Chartered Org Rep - What exactly do they vote on at the council level?

[mdlscouting]

Im writing something up about the Chartered Org Rep Position as part of my Blog. ( http://ascoutisreverent.blogspot.com/ )

 

Looking at the official job description for COR, It says The chartered organization representative may become a member of the district committee and is a voting member of the council.

 

Source:

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

 

What items would typically be voted on at the council level? Obviously, Big stuff like selling camps, or Merging Councils, etc. there would be a vote But for more routine scenarios, what kind of things would a COR have the responsibility to vote on? Other than the CORs, who else is considered a Voting Member of the council I know Ive been registered as a COR for the troop for over a year now, and the council has not sent any information to me in any form about voting on anything.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Nothing. Scouting isn't a grass roots democracy even for Chartered Organization Reps.

 

 

In theory you could have a mass mobilization of CORs over an issue, but it would be a very rare event.

 

Attending your District Committee Meeting is a good way to learn what the district is doing and perhaps to suggest things you might like to see, though. Speaking as a District Committee member I would be delighted to see CORs show up, and I would work to welcome them and help them with any issues they might have.

[mdlscouting]

I was on the District Committee as Communications/webmaster for about a year, but unfortunately my Daughter's GS troop meets on the same night of the week, and she outranks anyone on the district committee.

 

I never saw another COR there.

 

I was mainly wondering what goes on at the Council level, if anything.

[ScouterAdam]

We held a COR Training this winter. Four or Five COR's showed up. Last I have ever seen them. I saw a COR with the patch at Woodbadge. I congratulated him for being there. I was a Troop Guide at the time. He's a Beaver as am I.

 

I wish that more COR's would be involved. Yes, the can be at the District and Council Committee Meetings. It more thank likely shock the hell out of the regulars.

[BadenP]

SP

 

Maybe that's the way its done in Seattle's council but in ours we do have a core of COR's, myself included, who do attend every council executive board meetings and per BSA Regulations DO get to vote on all the issues brought before the board. We have voted on the improvements at the camp, whether or not to harvest some of the timber at camp, elimination of a professional position at the council level, big budget items, to name just a few. A couple of years ago the then SE was planning to sell the council camp in order to expand/improve the council office, the SE wanted to double the size of his office, and hire more professionals. We had 85% of the COR's present at that meeting, not only did we vote down that proposal the board sided with us on a no confidence vote concerning the SE, within 3 months that SE was gone and a new one was hired. Five of the COR's were asked to sit on the selection committee for the new SE.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Baden P,

 

 

I was glad to hear of your council's experience.

 

Never heard of that before except over rare and highly charged issues.

 

Sounds like a model other council's should emulate.

[perdidochas]

Question about COR:

 

If a CO has a Cub Scout Pack and a Boy Scout Troop, do those two organizations have separate CORs, does the one COR service both, or is it up to the CO?

[moosetracker]

Normally their is one COR.. I would have said their is one COR, but I was talking to an LDS group at the WB I staffed and it sounded like with LDS one church could have a different COR per Unit..??

 

Not sure though, some in the LDS units were kind of hazy on their own program.. This group were great fun, and full of excitement.. I really think this experience of grouping with fellow LDS adult leaders of the BSA program who really wanted to do the program right did them good.. But, it was definate they had let the turkeys of their group get them down.. One guy was unsure what to do for his ticked as he was on the committee, and did not have a job of any sort.. So, I talked to him about trying to get the CC to give him a job between course weekend.. Came back he was all set.. He found out the he WAS the Committee Chair, read up on what a CC does, and had a committee to organize for his ticket..

 

I was joking with another LDS member about it, and he said very seriously.. That is not surprising at all.. That is alot of times how the LDS boy scout program will operate.. Well I think we did some LDS pockets in our neck of the woods some a great big needed boost.. I hope it grows and expands and we can have more WB courses offered to them.

 

But, anyway.. Back to topic.. Pers some LDS I talked to, they say they have different COR per every unit in a church, not just every church.. Now if that is the case, if they did want to go to a Council meeting to vote, that would be stacking the deck!.

 

PS.. We have had a sprinkling of active COR's as I think I mentioned before our past COR was a hot ticket.. Had her hands in everything, and did a lot at the distict & Council levels. I was on staff with a COR, it was his 2nd time staffing.. And the recent LDS WB program had alot of COR's attend.. but it seemed that when a unit or church decided to attend, they came out in full force, COR's, SM, CM, assitants and all the committee from the unit came.. We may have had like 3 or 4 full units, and a sprinkling of one-sy, two-sy people..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

[BadenP]

 

All CO's select their own COR, not the units. The CO via the COR gets one vote on the council no matter if they are sponsoring one or three scouting units. Technically there should be only one COR per CO who represents all the CO's units in district and council. Refer to BSA pub. "The Chartering Organization".

[AlFansome]

 

I'm COR for 6 units (2 packs, 3 troops and a crew).

 

At the Council level, I attend the annual business meeting, where "votes" are held regarding next year's budget, required IRS mumbo-jumbo, and other mundane topics. These votes are really just rubber stamps, anyway, since there are never more than 5 or so CORs in attendance and it's the Executive Board members who dominate the meeting. Most of the real work in our Council is done in committee and the Board and CORs primarily follow their recommendations.

 

BadenP is correct in that there is supposed to be one appointed COR per CO to act as the "head of the Scouting department" for the CO. I was even told by our Council registrar that ScoutNet wouldn't accept multiple CORs from the same CO, either. (Not sure if this is 100% accurate)

 

 

[Eagle92]

Yes 1 COR per Charter Org. They are district/council level scouters, if in uniform wear silver loops and no unit numbers.

 

To be honest in all my years on district committees, I've only seen 1 COR active, and he ended up as District Chair.

 

And to be honest, I didn't know CORs were part of the district and council until I started on this thread. Not mentioned in professional training when I went through it, and wasn't something that was brought up by my old boss. Then again, if CORs knew athey could vote him out of a job.....

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

 

Perhaps someone can explain in detail what this means.

 

My district has an annual meeting to elect the district chair. It usually lasts about five minutes. The nominee is recommended by the District Nominating Committee and he is elected without opposition.

 

I think the same thing is done at the council level. As far as I know, there is no right for CORs to attend council Board meetings.

 

But perhaps I'm mistaken. Perhaps someone can provide an authoritative reference on what CORs can do at the council and district level.

[5yearscouter]

BSA COR training says

"The Boy Scouts of America, in its relationship with chartered organizations, depends on the COR to be the liaison between the local council and the organization.

 

As the representative of the organization, you have the responsibility to share information between the council and the organization and vice versa.

 

In fact, you are a voting member of the district and council. The council is a grassroots organization in that there are more CORs than council members at large. So the control of the council belongs to the chartered organizations."

 

Now I've never voted at the district or council level.

I do attend district meetings when I can, although not always wearing my COR uniform(since I have several uniforms and belong also to a troop where I am committee, and pack where I am COR--different CO's).

 

I do get an invitation to the Council annual meeting, and some FOS breakfasts. I've never attended but probably should have at least for the free food. hehehehehe

 

 

 

[5yearscouter]

have you read this

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/commissioner/pdf/33118_WB.pdf

 

If COR's realized how much power they really do have, well some of them wouldn't want the job, and others might cackle with glee. hehehehehe(This message has been edited by 5yearscouter)

[5yearscouter]

duplicate post.(This message has been edited by 5yearscouter)