Electing ASPL?

[InquisitiveScouter]

6 hours ago, elitts said:

When my son was 15 he ran for SPL and got beat, and then became ASPL for one of the resume builders; who of course vanished like a fart in the wind about 2 months into his term.  So my son ended up acting as SPL for 3 or 4 camp-outs.  The second campout he did that on ended up being one where he was the only kid over 14, along with two 13 year old "my parents don't medicate us on the weekends" ADHD pains in the rear and then seventeen 10,11 & 12 year olds in four patrols.  By Saturday night he was just about in tears when he came up to me off in the dark at about 9pm to let me know that "Being SPL on camp-outs just totally sucks!  Nobody does what they are supposed to do, the ADHDers wander off the second there's a pause in whatever they are supposed to be doing and the new kids are such idiots they didn't even know how to boil water." (They were trying to boil water for hot cocoa in a 12" frying pan with no lid because the kid doing it "Couldn't find anything else to use".  I assume because the frying pan was at the top of the cook-box and blocking the view of the complete pot & pan set resting underneath and moving one thing while looking for a second thing still doesn't occur to 11 year olds.)

I was honestly surprised he still wanted to be SPL after that, but 10 hours of sleep seemed to put him right.

Please tell me the resume builder did not get credit for a term as SPL??

[qwazse]

10 hours ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Please tell me the resume builder did not get credit for a term as SPL??

What does it matter? The scout was fulfilling his PoR by delegating to the ASPL.

I suppose the scouts could chose to recall the SPL and hold another election. And maybe if it were bad enough, if I were SM I’d suggest it to the PLC. If we officially suspended the scout, that would be another point.

It sounds like the troop benefited from a competent ASPL, the ASPL learned something about how unreliable his buddy was, and gained some experience. We chalk that up to a win and move on.

Edited December 14, 2021 by qwazse

[elitts]

11 hours ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Please tell me the resume builder did not get credit for a term as SPL??

He didn't actually need it for advancement, he just wanted the patch so he could put it on college applications.  The kid was just about every unpleasant Eagle stereotype rolled into one.  Did a half-assed Eagle project where he brought in a builder friend of the family to actually run the project (I was there, his only actual "leadership" was saying "Ok, go as builder-guy what to do next".  When the SM started suggesting some additions to the project scope to allow him to actually demonstrate leadership he went home and sent Step-dad in to threaten to sue.

[InquisitiveScouter]

1 hour ago, qwazse said:

What does it matter? The scout was fulfilling his PoR by delegating to the ASPL.

I suppose the scouts could chose to recall the SPL and hold another election. And maybe if it were bad enough, if I were SM I’d suggest it to the PLC. If we officially suspended the scout, that would be another point.

It sounds like the troop benefited from a competent ASPL, the ASPL learned something about how unreliable his buddy was, and gained some experience. We chalk that up to a win and move on.

Asking a question is not reading anything into it.  If anything was read into the post, it was your supposing the job was delegated.  And, it does matter.  You and I generally see eye to eye on things, but we may diverge here...

The requirement says, "...serve actively in your troop for xxx months in one or more of the following positions of responsibility..."

Now, of course, the devil is in the details....what does "actively" mean??  That's a whole other discussion.  But, from OP, if a Scout vanishes like flatulence in a zephyr (paraphrasing), this is absolutely a situation that needs to be addressed.

We had the same here on the PL level.  PL was elected, but never showed up.  As SM, I had a discussion with SPL about the vanished PL, and how he wanted to handle it.  Long story short, the SPL called him, set reasonable expectations the PL, which he then did not meet, and the SPL informed the acting Patrol Leader that his patrol could elect a new PL, if they wished.  They did this promptly.  I documented everything.

The vanished PL needed the POR for Eagle Scout rank.  I declined to give him credit for time served based on his performance.  (His father agreed.)  The SPL asked him how he wished to serve the Troop to fulfill the requirement.  He asked for, and was given, another POR (unelected), a written set of expectations which he agreed to fulfill, and he fulfilled them.

That was a win-win-win.  Everyone in the Troop (and parents) learned that this matters, and that was the key lesson of leadership...we held him accountable.

P.S.  I did give credit to the APL for time served as PL (about two and a half months), because he stepped in and did the job.  He was subsequently elected, and, after a month and a half, he ranked up to Star (needed four months total)

Edited December 14, 2021 by InquisitiveScouter