A student does not qualify as being crew
The students is part of the crew - they are an essential part of an instructional flight - if an instructor was paid to carry a passenger then that would be public transport!
Did anyone bother to consult a dictionary
Not until now but here is one option from the Oxford Dictionary
"the pilot of a civil aircraft"
I am sure that of all the people who object not one are professional airline captains.........more likely as I said previously, lesser pilots who think that an ATPL (which they obtained on C150 aircraft) entitles them to be called Captain and take offence at pilots of other C150s who call them selves Captain but don't have a Cessna 150 ATPL!
Who cares (except the C150 ATPL holders)?
Regards,
DFC