FScouter

"Eagle Boards do not like it when the candidate has all of his badges from one or two counselors." Not to say that a boy should or should not do this, why don't Eagle boards like it?

A person not approved and not on the district list is not a merit badge counselor.

A better way to meet their objective would be to pass a law that a boy may not use the same counselor no more than 1 or 2 times. Another approach would be to ensure that every counselor applicant is truly an expert in field he wants to counsel. Set a limit on the number of counselors authorized by the district for any one merit badge. Make it clear that counselors are obligated to work with any boy in the district, not just boys in one troop. All counselors should be on the district counselor list, which is distributed to all units.

What purpose is served by establishing a limit?

The BSA Fieldbook has some good sections on winter camping, including snow shelters. Enjoy your family while you have them.

"Censorship is getting pretty strong on here." Do any of us have any rights at all to speak here?

TySim - I think you're putting too much of a burden on yourself. The ammo you need is the G2SS and YPT training, and they do NOT say anything that supports what you are being told by your CC and DE. Has your CC taken YPT training?? Does your CC have a current G2SS?? If you want to push the issue, I'd suggest going to one or both of them and explain that you want to learn more about the "no touching" policy and to please show you the written BSA resource they are referring to. Regarding making policy, your CC may in fact be making policies, but that doesn't make it right. The purpose of the troop committee is to support the Scoutmaster in delivering the BSA program to boys. The purpose of the committee chairman is to see to it that all the functions of the committee are being handled. Making policies is NOT a committee function. The committee chair has no more business making up policies than you do. Refer to the Troop Committee Guidebook for more info on the function of the committee and committee chair. Has your committee taken the Troop Committee Challenge training?

"BSA does not have listed, posted, or available anywhere, clarification on this point one way or another." You will never find any BSA publication that will say touch football is allowed. The G2SS lists various activities and actions that are forbidden. It could not possibly list everything that is allowed. Therefore, everything one can think of is permitted, except as not allowed in the G2SS. The burden of proof is not on the unit to show where it is written that touch football is permitted, but rather on your DE and CC to show you where it is forbidden. Also, the committee chair is not empowered to make policy. The chartered org maybe, but not the committee or the CC.

Serve refreshments.

Keep in mind that the leader specific courses are basic training. They are not the final word in training. One cannot expect to learn all that is needed in a 2 1/2 hour session designed for new leaders.

Gerald Ford

White Stag is not a BSA program. Anything you read there may or may not have anything to do with BSA policy. If you want to know about BSA, don't look at YMCA or Girl Scouts programs either.

No, no, no, you've got it all wrong. The root of all these problems is those dang knots! Get that fruit salad off the shirts and all will be rosy and gay! Surely the SE will understand this and solvee all the council ills by immediately initiating a knot removal program.

Hmmm ... maybe if this was a public forum the public could speak with no guidelines?

A budget is the only way to go. It takes a little bit of planning at the beginning of the year, but then you're done. Seat-of-the-pants financing is a sure way to end up with $100 dues at the end of the year. Unc's link is perfect. No sarcasm, the unit budget plan works.

"... can anybody find a reference in any BSA publications that talk about the removing of a corner of the totin' chip?" That can be found on the same page as the explanation of class a and class b.

Budget? Hmmm, seems like a novel idea. I wonder if it could work ...?

Several free violations before a consequence seems very lax. I confiscate the card, plus the knife, ax, or other tool, and revoke the boy's woods tools privledges for the duration of the campout. Back home, he needs to convince me or an SA that he knows the rules and why they must be followed, etc. Then he may have his card back.

What does the Cub Scout Leader's book have to say about Pack/Den finances? Surely BSA has not forgotten to address this subject?

There are those that disdain knots and other patches. Almost like a holier-than-thou attitude that says "I'm so holy I don't need no silly patch to prove it". Of course I'm not referring to any member(s) of this discussion group, just scouters in general. The vocal objections to patches remind me of a couple of boys, and parents I've encountered. The boy doesn't sew on his new rank patch, or quality unit patch, or event patch. He dismisses the patches as being "not important". He makes fun of other boys that have patches sewed onto uniform, sweatshirt, or whatever. Push the issue and you discover that he doesn't have a clue about using needle and thread, and his mom hates to sew anything and won't do it. So the boy decides he doesn't like patches.

The purpose of the Eagle BoR is to determine whether the candidate has met all the requirements and is worthy to hold the rank. I see no value at all in having the SM or SA participate. They are too close to the boy to be able to objectively make a evaluation. They are not permitted to attend boards of review for lower ranks. Eagle should be no exception. Having served on a number of Eagle boards, I'd be a bit uncomfortable questioning and evaluating a candidate under the watchful eye of the SM. He should be waiting outside with the parents.

TySim: "SM and CC called all leaders and adults into a private meeting to discuss youth protection." "Our CC said that [touch football] was inappropriate and I could not participate." Discussing YP is not a bad thing. But extending the "touching" issue to include touch football is ridiculous. Touching a Scout is not forbidden. You might suggest that all your adult leaders take the Youth Protection Guidelines training together as a group. The video talks about "inappropriate touching" as it relates to child sexual abuse. After the training, ask yourselves as a group if touch football falls into the same category.

It's the nature of the human beast, upon first meeting, to size up others based on visual cues. In caveman days, cues might have included height, facial expression, size of club, among other things. Among scouters, knots and other regalia serve to cue others as to that individual's standing. In a roundtable room full of scouters, how does one separate the wise old sages from the new wet-behind-the-ears? Knots and beads don't prove anything conclusivly. But everything else being equal, knots and beads are evidence of training, experience, accomplishment, and recognition. I'm not so sure that it's a bad thing for some scouters to be "more equal". All surgeons are equal too, but which one do you want cutting on your innards?

You can still go to Philmont as part of your council contingent. Our council sends 3 or 4 crews every year, mostly made up of boys that would not be able to go through their unit.

The terms "class a" and "class b" are fully explained on pages 12-13 of the Boy Scout Handbook.