Eagle Board of Review, a check box or an event?

[elitts]

So, I'm just wondering how Eagle BoR is handled in other areas.  When I had my Review Board, it was held at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in the executive board room and was quite formal feeling.  Not unpleasant, but there was a certain amount of solemnity and seriousness.

By contrast, I recently sat on an Eagle BoR for the first time at my local council offices.  I was rather astonished when the Council representative running things told us to "Just grab a few chairs and drag them out into the hallway, you can do the review out there."

I really felt pretty bad for the kid.  I mean, this is a final review of years worth of work and effort and we are going to handle it with less formality than a Scoutmaster conference? 

Is my outlook on this wrong?  How does your council handle it?

[qwazse]

Our boards are convened at the unit's CO. The district rep sets the tone. I would say they are serious, but friendly.

[SteveMM]

My son's BOR was held in a meeting room at a church that the district uses for some meetings.  I would describe it as slightly formal.  I wasn't in the room with them, but I was across the hall and heard a good bit of laughter, so they seemed to keep it somewhat loose.

[T2Eagle]

Mine was in the nicer part of the basement of our CO's church, meaning the part nice enough to serve food on occasion.  Gerald R. Ford was President.

Our EBORs today are identical to qwazse's.  Well, at least they were, I suspect the next one in our district will be done via Skype.

[Buggie]

Our boards are convened at the CO of one of the units because that's where the Scouter who usually conducts them has access. They are in a common meeting room with a nice broad table. It's meant to be relaxed and semi-formal. A mini-celebration as well as a careful review. Post review, Eagle candidates come out into the hall, nervous beyond belief generally. Sometimes they wander to the door of the gym where the local troop is having their meeting. Most often everyone knows each other between scouts and scouters. Those of us who encounter the candidates in the hall provide a nice relaxing chit chat about things. 

[Protoclete]

I have been part of reviews that were held in the conference room of the embassy, in (very nice) private homes, in the school or church where district meetings and roundtable were held, and in the (also very nice) fireside room of a golf club that some district personage belonged to. 

There should be a certain solemnity to it - not somber, but serious. The mood should be light but not flippant. You are not there to interrogate the kid, more like a job interview - a conversation about the person and their experiences that brought them to this point. They should be comfortable and not intimidated, but it should be a nice enough space that it doesn't look like an afterthought. You want to demonstrate respect for the Eagle candidate, and also signal that this is a big accomplishment, without getting so formal that they freeze. 

The last board I was on was probably the best I've ever seen. The Scout had finished everything just days before turning 18, was a senior in high school, bright and engaging. We ranged from field studies to Foucault. I think everyone, the candidate and all the board members (who mostly did not know each other) all had a good time. And we learned a lot about the Scout.