Jeffrey H

Just for the record: ScoutNut indicated that Tiger Cubs are not allowed to camp. Tiger Cubs can participate in Pack Overnighters and Family Camping. Tiger Cubs may participate in boy-parent excursions, day camps, pack overnighters, or council-organized family camping. --Guide to Safe Scouting, III-Camping. Tiger Cubs have always participated in our Pack Family Campouts.

You can have an AOL ceremony and crossover without the Order of the Arrow. If your chapter is unreliable, move on to something else. There is a AOL canlelighting ceremony which involves the Seven Virtues. Personally, in my opionion, the Seven Virtues AOL ceremony is more meaningful than the Order of the Arrow AOL ceremony. I witnessed a Cubmaster do this for his AOL candidates and it really added a personal touch.

Your CC is correct. Organizationally, the Scoutmaster reports to the Committee Chair. The Committee Chair reports to the Charter Organization Representative. You can find the oganizational heirarchy in the Boy Scout Handbook. The Scoutmaster is accountable to the Troop Committee and the Charter Organization.

I'm not sure why the carpentry merit badge was ever discontinued. Carpentry teaches practical building skills that are useful for a lifetime. This is one I would encourage the Scouts to take this year.

"Lets get real here people Lone Scouting is all but gone in spite of it still being in some pubs or apps. In this day and age unless the kid is in Antartica there are plenty of units locally to him, the only exception I see as valid is a serious medical condition, otherwise the program should be shelved as a part of scoutings past history..." How many boys are currently enrolled in the Lone Scout program? If there is not a need for it, then why does the BSA continue with it? There are many rural areas of the country with no Troops or Packs. My grandfather got started in Scouts through the Lone Scout program at the age of 12 because there were no Troops nearby in his rural area. He eventually went on to serve in positions as Scoutmaster, District Commissioner, and Unit Commissioner over the next 60 years.

I enjoyed the camping I did with my Webelos Den. We averaged about 3 to 4 campouts a year including a family Pack campout. That was plenty as we also mixed it up with "day" trips. Also, don't forget about "Webelos Summer Camp" if your council offers one. Our council offers a 3-night summer camp for Webelos at a resident council camp. Parents do not have to accompany their sons on campouts at the Webelos level, but you must have 2-deep leadership. Even with that policy, I strongly recommend that you invite and encourage parents to come along. After all, Webelos are still Cub Scouts, not Boy Scouts.

Welcome to the OA and congratulations! By the way, some of the finest Adult Leaders I know are not members of the OA for various reasons including some similar to your situation. In fact, you have reminded me to nominate an Adult Leader in my Troop that would enjoy being a part of the OA.

Most people, except for the uniform police, will not make an issue of wearing the 100 year patch past 2010. There has been no communication from my council or district that the patch is "temporary" and I can see this patch being worn on shirts many years to come. So be it, it's a special patch for a special time as this.

A good Bugler is hard to find. A former post mentioned that Bugling is a "ceremonial reclic of the past". Good bugling inspires and motivates. Our current Bugler cannot play a lick. To fulfill his POR duties, his job on campouts is to wake the Scouts in the morning, announce lights out, gather the Troop together for any meetings, and anything else that the SPL might need him to do. It's not a hard job, but it's important and serves a helpful function for the SPL and the Scoutmaster.

When I see a scout in blue jeans and a uniform shirt, I see a scout who, clearly doesn't care to do what is right. If that is they case, then the BSA is full of juvenile delinquents with a complete lack of moral direction. As I mentioned earlier, many scouts will wear their jeans on active outings to save their scout pants for later to keep them clean for flag ceremonies, meetings, and special occassions. It has nothing to do with their moral character or their sense of right and wrong. Many, like my son, have only one pair and my son has already outgrown his. Fortunately, they are zip-offs and he can keep wearing the shorts for a little longer. Time to go out and drop another $40.00. Yes, the full uniform is preferable and looks sharp, but full uniform 100% of the time is something we only see in Normal Rockwell paintings where every boy is affluent and has several sets of uniforms he can wear everyday.

The isignia guide shows the patches bumping up to each other and that's the pattern I follow for my uniform. However, I've see many leaders and scouts with small gaps between the patches and they look just fine. If the gaps are too large, it can look awkward. The key is neatness in appearance - patches on straight, not crooked, and placed in the correct order on the sleeve.

"Question: If a Scout is coming straight from a school meeting, and has a BOR, is he supposed to be in full uniform?" Yes. As you suggested in your post, they would need to make arrangements to bring their uniform with them. You're right. We get what we expect. Like every Troop, we choose what's most important and go with it. We have some active scouts with real economic challenges and they are growing fast at this age. Scouts pants are the first things they quickly outgrow. If your Troop demands full field uniform on every occassion, then more power to your Troop. National does not recognize or define the terms Class A, Class B or C. These terms are defined by each Troop.

Dues - $48 per quarter ($192 year) Weekend Campouts - $25 x 8 per year ($200 year) Summer Camp - $215 Winter Camp - $60 Registration & Boy's Life - $22 year The above is just my son's cost, not including me. We have Scout Accouts for each Scout that can be used to offset the costs. We have two fundraisers each year that give scouts an opportuity to build up their Scout Accounts and those funds can be applied against dues, camping fees, etc. Each scout receives about 66% of sales commission with the other 33% going to the Troop. In effect, a scout can quickly build up his account and pay for some or all of the costs.

Why does everyone try to find another excuse to not wear the uniform? I think most leaders understand the importance of the uniform. However, there has to leeway when some boys only have one pair of shorts or pants and they are outgrowing them at a fast rate. Our Troop is pretty relaxed for the weekly Troop meetings, but we do require the uniform shirt at minimum. If a scout is coming directly from a school meeting to the Troop meeting, we don't expect him to be in uniform. We're just glad he came and glad to see him. For our Boards of Review, we require all Scouts to wear the full uniform including socks, neckerchief, and merit badge sash. No exceptions. We want them to honor and respect the uniform as part of their rank advancement. The same is required for Courts of Honor. They know the expectations of this and we generally do not have any problems. Activity uniform? We really don't have one and don't really care to have one. Our focus is to encourage them to have all parts of the real field uniform (aka Class A). We have Troop T-Shirts, but we don't consider those uniform.

My Baptist church has a US Flag and a Christian in the Sanctuary. Flags are optional for each local church. Some churches don't have them because they have never purchased them. It's not always a theological position. It's important to note that our US Flag is not in a position of prominence. It's way off to the side where it will not distact the prominence of the Cross. The primary reason that we have the US Flag in our church building is because we are thankful that we live in a nation where we can worship and practice our faith freely.

Our Troop does not require scout pants/shorts with an activity T-Shirt. Most of our scouts only have one pair if they have that much and would prefer to keep them clean when they need to be in their "Class A's".

"It is obvious that there is a thought that Eagle is too easy to get, that just meeting the requirements is not enough." Meeting the minimum requirements for Eagle is not easy and requires planning, disipline, and work. Only 2% of boys that join Scouting will attain the Eagle rank. Many drop out early after 1 and 2 years. I congratulate all Boys that hit the Eagle Rank. Good Job!! In fact, I congratulate anyone that hits Star and Life. Good Job!!

...And another thing. I have no desire to be a part of any secret society. As far as I can see and as Brotherhood member, there is nothing secretive about the Order of the Arrow. Ceremonies can be viewed by the public and parents. I showed my wife the script to my Brotherhood induction ceremony to share with her what I went through. She thought some of it was kinda' funny and laughed. I had to laugh a little myself.

The rituals in the OA are strange and I can see how anyone could guess that Masonic rituals had an influence. Certainly, Native American traditions are a big part of it. There was nothing in the Brotherhood ceremony I experienced that violated my beliefs as a devout Christian. Personally, the biggest takeaway I receive from being an Arrowman is being a part of a "Brotherhood of Cheerful Service." Service is the KEY word for me.

In my Council, sign-up for University of Scouting begins at least 2 months in advance and sign-up for courses can be done on the Council's website. The turnout for the event is always very good. Walk-ups registrations are accepted, but they usually have pay an extra $5 more. Early promotion of the event and online sign-up are the keys to good attendance. When this event was mentioned at our Troop meeting, there were no sign-up sheets passed out. They simply told us to go the website and sign-up as early as possible. Also, our University of Scouting is run and administered by the Council and the quality of the program is consistent every year.

In our Pack, when we go camping, our Scout's Own Sunday services are Christian with no apologies. Attendance is optional and no one is forced to attend. However, most folks attend and we have some from different religious backgrounds. We have received no complaints. None. Our Pack is chartered by a Baptist Church and we honor the faith of our sponsor. Interfaith services that mix different religions don't work. They are pointless exercises. I know the BSA means well, but worshiping God and then worshiping some generic nature deity cancels out worship altogether.

Sports is a reality because all Cub Scout Packs have one common denominator. They all have boys and many boys love sports (not all, but many). We have the same issue in our Pack and we don't consider it a problem. Many of our active scout families are active with sports. They enjoy Scouts, but have other interests. Scouting is a year-round program, so my suggestion is to maintain good rapport with those families that are very active in sports! I know it can be frustrating at times, but avoid making negative remarks about missing meetings, outings, etc. Sports (also music) are complements to the Scout program. Do not put down those that are heavily involved with these acitivities or you will lose them completely. Give special recognition to those Scouts that attend regularly and thank them for making the Pack go! Make it fun and get them outside on campouts and outings.

My Pack is chartered by a Church, a non-profit organization. Donations to our Pack are considered tax-exempt charitable contributions if they are given in either of these ways. 1) Donation is made payable to the Church and the funds are designated to the Pack. 2) Donation is made payable to our Council with the funds designated to the Pack. The tax exemption number should either come from your non-profit charter organization or your local council depending on who is receiving the funds. Check with your local council for advice. You want to make sure you give the right advice to your supporters.

My Pack is chartered by a Church, a non-profit organization. Donations to our Pack are considered tax-exempt charitable contributions if they are given in either of these ways. 1) Donation is made payable to the Church and the funds are designated to the Pack. 2) Donation is made payable to our Council with the funds designated to the Pack. The tax exemption number should either come from your non-profit charter organization or your local council depending on who is receiving the funds. Check with your local council for advice. You want to make sure you give the right advice to your supporters.

The National office does not keep secret that they use the proceeds from the sale of uniforms and other scout accesories to fund the National BSA Budget.