Is This an Election Rule?

[sst3rd]

mikeb,

 

Not mean't to be harsh. You said, "I think I'm going to discreetly ask a few more questions to the young man and some of the Troop leaders." Key words being "more" and "some".

I figured you'd roll out your Scouting background if challenged. Since you have all of this Scouting background, training, and knowledge but still question the OA Election process of your new Troop, why not talk with, not challenge, but talk with the Scoutmaster about your discussion with this Scout. I would guess that he/she would not mind explaining his/her decision and thoughts. Then again, maybe not.

You write, "In fact the more I think about the grief it could bring to this young man to know he could have been elected (if that's the case,) the more I think I should just leave this alone." You evidently still don't trust these Scout leaders to have done it right for the Troop, but especially for this one Scout. You've already made up your mind.

 

"BTW, how would you feel if it were your son?" If my son was questioning the reason he was not allowed to be nominated, I'd have a meeting with the Scoutmaster, myself, and my son. We're all here for the same reason. The Scouts. Let's get everything clarified. That's how we all learn.

 

I'm done. Yours In Scouting,

 

sst3rd

[mikeb]

Incredible.

 

First you have me "stirring the pot."

 

Now you have me "challenging the Scoutmaster."

 

What's next? Maybe you have me fistfight the entire troop committee?

 

I'm not sure what is driving you to put such a huge negative spin on my very simple situation but I wish you would stop.

 

If any person in Scouting (regardless of their BSA experience) doesn't understand why something is the way it is they have every right to ask a few friendly questions. If the answer is none of that persons business he will be told so (again in a friendly way) and that is that.

 

No stirring.

 

No challenging.

 

No fisticuffs.

 

At least that's been my experience. But then I'm a friendly person.

 

In this situation I have reasoned that regardless of the result there will be nothing but hurt feelings for the young man involved. So as I stated previously my pursuit of this will be limited to an innocuous question or two.

 

Which oddly enough is what you say you would do if this were your son.

[SR540Beaver]

sst3rd,

 

Sometimes it is difficult to realize the intent of someone's post with just word's in a post and no vocal inflection to go by. I'm not sure why you took such exception to mikeb's post. I sure didn't read it the way you did.

 

The rules say, "The youth must have experienced fifteen days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The fifteen days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps."

 

I can see where some folks would question what you do if all of the nights have been done within a 12 month period? Can a boy then not go on another single night of camping for the next 12 months and then be elected to OA? Does he actually have to wait 24 months even if he did all of his nights of camping in the last 12?

 

Mikeb simply sees a kid he considers to be a good kid and good scout who "might" actually have been eligible for OA and wants to know if he understands the rule or not. No harm, no foul. We have questions like that come up all the time in our unit. Right now there is a discussion of when to begin counting nights of camping for Camping merit badge. Do you start counting when the boy tells the SM he wants to do the MB, or do you count nights he has spent over the past year? I've seen units approach this question from both angles. It never hurts to ask a question and get everyone on the same page. That was all mikeb was doing and that is why this board exists.