature would have to completely voluntary on all sides.

Unfortunately you will not be able to do this and maintain neutrality. For the same reason E-Uni does not hold sovereignty in the cluster Dust Uni will not be able to hold districts and have NAPs without meta being a factor and neutrality questioned in the long run.

As for students learning about PConquest it will be up to their eventual home corp to teach them. Uni as an organization teaches new players about the game and is a stepping stool to another corp. Unless things have changed with Keldum stepping down otherwise the answer is obviously no Uni cannot own districts and maintain neutrality.