Hal_Crawford

Kathy: Scouts are required to fulfill the current requirements. There are requirements that are not in the current edition of the Handbook. Current requirements can be found at http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards.aspx or in the 2009 Requirements Book. I wonder how many scouts nationwide do not actually do all the requirements for rank because some requirements are not in the Handbook? Many troops use the book as the only record of advancement and scouts certainly use it to learn what the requirements are. It is discouraging for a scout to think he has everything signed off and then be told that there is another requirement or two not in the book. I have always thought that this is a flaw in the system. Hal

Does selling his sister's dolls on e-bay count?

Another thread just posted this link for requirement changes. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/2010RankUpdates.aspx No changes to required merit badges are mentioned so I would guess that is something for future consideration.

I feel a great disturbance in the Force.

New Handbook is coming out in August. That might have the new requirements. Rumor (from other threads)is that there will also be changes in the T-SC-FC requirements as well. I think they gave some warning the last time they changed Eagle required MBs. Once they publish the changes they should also say what the policy concerning scouts working on Eagle. I would say that this should light a fire under any Life Scouts to try and finish by 1st of the year. I vaguely remember that there was a 3 month grace period during which Eagles could be completed with old requirements. I could be wrong and/or it could be different this time. Scouts who have already used a demoted merit badge for Star or Life still have those awards but that MB wouldn't count for Eagle unless Eagle is completed before the deadline. I remember that this was a concern with a scout who had earned Star with Sports MB but it wasn't an Eagle required by the time he earned Life.

John raises an excellent point about going through the IH/COR. I doubt that it will insulate you all that much as there is no doubt that your ex-husband will know that you are the source. If the IH/COR will not intervene then I would still suggest you talk to the SE. Does anyone know if the routinely check the DHS/CPS registries or only the criminal sex offender registry? That might be the problem. If they took the call from the wife and then did not find his name on the criminal registry then they might have written her off as a woman scorned and out for revenge. I would hope that the council would not knowingly keep a volunteer whose name appeared on either registry. It is just too much of a risk. Hal

Assuming everything in the post is on the up and up then the council has acted irresponsibly to assign this man to be a Jamboree SM. I suggest you call the person at council that you spoke to before. Better yet, speak directly to the SE. Express your dismay that they would do this knowing that the man is on the child abuse registry (he is, right?). Ask him if the council would like to see this in the local newspaper or on the evening news. Tell him you expect action within the next ten days. Maybe your husband is only a threat to his own children but the council cannot afford to take that chance. If anything happens they're butts will be in a sling and it will be a black eye for the local council and BSA in general. When you talk to the SE and if you do go to the media stick to the one salient point. This man is on the registry and he is still a Boy Scout leader. It is not about what he did to you or your children, it is not about his cheating; you could just be written off as an angry ex. It is about the risk that he poses to children. When you do these things you need to be extra vigilant about your family's safety because your husband is going to be one angry SOB. This sounds harsh and some are probably going to question your motives and whether this is all true or not. Some may see this as extortion. Bottom line to the council, it doesn't matter. If he is on the registry (even if wrongly accused) he has to go, simple as that. What SE in his right mind would do anything different?

Sounds like you guys are on the right track. I think you will probably end up thanking this guy for his service and replacing him with someone more suitable. Oh and BTW, welcome to the campfire. Let us know how things turn out. Best of luck. Hal

Is this a new SM or new behavior from an established SM?

Our troop goes to the same camp (Goshen Camp Bowman) every summer, always week one. Our experience has been good in 10 years I have gone there (troop has been there over 40 times) because there is very little turn over from year to year. Camp Directors tend to be former Program Directors; PDs have been area directors who used to be counselors and some may have started as CITs. Sometimes they lose senior staff to take more senior positions at other camps but there are a lot of the same faces from year to year. The wheel rarely requires reinvention. I believe that the staff comes back for a number of reasons. There is a core of units that come back every year with leaders who know that we are an extension of the camp staff. We know each other by name and think of each other as friends. When an area is understaffed there is usually a scouter or two that will pitch in. When there is a problem, the scouters bring it to the CD or PD quickly and try to help solve the problem. There are daily leaders roundtables. If a counselor is not following the requirements it comes to the PD's attention in less than 24 hours. The PD will usually ask if anyone has heard or observed any problems in the program areas. In general, everyone recognizes that we are all on the same side and this helps prevent a "them and us" mentality. I never get the sense that staff is unhappy. In fact I have know staff members that have literally crossed oceans to come be counselors at Bowman. Several years ago are site guide was from the European council and the PD lived in Australia the other 10 months of the year. Another reason is that the camp is well run from the top down. The reservation is well supported by council and because of that they can attract and retain good senior staff. I don't think it's the high salaries that bring 'em back 'cause they don't get paid all that much. Threats and intimidation are not parts of the management culture. It sounds like your council camp is a mess. The council needs to figure out why. They are not able to recruit or retain good senior staff. Why? Do they pay less than other councils? Do they hire at the last minute? Do they not provide sufficient support in terms of staff and other resources? Do they place unreasonable expectations on camp staff? Do they listen to the camp staff? Do they put any effort into developing junior staff into future senior staff? Without good senior staff there is no chance of developing good junior staff much less a decent program. You and others provided a lot of help to get the program back on track. You filled in the gaps. You won't be back next year to do it again. Sadly, many units are going to do as you plan to do and vote with their feet. I'm not saying that it is the wrong decision for your unit but without a core of units and leaders that come back it will be much harder for the camp to improve. Among other things you will hear, "we can't afford to improve (fill in the blank) because our numbers are down" or "We can't afford to pay more because so many of our units go out of council---and we don't know why". Without a serious course correction this camp could become another story of a scout camp that closed because it just wasn't sustainable. Best of luck. Hal

"All "Leadership Development" theory is a knife in the back of Green Bar Bill." A wee bit melodramatic, are we? Let's play Clue: It was Mr. Mazzuca in the parlor with the scout knife. Hal

Our troop always goes to week one and while there are always bumps we have never experienced anything remotely like what ASM59 has described. As a service to the other units in your council you should put all of this in an e-mail to your SE, the head of the council camping committee, the council president and anyone else you think appropriate. The solution needs to start at 0800 tomorrow! I say that because yesterday is not an option. Truly, the SE should be in his car now, heading to camp to find and fix the problem. Others have pointed out the obvious safety concerns. I am also concerned about the "I might get fired" atmosphere among the staff. That is a serious red flag as to the health of the organization. People choose to work at camp because it is fun; it isn't for the money or prestige. No one should be in fear of there job because of paperwork. On the other hand, the CD and PD and possibly the Aquatics director should be deeply concerned about their continued employment. The issues here are safety and management style. Seriously, get in touch with the SE now. Hal

In our district they have password protected the MBC list and recommend that Scoutmasters not give access to the scouts. The SM assigns the MBC rather than allowing the scout to go shopping. This was done in response to situation similar to yours. Based on our experience, I recommend that you and your district nip this one in the bud. One bad MBC who doesn't play by the rules can cause untold chaos on your unit's and district's advancement program. If this guy is in your unit let him know that he will not be approved for any further merit badges. Contact your district advancement committee (or merit badge czar) if you haven't done so already to make sure that he does not do an end run to them. Good luck. Hal

Nick: I don't know if this will help as I don't know what your project is. You should consider talking to the businesses from which you plan to buy your needed supplies. Explain your project to them and ask if they can help by donating or discounting the materials. Have you talked to the organization benefiting by your project about the materials? Often the organization will provide some or all of the materials since you and the scouts are providing the labor. A lot of scouts in our district do projects in the county parks with the Parks Division providing the materials and sometimes assistance with things that scouts can't do like using chain saws. Happy 4th of July and best of luck on your project. Hal

I guess they are thinking that professionals are by definition trained and if they aren't they would rather you didn't know it. ;-)

Brent: Again, I don't think one shows more character than the other. I lost interest in trying to convince our PLC to consider neckers when I realized that the contemporary ones are too small to be used as a triangle bandage. It seems that over the years the BSA has moved steadily away from anything practical for an outdoor organization. The new uniform is a small move in the right direction. Hal

Sorry Brent, we're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. If both scouts are otherwise identical in activity and demeanor, I would not use the lack of uniform to disparage the scouts character, morality or ethics. For all I know the one in uniform, angered by being told that his Totin'chip patch is not for uniform wear, is thinking about ways to chop the other scouts into small pieces. Is a troop that votes not to wear neckers demonstrating less character than one that does? They are within the rules and regs but are they sliding into a deep moral abyss? I hope not because my troop is certainly in peril. (Note on the dangers of spell check, I misspelled abyss and it almost corrected to abbess-now that completely changes the meaning) Hal

"So you have two Scouts, both know what the official uniform is, both know the policy. One is dressed in the complete correct uniform, the other is wearing just the Scout shirt, blue jeans, white socks, no belt. In your opinion, do both of these boys have the same degree of character?" I don't know, Brent. What are the two scouts doing at the moment? If the one in full uniform is sitting in the back of the room making snide comments while the one in jeans and tee-shirt is teaching a couple of new scouts how to pack their packs for their first camp out then I would say that the one in uniform is showing a lack of character and the one out of uniform is being a good scout. Note that cost had nothing to do with this. It's not the wrapping it's what's inside. Hal

I feel really old now. I was already married when the Poster came out. I remember a few years ago seeing a child stand perplexed and on the verge of tears in front of a dial phone. He didn't know what to do. I was in a museum and the I saw a teenage girl looking at an old 45 and saying "so that's what they looked like". When my son joined scouts I learned that we don't ditch tents any more. The place way out in the country where we used to hold camporees is now an urban park. To me, nothing has changed things as much as the computer. Internet, e-mail, instant messaging, facebook and twitter all come out of this technology. I have heard it said that the fax machine brought down the Soviet Union. Digital communications will eventually bring down oppressive governments around the world. OTOH, it may turn us into a planet of babbling idiots in the process. Oh well. I feel old. Hal

What is a "Field Uniform"? Don't think I have seen that term in BSA uniform guide. I like that scouts have a uniform and I like that the new uniforms are approaching useful. I think that scout troops should strive to do their best to maintain uniform standards. I do not like equating uniforming with character. A scout out of uniform may be many things but to say that he lacks character is going too far. Someone in this thread said that it is the heart not the wrapping. I agree. Hal

Scouters at a laundromat? I am shocked! In our troop the adults usually hand wash socks, tee shirts and underwear mid-week and the scouts rarely wear all the clean clothes that they brought. Hal

Nldscout: If he isn't who he says he is and if he wasn't there, how did he know about this incident before the news of this incident went up on any website? I was initially skeptical and thought that it might be a hoax but my skepticism vanished when the news hit the web even though he had some of his details wrong (not surprising or unusual in such a situation). I believe him. You on the other hand accused him of being "way oout of bounds here and he didn't even have his fact close to being correct" in your very first post on the thread. Why this response? He touched a nerve perhaps? I am not surprised that you may have taken offense to whatever he said in his PM after that. Hal

Here we go again!

The news piece seems confused about the Jamboree and High Adventure sites. Jamboree will be at Goshen and HA will be at the WVA site. Our troop is at camp this week at Goshen and I will be interested in hearing what was said at the leaders' supper. I will be up there in two weeks for their high adventure program but I doubt any of us will get an opportunity to partake of the SE's hospitality.

Beaver: Perhaps Wayne has been unclear. I believe based on what he has posted here and a PM I received from him (in response to one I sent) is that no one runs through the hydrolic. He wrote, "The hazard is very easily avoided I row my boat around 4 times a day without the help of my customers. I found out tonight that they ran it on the first trip but only hit the right side which kicks to the right out of the hole". I believe this guy knows whereof he speaks and I am disturbed that some on this forum have attacked his credibility. Maybe in the chaos he did not get the details right. That happens in that kind of situation. He may never have seen the victim and assumed it was a scout rather than a leader. There were others pulled from the water and he was probably not in a position to see or know everything. What he does know is that stretch of river and that no one should have been on that side of the river in those conditions. He knows that it has happened before with other scout groups. What he knows should give us pause. We should thank him rather than circle the wagons and lash out at someone who dares to suggest that BSA may have a problem with whitewater safety. Finally, I find it surprising that some assume the accuracy of news reports and discount an eye-witness. Remember, he told us about this hours before it was anywhere in the online news. Hal