DLister

How about a scout who wants to wear his MB sash at an Eagle CoH in a couple of weeks for a friend from another troop? Or a new scout who just completed his first merit badge... do you tell him "good job, now you have to wait three months before you actually receive the badge"? They earned it, don't make them wait for it.

The Guide to Awards and Insignia recommends no more than 3 rows of knots, but since it's a recommendation and not an absolute decree, I'd call it more "wearer's discretion".

I don't see a reason why units should have a lot of direct contact with their DE to begin with. For most needs/issues they should be utilizing their commissioner and/or the district committee. For recruitment materials, talk to the district membership chair, FOS presentations should be done by volunteers under the direction of the district finance chair, commissioners can be asked to help guide units in solving their problems, etc. Yes, I realize that not every district has the resources to do things in the ideal manner, but shouldn't we be working towards that goal?

The Amateur Radio Operator rating strips are now available from National at http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/new-items/emb-amateur-radio-operator.html. I'm not sure yet if they've made it into the brick-and-mortar stores yet though. In case anyone's curious about the size, they're the same height at interpreter strips.

Why treat merit badges different from rank advancement in this situation? They should also be awarded at the earliest possible convenience, not just at Courts of Honor. I'm not suggesting troop stock-pile MB patches as well, but to make a scout wait up to 3 months for it doesn't sound kosher to me.

I am 100% positive about the ability of the camping requirement to be waived by the lodge adviser and council executive for district and council scouters. See page 21 of the Guide to Officers and Advisers, available at http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/#goa.

The ability to waive the camping requirement for non-unit Scouters has been in place for at least the last 20 years. This is just a guess on my part, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is allowed so district and council Scouters who might not have the opportunity/ability to attend a long-term camp but would still be an asset to the OA can be inducted. I understand the same argument could be make for some unit-level Scouters, but I don't make the rules and haven't found a place that the intentions behind them are explained.

The safeguarded Order of the Arrow subforum for members-only discussion seems to have disappeared. Is this a permanent change or will it return?

#51 - Alumni Award Red, blue, and yellow know on khaki with gold border

The change allowing 1 adult nomination per 3 youth elected does not take effect until January 1, 2013. It's likely they will update the Lodge Adviser's Handbook online at that time to reflect the change.

I know this was posted a month ago but I feel this misunderstanding should be addressed: They show up for election, where I have to remove my just bridged Webelos or none of my Scouts get elected (the newly bridged boys won't vote, and those are counted in the percentages). There are two different percentages to consider when an election is conducted. First, are at least 50% of registered troop/team members UNDER 21 (yes, this includes ASMs between 18 and 20) present? Second, was a candidate for election voted for on at least 50% of ballots TURNED IN? If a scout declines to turn in a ballot it does not count against those eligible for election. This is different than turning in a blank ballot which is considered a vote against everyone. Now on to a more recent post... SeattlePioneer: There was not a maximum # that could be elected that I've ever heard of. The limitation (eliminated in the mid-'90s) was that you could only vote for half of the scouts eligible. I was a youth when the change was made, and contrary to the doomsday predictions, the number of scouts elected (at least in my lodge) did not explode. In fact, it stayed fairly constant. Now, as far as you being considered a "Sash 'N Dasher", don't forget that an Arrowman's first responsibility is to his unit. If as SM you were exemplifying the values of the OA and encouraging your scouts to do the same, then I'd definitely call that being active.

I find it interesting that Venture Patrol Leader is not an acceptable POR for Eagle but is for Star and Life. I wonder if that was an oversight on National's part.

David CO - Would you mind explaining what you mean by "cultural appropriation"? I'm not going to try to change your mind at all, but as a chapter adviser it would help me to understand objections some scouters have to the organization.