Troop Committee vs. Assistant Scoutmasters

[zipmedic]

I can't find anywhere a guideline stating whether or not Assistant Scoutmasters are eligible to become members of the Troop Committee. While I appreciate that ASM's are welcome and encouraged to attend TC meetings, I don't know if ASM's are supposed to be actual members.

 

The Troop Committee Guidebook says that the ASM for the New Scout Patrol should be conducting the Troop Skills Survey and using that to help the TC recruit members. That would necessarily imply, I think, that ASM's may NOT be members of the TC.

 

 

Help?

Mike

[EagleInKY]

ASMs are not part of the troop committee. The function of the two groups (the committee and the scoutmaster corps) are seperate and distinct. They do complement each other, therefore the two groups need to communicate. Having the SM & ASMs attend committee meetings are beneficial for that reason. But, the workings of the committee should be left to the committee members.

[zipmedic]

I was hoping you'd say that. Is there a document or guideline that more clearly details the fact that ASM's are not a voting part of the TC?

 

Thanks,

Mike

[Bob White]

Mike check out the troop Committee Guide book and especially talk to your Committee Chair about EVERYONE getting training for their positions. One thing you will discover is about voting members.

 

Nothing in the BSA training says that committees operate by majority rules. The program says that the Committee chair hands out assignmemnt and thet athe comittee members report back at the committee meetings.

 

Are ASMs voting members? No, but then neither is anyone else really.

[zipmedic]

Bob,

 

My Committee Chair is the problem. ;(

 

 

-Mike

[Bob White]

Lack of understanding and training in the BSA program is the problem.

[acco40]

On the BSA web site: http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/faststart/committee/positions.html it lists the Scoutmaster as a member of the Troop Committee and states that the SM "not a formal member of the troop committee, has no vote" which implies what about the "formal" committee members?

 

Not all agree on the fact that committee members "get to vote" but what I think everyone can agree on is that the committee, led by the CC, should work toward a consensus.

[firstpusk]

Amen, BOB, amen.

 

I attend many of the Committee meetings for the troop. As an SA, I report on specific aspects of the program the SM has asked me to handle and have made SM the report in his absence. The Committee Chair asks for the status of the troop from the SPL the SM and Committee Members with assignments. The Committee may discuss an issue and come to consensus. As I recall, I have never seen a vote. Only more assignments from the Chair.

[SR540Beaver]

I agree with Bob concerning a consensus rather than a majority vote. I was the Committee Chair for my son's old pack. We never took a single vote. I am now an ASM in my son's troop. Shortly after joining, there was a blow up between some of the adult leadership. The COR was even called in to attend a special meeting to help sort things out. Eventually the issue of who has votes came up. The whole blow up was a power play by a committee member. I threw in my two cents worth concerning my understanding of the Troop Committee Guide and no need to vote and to run things by consensus. The COR who is a Silver Beaver informed me that it was a nice sentiment, but that we were living in the real world and even the boys vote on their leadership. I reminded him that we don't pick and choose between the aims and methods of scouting and we shouldn't pick and choose which part of the Troop Committee Guidelines we want to use. After all, we live by the oath and law too. Long story short, the power player got her way with the support of the "old timers" and all of us new folks are working towards starting a new troop that will follow the program as laid down by BSA.

 

I have to give credit to EagleDad when he explained to me over lunch recently why my experience between the pack and troop committee was so different. Vision. The troop committee does not function in a cohesive way because everyone has a different agenda. They have lost a common vision. Our pack committee was made up of trained, experienced people who wanted to do things by the book and we had a common vision of what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go. When you work in that environment, consensus is easy to come by and votes are not needed.

 

If you can get people trained and follow the program, most things have a way of falling in place.

[acco40]

Unfortunately, IMO, the BSA erred when the Pack committee began to allow den leaders to sit on the committee. I believe it should be set up like the Boy Scouts, the committee is there to support the SM/SAs to deliver the program. Having parents come from a Pack committee environment, they get easily confused about who should sit on the Troop Committee.

 

Only half in jest, I've stated that only trained committee members while in their "required" field uniform should be able to vote! That got a few inidividuals attention.

 

I'm curious. How many troops have fully uniformed BOR for the young men to attend?

[SR540Beaver]

Acco,

 

I had not even thought about it until you mentioned it. We've only been with the troop a few months and I've seen two BOR's take place. The boy was in uniform, the committee members were not. To cut them a little slack though, they are fairly easy going and available when the boy requests a BOR. That means that they might do them as soon as he asks instead of scheduling it in the future. So they might be in uniform and they might not when they are asked. Most of the committee members do not wear unifroms. When I was the pack committee chair, I always wore a complete uniform to any scout function.