Torchwood

SM Conferences can be called at any time. I would make sure this happens sooner rather than later. And this behavior should not be tolerated in any Scout- Eagle or otherwise. The fact that his attitude, which isn't a new issue, didn't keep him from advancing to Eagle in the first place makes we wonder about the earlier SM Conferences and BOR processes in your Troop.

Don't the shops forward the Advancement Reports to you? When I used to pickup the badges for my Pack, the shop staff always put 1 copy of the report into a file for my Council (the shop is on the border of two Councils, and had files for several behind the counter).

I worked in higher ed for a bit, and they are looking for more than grades. They want well-rounded and diverse students. They want Eagle Scouts, they want readers, they want athletes, they want a little of everything.

When in doubt, ask for the source. Until I see it in writing from any real authority, it isn't so.

My take is that phones should not be allowed at summer camp by the boys. Adult leaders, as has been said before, have other responsibilities that require them to be in contact with the world beyond the camp boundaries. My reasoning is pretty simple- we are attempting to make confident, mature men out of the Scouts in our care. We live in a time when helicopter parents and bulldozer parents are creating a generation of soft and relatively helpless kids. The more we can get them to stop relying on Mom or Dad to fix everything and make every decision for them, the better we can do our jobs. The by-product of that is that they will have a better appreciation of being unplugged from the grid sometimes. They will enjoy the natural world, and will hopefully strive to help save it so that their children can enjoy it too. So, a no cellphone policy is really us as leaders paying it forward.

It may in fact be a rule in that District or Council. To the OP: before you fire off that email to your Pack, check with your DE and find out what the rules are for your unit.

I think you really don't have a choice but to have the Treasurer and the COR contact this person, by certified mail, with a demand letter. Given their financial pattern of behavior, that money is likely gone. When I was a CM, we had one family that needed help in order for their son to attend Pack events and even summer camp. We comped them on many events, and found Council programs so that the boy could go to camp. The flip side of the coin is that for 5 years, the boy was the top Popcorn seller- usually by a wide margin. One year he sold 30% of the Pack's total sales. The amount really isn't the issue. It is a clear violation of Scout Law, as well as local laws- it is theft pure and simple.

That is an e-cigarette. Nicotine without the other bad ingredients. I think California is trying to ban their use everywhere that smoking is prohibited. Other states will likely follow suit, which is just fine by me. IMHO, it is no better than tobacco use (it is still nicotine), and has no place in Scouting. The same goes for alcohol. Full disclosure- I do drink. I like tequila, and I brew my own beer. But it is specifically prohibited at Scout functions according to G2SS. End of story.

Morally straight and being "straight" are two completely different things. On page 23 of the Scout Handbook I have in my hands, it talks about respecting and defending the rights of all people. That is the core value that we should be focusing on. I don't care if someone is gay, straight or other, and I certainly don't care if you believe in Christ or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, as long as you treat others with kindness and respect. If you can't respect the rights of others to live their lives as they see fit, as long as their rights don't infringe on anyone else's rights to do the same, then what is really the problem? A Scout is KIND, after all.

The Old Goat Patrol cooks and cleans just like any other Patrol when we camp. We do keep an eye on the boys who are cooking for their patrols, just to make sure that no one is doing anything dangerous, but it is always from a few steps back.

This is wrong on so many levels... If this happened in my unit, I would complain loudly. There may be no repercussions this time, but it would never be allowed to happen again. A clear violation of G2SS, and common sense would tell you that it sends the wrong message to the Scouts.