Col. Flagg

It's not his job, but something to take note of. Just like a traffic accident, one should get as much information (names, dates, pictures, etc.) to show potential negligence that someone might try to cover up after the fact.

Ranks are for youth, not adults. So once you are an adult you don't wear ranks...just like you don't wear MB sashes. As an adult you are essentially a "retired" Scout and are now a Scouter (unless you are in Venturing, then you can wear your Eagle until 21). To carry your analogy further, retired generals don't wear their stars, or even their uniform, after they retire. When you turned 18 you "retired" from Scouts so you wear the knot, not the rank.

Today: 500 Scouts and adults in summer camp. Maybe 10% are women? One small dedicated shower and toilet facility (2 toilets, 2 stalls) will take care of them. Post Coed: 500 Scouts and adults in summer camp. 50% are women? You'd need to dedicated a whole section to women and girls. My local council did an analysis on what they would need to do to accommodate Venturing Crews for a local event. Same numbers, 500 folks and 50% women. They needed to bring in separate shower and toilet facilities meet the demands of privacy, YPT and timing (e.g., rotation of sexes through existing infrastructure). Maybe your camp is different. Mine has already researched the issue and they'd need to build new facilities to handle such a change.

But the decision to go coed has a huge financial impact which is being overlooked. If you make the decision to go coed without first making sure you have the infrastructure in place to accommodate coed units, you create a financial problem because councils now are forced to spend money they may not have to upgrade facilities to accommodate coed use. You also have an impact on program. BSA will have to review the Scouting program to make sure it is deliverable to a coed base. You then have to re-write all the literature to be coed and not boy-specific, because the SJWs simply won't tolerate any "privileged" pronoun use. There's a financial impact to that too. Then there's training. All the current Boy Scout leaders will now have to take a new YPT. Will that simply be the Venturing YPT or will it be something else. Then there's Scouter recruiting. Any unit that has girls will likely also have to have trained female leaders. If you don't have any you will need to recruit them. The point being that making the change to go coed has many immense, time-consuming and costly implications for units, districts and councils. These need to be FULLY researched and addressed BEFORE any decision is made. Given BSA's track record I don't expect such consideration to happen...and it will be costly.

Very sad. I love my state but summer camp here can be harsh if you don't have a lake to plunge in to. BTSR is a great camp any other time of the year. They have a great cavalcade program and the scenery in the fall, winter and spring is awesome. Great mountains and really great hiking. But it is in the middle of west Texas. There are few places for shade and no watering hole (not used for drinking) where you could plunge in and lower your body temperature.

First, if this is a council camp then the council insurance is the primary coverage. If this is private property, then the RSO/Instructor and district will have to have had the council sign off on the use of that land and suitability of the range. Land owner and council insurance applies. If this is public land (city park, etc.) then city insurance would kick in but the private land owner form/approval is still required. Lastly, many RSO/Instructors carry insurance either personally or through their certifying organization (e.g., NRA). Second is the range. The RSO/Instructor is responsible for range safety. If a council camp then the range should be pre-certified for use (burm height, distance, clearances and suitability). If not a council camp then the onus is on the RSO/Instructor BUT the council must sign off on the location for use. In short, council and the RSO/Instructor are responsible.

Nothing on Picaridin?

It's only not a big deal IF the units are either all girls or all boys. Then you can have "Girls Week" and "Boys Week", much like they have LDS Week now. However, I cannot imagine units will align strictly all one sex. What then? If you've ever been to a coed camp with lacking facilities you'd know that most BSA camps are woefully unprepared in terms of coed facilities.

Nope. Not likely. They are in the shadow of national and have a fund of money that would make Trump proud. I don't see time as running out. There's nothing compelling them to invest the money to make camps coed. And since it is BSA, they will likely make the change, not realizing the down stream impact, and then react. Let's face it, BSA does not plan ahead well, nor do they foresee (or learn from) the consequences of their actions.

Only if units are all girl or all boys. At that point why open Boy Scouts to girls? Separate but equal? @@RememberSchiff, Had to laugh at that BSA report.No way any camps we go to are set up for girls.

LOL...too funny. Not here. No where near. We struggle to handle the few Venturing Crew women we have. I could not imagine troops of 50 or more either all or part coed.

Before ANY discussion can start about girls in Boy Scouts, local councils would need to address how they will deliver the Scouting program at their summer camps. Right now many camps barely have the facilities to accommodate female Scouters, let alone a whole troop of girls (or even a mix of girls). I know my own council camp has trouble with even adults using the "flip the shingle" gender-use sign. Imagine all male units having to change their whole mind set around toilet and shower sharing. You can't just flip a switch and become coed. Venturing has taught us that. There has to be significant thought given to facilities and whether or not there is adequate infrastructure to accommodate coed Scouting.

When one begins their thesis with overly PC language such as, "Born a heternormative white male into an upper middle-class American family, I’m about as privileged as it gets.", you've already lost at least 50% of your readers. And that assumes the other 50% know what you mean. I'd rather he stick to reviewing outdoor gear than offer his advice on how an organization should change. I wonder if he'd be open to his magazine changing from outdoor focus to reviewing tea cups and indoor living. I mean, it's 2017 and change should be tolerated.

I'd lean on BSA to provide that comparison. If they can't provide it, it will take you a long time to do a comparison.

According to this doc, such changes will be laid out in this newsletter. Can email them here advancement.team@@scouting.org. Page 7 of the most current GTA has an overview of major changes.

We have seen local assisted living locations asking for the unit to do projects for them; usually manual labor. A few we have obliged, only for them to come back a few times with expectations of a more "professional" job, which really was work they expected done but did not include in the original scope of work.

Grow up in a military household. You will learn how to answer a phone properly.

Well, this process is what is laid out as the responsibility of the SM in the MB process. That's why our SM does it this way. We do this too. Our SM just goes that extra step to ensure their safety.

I think many units have that fear. I know we do. Our SM does it by the book. He sits down with the Scout before he signs the blue card. He confirms that the MBC is registered with council and has current YPT. He talks to the Scout about his interest in the MB. He checks the Scout's history to see how many open MBs he may have. He reviews the buddy rule and no one-on-one contact rule (both with Scout and his parent). He makes a determination if a single MBC is teaching too many MBs (per the GTA). He then signs the card and the Scout is on his way. Although he may not like the fact the Scout is going to an MB college that glosses over requirements and signs for completion, the SM can do nothing about it UNLESS the MBC violates the GTA (e.g., signs off on pre-reqs withouth validating, etc.). The SM lets both parent and Scout know that he is attending a course that is sub-par, but he does not (and cannot) forbid/prevent him from going. Usually this works and the Scout finds another option. For some MBs there are no other options.

Wearing Eagle Patch: BSA guidelines say that Eagles in Boy Scouts cannot wear the patch after they turn 18. Eagles in Venturing CAN wear the patch until they are 21. After 18 in Boy Scouts and 21 in Venturing, Eagles wear the Eagle knot. That said, there's nothing wrong with sewing the patch on and taking an Eagle portrait after the ceremony. Eagle COH Portraits: Since you are usually a Life Scout when you attend your Eagle COH (though you are technically an Eagle after national approves your application) one would not expect him to be wearing his Eagle rank for a portrait. Although there may be circumstances where Eagle is given prior to the COH. Most Scouts are wearing their Life rank at their Eagle COH. There's no BSA Uniform Police that are going to jail you for sewing on the Eagle patch, taking a pic and then sewing back on his Life patch. I must say it would be VERY odd for someone who is 21 to be wearing the Boy Scout uniform with an Eagle already on it. Eagle Neckerchiefs: The blue necker is what Eagles Scouts are awarded. This can be worn at any time by an Eagle Scout, even as an adult, though they would not wear the Eagle patch, but rather the Eagle knot. The white necker is what NESA members can wear at any time. Both youth and adult members can wear the NESA necker. Here's some info on wearing the Eagle medal. Here's another on when exactly you become an Eagle Scout. This should help answer your questions.

Agreed. Which was why I loved the fact this bag met all three. Would not use it in Texas in the summer, its been on the AT, CDT, Philmont. PCT and all through the Smokies during four seasons. I am sure there are better bags somewhere, but not with all the right points.

Given this discussion I thought this was interesting. I will say that the Kelty down bag, or the REI knock off, I got years ago on sale for less than $90 for me and my son. It lasted him all through Scouts and high adventure. Great, cheap (cost), high quality bag. Very light. Also, the REI pad you could get on sale in the fall for $69 and it's 16oz!!!

Under what reason? If a certified counselor worked with the Scout there's no reason to turn the kid down. I am no fan of MB colleges, but that's BS for an SM or troop to do. You can't tell a Scout they can't work on a MB that interests them. Might as well tell a kid you won't sign off on his rank because you think he's moving too fast.

How do they stop a Tenderfoot from taking First Aid at a local MB college?

Alone for a weekend with dad a few hours from home? Depending on your neighborhood, family or friends living near by and a host of other factors, maybe. It's not my daughter I don't trust. However the example from the OP seems to be an ASM that takes his daughter by default. Not because he has to, but because he/she wants to. That's a totally different scenario.