Cubmaster Problems

[PepperSammy]

I am a Tiger leader. This is my first year as a leader, however my oldest son is now a Bear so I've been doing this for a while. Our cubmaster is an arrogant know-it-all who talks to everyone like they are children. Screams at the kids sometimes. Will tell you the rock is green when it is clearly red is very disrespectful especially towards women and is not doing his job properly. But on to the specific problem:

 

Everytime my boys earn something, I send him an email and a copy of the email I hand to him with the list of patches/belt loops etc.. that he needs to purchase for the next pack meeting. My first order was sent before Christmas. He didn't purchase anything. I resent the list to him and gave him for the Christmas party/pack meeting. He shows up with the list in his hand and still didn't have mostly everything for my boys. Then when parents walk up to him asking where their son's Bobcat badge is, he tells them that I never told him that boy needed a bobcat. I had to jump in and say, "hello, you're holding my email with all the info" Then he says, oh yeah I see it know. I'll have to get it for the next pack meeting.

 

Several pack meetings, and patches/awards earned later: I still have boys that have not received their Bobcat, or anything else. I have sent several emails to him and handed him the paper in person.

 

When a parent goes up to him and asks where their son's stuff is he says, "Talk to your leader"

 

I am beyond infuriated at this point. I also had a child with no boat for the raingutter regatta that he was told several times about. I had to let the kid use my son's boat just so he could race.

 

He is also doing this to my son's Bear leader. Another lady who is also angry. Her son still doesn't have his Wolf badge from the previous year and none of the boys in her den have their awards.

 

Last week he told me that I cancelled a den meeting at the last minute and I shouldn't have done that. He didn't even know I cancelled it because he never looks at his email or answers the phone. I cancelled my meeting on a Tuesday morning for a Thursday night meeting. Some parents showed up. He claims they were angry.

 

And at the last den meeting, I was outside talking to my son's den leader about weight loss. She was telling me she gained weight since quitting smoking. He walks over to her and puts his hand on her abdomen and shakes it (because it was a little pudgy). Then he tells her he's going to be looking at her butt jiggling while she's walking down the hall now that he knows she's gaining weight. He also made a comment about a woman he can't stop looking at because her nipples are always hard. I was completely horrified and embarrassed by his comments. And the boys were playing 10 feet in front of us.

 

This is just some of the stuff that he does. I didn't even scratch the surface. His son is moving up to Boy Scouts next year. You would think he would move up with him, but it doesn't look like that's happening.

 

What would be the right thing to do about this?

 

Another problem: I work as an assistant Girl Scout leader with his wife in my daughter's troop. I like her, and she doesn't know that I can't stand her husband. I don't want her to find out if I complain to the people up the ladder.

 

Help!

[Troop185]

A solution to one of your problem: Have an advancement person to keep track of the awards, and purchase them. Our advancement person brings the awards to the pack meeting, and gives them to the cubmaster. All the cubmaster has to do, is call up the scouts and give them their awards.

[Basementdweller]

Well, the staring and such is inexcusable....

 

Don't know the situation....Not making excuses for the fellow.....

 

Do you guys use an advancement tracking system of any sort???

I will say that going to the scout shop with a pocket full of loose papers and trying to figure out what you need is tough.

 

Someone could volunteer to become the advancement chair and help him out of a job he isn't doing well.....

 

Someone could volunteer to organize the activities, such as the pinewood and regatta....

 

Here is the job description

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/AboutCubScouts/ThePack/cmast.aspx

 

While his behavior is poor...... Sounds like he could use some help

 

You could talk with the Committee Chair or the Charter Org rep about it......The COR could replace him, no vote required.

[SSScout]

The awards and patch stuff is forgiveable and could be written off as old man forgetfulness.

 

The laying on of hands and sexual innuendos are something else again. If this had happened at my workplace, that man would have been suspended ON THE SPOT pending dismissal. IMMEDIATELY contact your CO's Institution Head (church Pastor, Lodge president, etc.) and the CO representative. If you do not know who these folks are, find the charter and see who is listed. If that is not available, contact Council and get their copy. It is "public record" for any Scout involved. This man has no business being a role model for your children. You and your fellow Pack Leaders need to come together and confront this problem NOW. Your Pack MUST have a new CM, and these two folks (the IH and COR) are the ones who must remove him from his office.

Don't worry about not having a CM. Your Pack will survive. A new one will be chosen.

Your friendship with his wife is not relevant. I dare say she already knows something about this kind of behavior.

 

We do this for the kids. Your CM is NOT doing it for the kids. He certainly is NOT doing it for YOU. He is doing it for himself.

[qwazse]

Unless the CO is the tail-hook society, CM is out of line.

 

COR needs to know.

 

Frankly, the guy's wife needs to know. She might be the only one he'll listen to.

 

I am seeing this from the perspective of a Crew advisor who has seen capable moms demoralized by the slightest perception of the "old boys network." We want you to be more enthused about the program as your kids grow (I'm sure the GS leaders will feel the same way). Behavior like you described undermines that.

[shortridge]

The comments and touching are a far bigger deal than the awards. As others have said, complain to the CO, and if you get no immediate satisfaction, bump it up the chain. If I were in your shoes, I'd copy the Scout Executive, but others may disagree with going right to the top. That is utterly unacceptable.

[SeattlePioneer]

Good replies so far.

 

 

Getting an Advancement Chair would be a good thing for a leader who can't manage to get awards.

 

If that doesn't happen, I'd make the awards as part of den meetings.

 

Sounds like just the wrong person to be Cubmaster. What other likely prospect are available to be Cubmaster?

 

Frankly, it sounds like you have a weak Committee Chair who should be identifying and correcting all these problems. If the Committee Chair can't do their job, that person needs to be replaced. What other likely prospects are there to be Committee Chair?

[PepperSammy]

Thank you so much everyone for the advice. Right now the only people in our pack is the cub master and a lady that collects money and makes reservations for pack trips like Beach Jam and museum overnights. She does not go to the scout store and purchase awards. And she is also stepping down from her post at the end of the school year.

 

Do you think it's ok to go to someone about this even if my friend wasn't planning on telling anyone what happened to her? She told me the other day that he does that to her all the time. He actually put his hands on my shoulders one time and started massaging them. I was really uncomfortable. I actually moved away from him when he did it and pretended I had to talk to someone else.

 

Oh jeeze, I forgot something else that happened last year in my older son's wolf den. The same friend asked for help as in an assistant den leader and the cub master sends her a guy who completely disregarded the Wolf handbook who was well known in the community as a convicted murderer. He got out of jail because his father was a mayor at the time. He also had been arrested for domestic violence during the time he was suppose to be helping (he actually took over her den and wouldn't let her do anything)

 

Of course the cub master was friends with this guy. I think parents did complain and he finally left.

 

Everything is just so crazy. There is no organization, no leadership, and den leaders are blamed directly by him for stuff he's doing wrong.

 

I guess I'm afraid to bring my issues up to the person in charge. I'm afraid he'll find out it's me and cause problems. I have to admit I am afraid of him. He's like 6'4" 250 lbs and I'm 5'1" and 115 lbs. The dude really scares me. Especially since he has no problem screaming at women and men for no reason.

 

Should I be able to complain without giving my name?

[Oak Tree]

Ditto to all of the above.

 

I always viewed handing out the awards as the main thing that the Cubmaster needed to do. Getting an advancement chair would be great.

 

Maybe there's another side to this story, but from the description in the post, this man is just entirely wrong for the position of Cubmaster. The committee chair should be working to find a replacement. It's true that the COR could remove the CM, but you (the current pack leaders, especially the committee and CC) need to be thinking about who should take the job.

 

The innuendos are utterly inappropriate, but I don't think I'd go to the SE without going up the chain first. The SE can't fix the problem - he could revoke the guy's membership, but I don't think he'd do that without an investigation. He could also ask the CO to do an investigation, but you can also do that yourself. Getting the SE involved could make things move faster, but it could also blow up. I think I'd start with the CC, then the COR, and then the IH (institutional head). Surely you can't be the only one who thinks this guy is wrong for the job.

[PepperSammy]

I forgot to answer someone's question. As far as I know, no one else wants to be cub master as of now. Most dads will not come to den meetings because they cannot stand the way the cub master speaks to them or their wives. Everyone tries to avoid him. My husband and a few others have stated that if they ever heard him talk to the women in a demeaning way again, they would knock him out. That's how bad it is. They stay away to avoid confrontation.

[Jeffrey H]

I'm the Cubmaster of my Pack and we use an advancment tracking software called Packmaster. The advancement chair role in our Pack is really shared among myself and the Den Leaders and we all use Packmaster. We're not a large Pack so the seperate role of having an Advancement Chair is not really required in our Pack's current situation.

 

The situation with your Cubmaster really goes way beyond being forgetful about buying awards. His mind is obviously somewhere else and it's not really with the Cub program.

 

I agree with others. Don't talk to him any longer, just take it to the charter organization (CO) and/or commitee chair and let them know of inappropriate behavior. As one mentioned, The head of the CO can remove him without any vote or consensus.

[Tampa Turtle]

Agree that advancement and behavior two different problems.

 

Advancement is a hassle but a job best done by an organized person. Have leaders email you the requests by a deadline, get your unit to get an account at the scout shop, generate the shopping list, and package. If you have a big unit it is a lot of work but doable.

 

The behavior issues are deplorable. I do not think this guy should be in a leadership position; you just can't do that!

[Twocubdad]

Are you kidding?

 

Take your children and never return.

 

Call the Scout Executive (top professional guy in the council) and tell him what you know about the new assistant den leader.

 

The SE can have your local District Executive give you a call and suggest other packs in your area.(This message has been edited by Twocubdad)

[ScoutNut]

 

I am really surprised the woman whose stomach he patted did not deck him.

 

Find out who the Pack's Charter Organization is and LOUDLY complain to the head of it.

 

Then do what Twocubdad said - in spades!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Every Cub Pack has a Chartered Organization Representative and Institutional Head, either of whom can terminate a person as a leader.

 

 

Do you know who these people are? If not, you should be able to call the District Executive and find out.

 

If I were COR and convinced of the facts related here, I'd fire the Cubmaster and prohibit him from setting foot on the property where the pack meets. If he did, I'd call the cops.

 

What should happen is for those assaulted by the guy to file complaints with the police.

 

Worry about getting a new Cubmaster after this bad apple is gone. At that point you need to have a serious pack committee meeting and start appointing new leaders.

 

What kind of organization charters the Pack?