Uniform for Multiple Registered Adult Members

[Owl62]

If an adult voluteer Scouter is registered in multiple positions, which uniform and insignia should be worn by the Scouter?

 

Say for example a Scouters is registered as a Boy Scout Troop Committee Member and is registered as a Unit Commissioner. My understanding is that the Unit Commissioner position is supposed to be the primary position. Should the Scouter where the uniform of a Unit Commission at all Scouting activities (including the Troop Committee), or does the Scouter wear the uniform of the registered position when attending activities associated with that registered position?

 

Does a Scouter actually have to be officially registered in a position to wear the uniform?

 

Or can a Scouter wear a the uniform of a position they are actually serving in but not officially registered?

 

For example say a Scouter is actually registered as say an Assistant Scoutmaster and is asked to serve on the District Committee but never actually is registered as a member of the District Committee. Which uniform should the Scouter wear when serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster and which uniform should the Scouter wear when serving as a District Committee member?

 

I would really appreciate answered from those who know what the actual BSA policy is, not what is though, believed or understood.

 

Thanks.

 

[Bob White]

A parent who serves on a unit committee who is not registered is not entitled to wear the uniform of a member of the BSA. In the same vein, A volunteer on a district Committee who is not registered on the district committee is not entiled to wear the position of responsibility or service color shoulder tabs of a District volunteer.

 

The question here is who is responsible, the volunteer, or the Committee Chair who should have gotten the volunteer registered?

 

Until the volunteer is registered on the district committee he or she would wear the uniform designations of the position they do hold. Actually even if multiple registered the volunteer is always correct if in the uniform of their primary position of service.

 

Bob White

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[dsteele]

Because these questions are related closely to the questions you ask in another thread, I'll answer them all there. Besides, in the other thread, Bob White actually invoked my name -- so I'll field them there.

 

By the way, thanks in advance for your questions. They're good ones and they are questions I've been aching to answer for some time -- just waiting for someone to ask. Some folks won't like the answer, but that doens't change the answer.

 

See you down the page . . .

 

DS

 

In the merry old land of OZ!

[FScouter]

Adding to what BobWhite said, I would add that the nature of a position does not determine whether it is primary or secondary. The volunteer has a primary registration in the position he/she wants to spend the most time. Any other position is considered secondary. (Actually it is termed a "multiple" position.)

[KA6BSA]

All good answers, but it can get complicated if you serve in more than two positions where you might be expected to "set the good example" for uniform. In my own case I am registered in five positions currently (troop committee, district committee, unit commissioner, venturing roundtable commissioner, and crew associate advisor) and it was kind of a uniform shirt musical-chairs for a while. I already had a troop uniform from being an ASM in the past so wanted to keep wearing the uniform to troop meetings and just changed the patch. I had been Boy Scout RT Commish for 3 years so I converted that shirt for UC with just one patch, but was active at district events enough to feel the need to change my old Wood Badge shirt to that use. As most of the Crew activities don't involve full uniform I only have one dark green shirt with the RT Commish patch since being on display there as an example of correct uniforming. But some people have their own way of "combining" positions and I must say it can look pretty bad... I recently saw a district shirt with silver loops and a RT Staff patch but red/white troop numbers on the same sleeve.(This message has been edited by KA6BSA)

[Mokgamen]

The uniform shirt should have a position of responsibility emblem ("leader patch"), colored shoulder loops, and "Trained" emblem that all correlate.

 

To use an example of a leader who uses "Velcro" to change his position emblem from Asst. Scoutmaster to Unit Commissioner, she/he would change to loops from red to silver. The trained emblem might go on or off, depending on whether she/he had completed training for that position.

 

There is one district/council position registered through the unit(s), which is the chartered organization rep. If the chartered org. rep. is wearing the COR emblem, then it goes with silver loops.

 

Paid vs. multiple registration is no longer relevant to uniforming (the old rule about only one color of loops showing the primary position only was discarded a few years ago).

 

If you are doing enough Scouting to have two separate adult positions of responsibility (two different units, or a unit and district role), you might find it works better to have two shirts to display the emblems that work best for each role. A unit commissioner, for example, should earn and wear the Arrowhead recognition, but should not wear a unit number with the commissioner emblem.

 

Charles Howard-Gibbon

Field Director, 20 year professional

36 years total including Scouts and adult service

[Proud Eagle]

I just have to second what has been said. The person should wear the uniform of the position they are performing. If that is somehow not possible wearing their primary position uniform would be a reasonable second choice.

 

The most recent uniform inspection sheats actually make the point about shoulder loops that everyone should wear the loops for the position they are performing at that moment.

 

So the COR always wears silver loops? Our COR is also the district advancement chair, does that make any difference? Our COR is also a committee member (he was an ASM), would he wear silver loops at troop meetings? Some clarification on this would be useful. It seems that the COR represents the CO and unit(s) to the district, not the district to the CO/unit(s), so wearing silver loops at unit functions seems odd.

[htc1992eaglescout47553]

Since I am both a Webelos Den Leader and a Troop Committee member, I do have 2 shirts. One for the Webelos Den Leader and one for the Troop Committee.

 

I wear the WDL Uniform during Cub Scout Meetings (I also wear it during Troop/Den joint activities>.

 

I wear the TC Uniform during Troop events and meetings, as well as District Camporees on occasions that I spend time with the troop.

 

I do take both during OA Functions and I do wear either one during Roundtables and visits to the council office.

 

 

[Twocubdad]

I'd suggest that if you are limited to one uniform, go with the one where you have the most influence with the Scouts. If you are an ASM and a Roundtable Commissioner, make sure you are properly uniformed as an ASM.