Once an OA Member... always a member ? or ??

[BadenP]

Minquin is correct almost all lodges will take your word as to prior membership. Over the last 30 years I have belonged to 3 lodges, 2 of which are gone as are their councils. All the lodge ever asked was the name of the former lodge and approximately when I belonged.(This message has been edited by BadenP)

[Eagle92]

Yes you will find folks who will lie about membership in the OA. I encountered that situation a few years back. talked about it previously on the threads here. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[clemlaw]

>>>>Fall Fellowship was just as if I had been gone only a few months. New faces, but same spirit.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

Once a member, always a member, is correct. A member of the Order may wear the universal arrow, or sash when appropriate. A dues paid member of a lodge may also wear a lodge flap for the lodge he/she is currently a member of. Some polite inquiry as to proof of membership may be made by the Lodge Advisor or Staff Advisor, especially if the Vigil Honor is claimed.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Clemlaw,

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

I don't believe anyone answered West Coast Scouter's question:

 

 

[nolesrule]

The camping requirement is for eligibility to be elected (youth) or selected (adult). It is not an annual requirement to maintain membership.

 

And I believe it is 15 nights over the prior two years, but I'm too tired to verify.

[Eagle92]

Yep 15 days and nites, including 1 long term camp in the past 2 years. Adults and youth both have to fulfill this requirement.

 

Some additional info.

 

Leaders 18-20 in a troop are considered youth for OA purposes, so they can be on the ballot and VOTE. BUT to be on the ballot, they must have earned 1st Class.

 

Also it's 1 adult nomination for every 50 registered youth in a unit. So if a unit has 62 scouts, they can have 2 adults nominated.

 

 

CS leaders, Sea Scout Leaders, and Venturing Leaders are in eligible as only Troops and Teams perform elections.

 

Disticts can nominate a committee member if they meet the requirements, and the council can nominate too.

 

All pros are automatically edible for OA irregardless of the camping requirement b/c their duties do include being the chapter staff adviser. I know 1 SE who fired 2 new DEs, technically they were "Executive Trainees" as they had not gone to PDL-1 yet, for refusing to go through the Ordeal. 3 showed up for the Ordeal, and the 2 left during the Pre Ordeal Ceremony.

[SeattlePioneer]

Thanks for the additional information, Eagle92!

 

 

I'd be interested in opinions on my idea of trying to revive inactive OA members from Scouters in Cub Packs.

 

On the positive side, I see that as perhaps helping to provide an additional focus on Boy Scouts as a goal of the Cub Scout program. On the negative side, people are always looking for reasons to be suspicious of "elite" programs.

 

I also have a Cubmaster who would be an excellent candidate for OA membership. Sounds like I could talk to the OA Chapter Adviser about possible membership for him.

 

And our Chapter Adviser badly needs more Scouters to help with the program. Perhaps looking at reactiviating former OA members among Cub Scout families might help with that.

 

Just possibilities....(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

[Eagle92]

As an OA member who is a member of the 'blue terror" I have mixed emotions on getting adults active again.

 

On one had I think it is great and I have gotten a few folks who are/were cubbers back in the Order. They are a great example to the young scouts and new leaders.

 

On the other hand, it seems like every Cub event occurs when the OA is doing something. part of that is council planning, and I know we are working on it, part of it is packs have to plan event when convenient for the most people, and it usually the same weekend.

 

Another drawback is the funny looks a guy with blue loops on gets at OA events. Some folks don't consider you a "true" scouter, even if your sash has bars on it or a triangle in the middle of it. At least in my neckof the woods.

[DLister]

SeattlePioneer - If the Cubmaster's primary registration is with the pack, then he is not currently eligible for nomimation to the lodge adult selection committee. The full guidelines for adult nomination can be found on page 21 of the Guide for Officers and Advisers found at http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/. Encouraging CS scouters who are already members to become active again though is a great idea.

[clemlaw]

>>>>As an OA member who is a member of the 'blue terror" I have mixed emotions on getting adults active again.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Clemlaw and Eagle 92,

 

 

Thanks for the ideas and advice.

 

It sounds like reactiviating my own membership might be worth while as a way to help wave the flag of Boy Scouts in my Cub Scout Pack. I think it's important to educate Cub Scouts and parents about the promise of Boy Scouts and what it means. That should improve the yield of Webelos who cross over to Boy Scouts.

 

And as I mentioned, I have a Tiger Cub Den Leader just like Clemlaw who is an Eagle Scout. I've awarded him his AOL and Eagle knots, but he doesn't have a uniform so far. I would suppose he's an inactive OA member, and if he's encouraged and invited to reactivate his OA membership and wear a sash, the uniform has to be there too, right? I'm interested in tieing him into Scouting again as firmly as possible --- he's the likely future Cubmaster.

 

I ran across another Cub Scout Pack that has an Eagle Scout as Tiger Cub Den Leader, and there are three OTHER Eagle Scout parents in the same Tiger Cub Den! Wow, they could probably almost form their own OA chapter in the Tiger Cub Den!

 

As to inviting new Cub Scout leaders into OA membership, I might ask our district OA Adviser about the district nonminating a CS leader, but very likely the 15 days and nights of camping would be a bar to that, so that's probably not practical.

 

 

In our district, the OA chapter is a help to Cub Scout units, and staffed our recent Cub Scout Marble tournament for example.

 

Anyway, thanks for the ideas.

[Hawkrod]

One point I would make about interaction between OA and Cubs is that there is a need even if it is not always recognized. For example there are ceremony teams that do AOL but I think that is minor compared to promotions. Camping promotion needs to be done with Cub units just as it is done with Troops and also the OA members can make a lasting impression on the Cubs that can foster the desire to aspire. Our chapeter advisor came to Cub summer resident camp a few years ago and gave a talk about Scouting and the outdoor experience and inspired my son to the point that OA became a goal. He was tapped out last year and is currently chapter secretary and Chief Akela on the AOL ceremony team. There is honestly no part of Scouting he likes better than OA. I also think part of that is because in a Troop some boys "have" to come because a parent says so but in OA the boys come because they want to. He finds more like minded boys in OA even though he is much younger than most of them.

[Eagle92]

Glad your chapter is involved. Mine is as much as possible, but we are getting multiple events scheduled on weekends.

 

As please don' t get me wrong I think that it's great to be involved as a CS leader, and yes you do get to see the units in action. But it can be difficult getting to OA events.