RumRunner

"She says they cannot be ordered until all the requirements have been completed. Is this true? You can't order belt loops in anticipation of the boys finishing the requirements? Since she won't order them now, they'll have to be done with the next order, which is after we break for the summer. Which means some boys won't get them until we start up again in the fall." Our local scout shop told me that this was the case for rank badges -- the badge is technically not "earned" until the advancement report has been submitted for it. (I got a firm talking-to when I went to buy the Tiger Cub badges a month or so ago...) They have not made that same distinction for any other awards -- belt loops, outdoor activities, etc... so it may just be that your advancement chair is following the letter of the law to the extreme. Although it may be different if you do have to "order" them, instead of just walking over to the shop and picking them up. Is your scout shop nearby?

I'm the newly-appointed Pack Committee Chair for our Pack, and one of my goals is to make sure that we are delivering the program that our pack families actually WANT to see. (Crazy idea, I know.) Traditionally, this pack "shuts down" for the summertime, as we are closely tied to our CO's school. I have wanted to see activities planned for the summer months, but the veteran leaders have said that most of the time, the families are ready to be done with scouting and would like to take a break. Fair enough, I suppose. Not everyone is as gung-ho as I am. I figure the summertime might be a good time to take stock of where we are as a pack, and how well we are meeting the needs/wants of the families who bring their kiddos to our activities. I'd like to do some sort of online survey... so I'd appreciate any recommendations for a (free) online survey site that folks have used, as well as specific ideas for the types of questions to ask, overall number of questions ("Completed: 2 of 86 pages"), or specific stories (success or failure) related to doing this type of information-gathering. Thanks!

Hey Stosh -- I guess dialect wasn't quite the right word. ASL is a distinct language from other sign languages, of which there are many. There may be some overlap, but I have heard (from my instructor, when I took an ASL course) that most other sign languages are not really compatible. The course I took taught it as a separate language, not as "here's how to translate English into ASL"... which made it more difficult, but also drove the point home that it's not just a version of English that uses your hands instead of spoken words. Either way, I've forgotten the majority of it already, so I don't get the interpreter strip (just like Spanish and Morse Code... amazing how I can remember some useless stuff forever, though).

jblake47: "The same holds true for sign language. American Sign Language only applies to Americans." Actually, that's not technically true. American Sign Language (ASL) is a "dialect" of sign language that is separate and distinct from written and spoken English. There is not really a word-for-word translation so to speak (it can be done, but it is needlessly verbose and cumbersome) -- in fact, some people who are born deaf and use ASL as their "first" language have just as much difficulty learning to read and "speak" English as non-native speakers, due to differences in grammar, structure, and phrasing. Someone who does not speak English could learn ASL, and converse fluently in ASL with someone who does not speak their language. Not to say it would happen in real life, but anything is possible...

Hmmm... maybe it's just me, but I'm having a hard time seeing why this is something that would be added as NEW. Morse code (or "CW" for you dweebs like me who have a ham radio license) still has a dedicated following in some amateur and SW radio circles, but it has largely been overwhelmed and replaced by more efficient digital communication methods. And I can speak from experience -- I earned my ham ticket in the early 1990s, which included a 13wpm code test. Even then, it was on the way out with the No-Code Technician license class. Also, my understanding is that the interpreter strip is not so much an "award" for mastery of a second language as it is an indicator that in mixed/international company, a person may be able to facilitate communications between others if desired. Morse code has not, to my knowledge, ever been used for face-to-face communications (stories of planning escapes from POW camps aside)... so it would not really serve a practical purpose. Bragging rights, maybe? It's also not really even a language -- it's just an alternate means of transcribing the alphabet. Might as well give out a strip for "Literacy" for someone who can read the written alphabet? Neat idea, but impractical at best. Maybe a clever ploy to boost sales of insignia?

This thread is awesome. It's cool to hear folks weigh in (er, so to speak) with their own stories of motivation and success. I am also a big guy (6'5" tall), and decided to drop some of the extra weight a half-dozen or so years ago, as I was nearing 300 (am down to somewhere between 200-210 these days). My oldest son is a Tiger Cub this year, and I've had a great time becoming one of the pack leaders. While the rest of the leadership cadre is more or less fit and in shape, I've noticed that even some of the older boys are looking a little round for their age. In some cases, it's also not hard to spot the parents of those kiddos since, well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (The Tigers and Wolves are still full of that high-intensity energy that wears us all out.) I've suggested that we incorporate a bit more physical activity into our program for the upcoming school year, in the hopes that the cubs will take an interest and some of it might rub off on the parents as well. For those looking to do something, chances are that there's a 5k race of some sort in your area (they happen almost year-round) and that might be a cool "challenge" goal for leaders, parents, and/or scouts in your unit. Nice to see discussion about the issue. Physical fitness should be a part of everyone's routine, leaders, scouts, and parents. Got to make sure we look good in those uniforms.

I can't find the official regs on the BSA site, but using MeritBadge.org gives me this info: Pack Committee Responsibility: "Recruit the Cubmaster and one or more assistant Cubmasters, with the chartered organization's approval." Pack Committee Chair: "If the Cubmaster is unable to serve, assume active direction of the pack until a successor is recruited and registered." Chartered Org Representative: "Help select the right leadership for the unit." Ultimately, I believe the final decision would rest with the Chartered Org. If you don't want to get the CO involved, I would absolutely consider "removal of an inappropriate leader" to fall under the recruitment/selection process. Could also declare that the current Cubmaster is "unable to serve" for whatever reasons, and have the Committee Chair step in. HOWEVER -- I'd also suggest that there would probably need to be some discussions with the CM before s/he was "fired". I'd say you owe it to them to at least have a semi-private discussion with COR, CC, and CM to work through whatever issues you're having. This is probably a good first step for any conflict in the leadership (barring clearly illegal or otherwise inappropriate action by the leader, of course).

I would also suggest making a bit of a point to state that meetings will be "different" from now on. Not to say that you should publicly disrespect the former CM or trash-talk about the way he used to do things, but something along the lines of "we're going to make a few changes to the way meetings are run," or "we want to open it up to some new ideas and find out what you guys think would be exciting". The parents will pick up on what you're saying without you specifically needing to say it, and the boys might hear that and take an interest in coming back to see what's different. Our pack meetings have traditionally been a mixture of administrative and planning info for the parents/families (which, admittedly, the kids probably find a bit boring), mixed in with some activities and maybe a speaker or presentation for the kids. How often do you have a pack meeting?