Adult Uniformed Leaders

[ps56k]

We have in our Troop Guide this obscure rule for adults & uniforms. I think it stems from the fact that we have a SM and lots of ASMs, along with other major committee members, BUT also have just a lot of "registered" adults for drivers, trailer hitches & campout helpers.

 

How do we (you) address the issue of a "uniformed adult leader" vs someone that just had to register to pass the BSA screening, and therefore is officially on the committee, or a MB counselor, etc.

 

It's also ironic that some of the ASMs wearing uniforms are not "trained", and some are old legacy members that rarely come to meetings or events.

 

Hey - I always thought that anyone that was "registered" could shell out the dollars and wear the uniform...

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Following text snip'd from Troop Guide - -

This person is authorised to wear a uniform because he/she has been registered with and trained as a SM or ASM by the District or Council. Individuals currently serving as SM & ASMs should complete New Leader Essentials within 3 months of registration and Leader Specific Training within 6 months of registration.

(This message has been edited by ps56k)(This message has been edited by ps56k)

[SemperParatus]

I don't understand...what is the rule?

[ehcalum]

Here we highly encourage all registerd adult leaders to wear full uniform. Most of us are MDC's as well. Our Committee Chair and about 1/4 of our committee are in uniform. One doesn't have to be trained to wear the uniform, you just can't wear the "trained" patch under your badge of office. Many of our adults just wear the uniform witout an ASM, Committee, or SM patch as they are registered for the sole purpose of trasportating scouts and provideing additional adults when needed (we are a huge troop.) But hey thats how er do it.

[SemperParatus]

Is this troop 'rule' enforced? What would happen if a committee member showed up wearing a uniform?

 

I agree it is a 'dumb' rule. There is no purpose served by discouraging adults affiliated with the troop to go 'uniformless'. Why would the BSA go to the trouble of having position patches for CC, Chaplain, MC, etc. if not for the expectation that they would be placed on a uniform. If this is some attempt to separate those trained from the untrained, I think that's what the 'Trained' patch is for.

[Laurie]

Are you saying that the rule is that only the SM and SAs may wear the uniform? In the troop my sons are in, I am registered as a committee member, fully expected to be expected to wear my uniform, but quickly learned that there are "uniformed leaders" and "non-uniformed leaders" (committee members are not part of the uniformed leadership). That confused me terribly, for I didn't think there was such a thing, but in this unit, this is what has worked.

[EagleInKY]

Any registered adult can purchase a uniform. If you had to be trained to wear it, they wouldn't have a "trained" patch.

 

FYI, in our troop we ask (expect) the ASMs to wear the uniform. Committee members are not expected to wear it. Some of them do, however. And that's great, IMHO.

[FScouter]

It's hard to tell from his post, but it almost sounds like they have "uniformed adult leaders" that are not registered. In my mind that would be worse than a bonafide registered adult that won't wear the uniform.

[eagle90]

Scouting is a uniformed organization. Nowhere in 40+ years have I ever seen the phrase non uniformed adult leader. The more adults we can get in uniform, the better. We don;t care if they are ASM, CC, MC, or whatever. If the adult is willing to buy a uiniform, get the patches sewn on and wear it while donating his or her time in any capacity, God bless him! Let's not get bogged down by useless rules and titles.

[Eamonn]

My dislike of these books of unit rules is I think well known.

Reading this rule only helps me prove my point.

I am more than happy to leave the who is and who isn't authorized to wear the uniform of the BSA up to the BSA.

We do have a lot of people who do a lot of good for Scouting and the BSA and are registered who never ever wear a uniform. Come to think of it the last batch of Silver Buffalo recipients that I seen in Scouting Magazine were not, if I remember correctly wearing a uniform. Very few of the Executive Board members in our Council own a uniform.

I do think that those of us who choose to interact with our youth members should try and set the example for our youth members. I find myself not wearing the uniform as much as I used too mainly because I'm not around or with our youth members as much. The chap that we are grooming to be the next District Chairman does not at this time own a uniform. I think that him being a bank president that it is not the cost. He would be able to perform all the duties of a District Chairman,without having to wear a uniform.

I have a very dear and close friend who sits on our Executive Board and is a District Member At Large. He is a Doctor and the corporation that he owns organizes and runs our District golf outing.He has been honored by the Council with the Silver Beaver. He is an all round nice guy. A couple of years back after playing in the golf outing he changed into his Scout uniform. He was the only person in the room in uniform, before dinner was served there was an open bar. I had the sad task of asking him not to drink the rum and coke that he had in his hand. The golf outing brings in over $5,000 for the District. The people all knew that they were helping raise money for Scouting, but they were they mostly because of him. One drug company picked up the tab for the dinner and the bar. His opting to wear a uniform wasn't such a great idea. He was a good sport about it. Last year he left his uniform at home.

Eamonn.

[anarchist]

As my username 'implies' I don't particularly cotton to rules...

 

My two cents...change or rewrite your rule a bit.

Our troop only requires uniforms for SMs, and ASMs.

 

It encourages Committee members to 'wear the colors' with the offer of free patches (committee chair, committee member, COR, unit numbers, council patches, knots etc.). But we don't require registered committee members or merit badge counselors to wear uniforms.

 

We have never had to deal with the issue of an unregistered adult wearing a uniform...I probably would just slide up to the person and hand them on of our applications and a pen and offer to help them fill 'er out!... and keep doing that until the victim gave in or gave out! I can be very annoying...just ask my boys.

[acco40]

I don't like rules ...

Our troop requires ...

 

What the heck?

 

All registered youth and leaders should wear the proper uniform. Non-member of the BSA should not wear the uniform. A uniform is not required. There, I got the formalities out of the way.

 

In our troop, the SM and SAs usually wear the uniform. On the committee side, it seems that only the advancement chair will wear the uniform (my wife). As SM, I "suggested" to the committee members that it sure would help me out with getting the boys to wear the uniform if they did and especially at BORs. They all looked at me like I was nuts. I am disappointed that they choose not to wear the uniform but alas, what to do.

 

P.S. I've tried many of the suggestions (BW has some great ones) and even presented the CM members with the "trained" strip after we all took the CM Challenge together but still no takers. (This message has been edited by acco40)

[SR540Beaver]

Just a few thoughts and comments.

 

Don't we expect the boys to be in as complete of a uniform as they have when they participate in an SM conference or a BOR. What kind of message does it send to the boy when he is expected to wear his uniform and the committee members he is facing are wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt?

 

When I was the Committee Chair of a Pack, I always wore the full uniform to anything that involved the boys. We had DL's that didn't wear the uniform. How can I expect the DL's to set an example to the boys if I don't set one for the DL's?

 

A couple of weeks ago we had our annual Wood Badge reunion. The Council's Scout Executive came and gave a little talk. What was he wearing? A full uniform. It warmed my heart to see that setting the uniforming example in our council starts with the top dog and works its way down.

 

Bottom line, if you are registered and have any dealing with the boys (that includes Committee members), you should wear a uniform. If you won't, that is just one more excuse for the boy not to.

[NIscouter]

In our troop, we feel that all adults leaders (SM, ASM, or CM) should wear the same level of uniform we expect the boys to wear. We see this as part of being "leaders" - we cannot ask the boys to wear the uniform if we don't. In my troop, most adults don't want to wear more than the shirt, so that is all we ask of the boy except for during COH or other public events.

[Proud Eagle]

Eamonn,

 

While I would not be comfortable drinking in uniform in public, I don't know of any place it is technically outlawed, so to speak.

 

I know you can't serve alcohol at an event with youth.

 

I know there is no alcohol allowed on BSA property (I wonder how they handle weddings at such at places they rent out their facilities to the public?).

 

However, I know of no specific provision on drinking while in uniform, off property, in a more or less private setting with other adults. If it is a Scouting function it should not make a difference if he is in uniform. If it is right to be wearing civilian cloths and drinking while representing Scouting then it should be OK to be in uniform and doing the same.

 

This isn't to say that I think drinking in uniform is good, I don't think it is. In fact, I would have probably asked if he thought it was such a good idea. However, I would not have forced him to stop. (I know you didn't say you made him stop, rather you asked him not to. So I am not accusing you of being too forceful or anything such as that.)

 

What I am wondering is, have I missed something in one of the books that spells this out?

 

 

 

 

Oh, on the original topic of this thread, everyone that is a member of BSA is entitled to wear some form of the uniform.

 

I can understand setting out in writing that all Assistant Scoutmasters are expected to be in uniform.

 

On the other hand it is entirely backwards to denny members of the committee the right to wear the uniform. They are registered members of the troop and of the BSA. Let them wear the uniform if the wish.

[FScouter]

"What I am wondering is, have I missed something in one of the books that spells this out?"

I suppose BSA didn't think it was necessary to spell that one out.