Issue 563 – April 13, 2018

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Dear Andy,

For his Eagle board of review, a Scout provides the names and contact information for up to six references. Following his successful review, two questions for you: Should “thank you” notes or letters be sent to the people who provided those references? If so, who should do this? (Bill Bohling, SM, Northern New Jersey Council)

Follow-up thank you’s, while not in any way mandatory, are always welcomed by those who devoted their personal time to helping a Scout achieve rank—especially if it’s Eagle! Either the new Eagle Scout can do this, or the troop’s advancement coordinator can—after all, he or she is the one who formally requested these references.
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Hi Andy,

A recent BSA blog (https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2013/05/17/service-hours/) intimated that “Scoutmasters (can) decide that the only Scout service hours that count are the ones done within Scouting or troop activities.” Is this accurate?

Related to this, can a troop committee make it mandatory that service hours must be pre-approved by the Scoutmaster before they’re carried out?

And seems I read in the BSA GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT that a troop committee can add a requirement, like the Scout must be in uniform for his board of review (for any rank). Is this one correct? Thanks! (Name & Council Withheld)

On the “environment” for rendering service, that blog is correct…to a point. The BSA does permit a Scoutmaster to approve (or not) the nature of a Scout’s service for the ranks from Tenderfoot through Life, but the BSA is silent on whether or not it can be made mandatory that this service be only in a Scouting-related activity. So thin about it: I, for one, can’t even begin to imagine how any Scoutmaster with service in his or her heart and contributing good-citizenship as the ultimate goal would even consider denying a Scout who, on his own initiative, wishes to perform service outside of a specific patrol or troop “activity.”

On your second question: It’s fundamental BSA advancement policy that nobody but NOBODY can change any requirement, period. So no: Nobody can enforce “pre-approval” when the BSA doesn’t say pre-approval is required. Period.

For number three: The BSA makes it perfectly clear (check the GTA Topic 8.0.0.4) that wearing the Scout uniform cannot be made mandatory for boards of review (or anything else, for that matter). Uniforming is, without hesitation, always encouraged; but it can’t be enforced. (This ain’t the “Junior Army”!)
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Hi Andy,

At a recent Commissioners College, the topic of one session was “Recording advancement.” The session leader—a council staffer responsible for oversight on advancement reporting—posed this question: Who, in your troop, is ultimately responsible for certifying that a Scout has completed all requirements for rank advancement? After a bit of discussion, this staffer told our group that the correct answer is the Scoutmaster, and she went on to say that the purpose of the Scoutmaster conference to verify that the Scout truly has met the requirements. To “prove” this, she told the story of a Tenderfoot Scout going for Second Class who, in his Scoutmaster conference, couldn’t name ten animals (req. 4), so his Scoutmaster withheld his signature until the Scout could come back to him and demonstrate that he did remember the wild animals he’d names when he originally completed this requirement.

When I stood my ground and pointed out that the Scoutmaster conference can take place before all other requirements are complete, and is absolutely not supposed to be a re-test of any kind, this staffer’s response was that troops should adopt the practice of saving the conference until all other requirements have been completed, so that her Tommy Tenderfoot example can be prevented. By doing this, she effectively dodged the “no re-testing” angle, never addressed the true purpose of these conferences, and continued to treat them as “pass-fail” scenarios!

In further thinking about this, I see no difference between a board of review’s re-testing a Scout and a Scoutmaster doing so—and it’s simply wrong. That Tenderfoot Scout already had the requirement signed off by someone authorized to do so, and that’s that. Moreover, the GTA Topic 4.2.1.2 states this precisely.

Am I misreading or misunderstanding the GTA? (After all, that staffer, as the Scouting professional responsible for council advancement reporting, she carries unspoken “weight” as being current and correct (or so I’d think). (Name & Council Withheld)

As for who’s ultimately responsible for troop advancement reports, I’d observe that it starts with the members of the board of review and goes from there to the troop’s committee member who’s responsible for advancement reporting (typically carries the title “advancement chair” or “advancement coordinator”—but whichever it is, the job’s the same).

Scoutmaster conferences: These are for staying in touch with the Scouts and how they’re doing in their lives—not just Scouting! A Scout has a conference with his Scoutmaster; he neither “passes” nor ever “fails.”

As for that Tommy Tenderfoot scenario, if, in a board of review, an exploratory (not re-testing) question is asked, such as “What animals did you observe?” or “Which did you do? Did you see, track, or photograph them?” and the Scout has a brain-freeze, help him out! If his handbook’s signed in all the right places, and the conversation goes well (which it should in 99.9% of all such reviews), then he advances to his next ranks.

Finally, a professional staffer misrepresenting a stated BSA policy: When misinformation is dished out by so-called professionals, it creates a “Well, ‘council’ said…” situation that becomes doubly difficult to ever correct (if that’s even possible!). I’m concerned that a Scouting professional who’s training Scouters at a Commissioner College doesn’t seem to grasp the fact that they’re got to get it right. I’m obliged to say that twenty lashes with a wet lanyard are in order.
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Hi Andy,

Partial merit badges can be the nemesis of any Scout troop. And occasionally BSA will update the requirements. My question: Can a Scout start a merit badge under the old requirements and finish under the new, provided he has completed all of the new requirements? Is there anything that says he can’t do this? It seems that new requirements are often more stringent, but there are instances where the new requirements are actually more attainable for a particular Scout. Can you enlighten? (Lee Murray, SM, Nevada Area Council)

When merit badge or rank requirements are updated by the BSA’s advancement team (which is 99% volunteers like you n’ me, by the way), ample time is provided for finishing up under the “old” requirements so long as the merit badge or rank was indeed begun *before* the new requirements kicked in. Usually, it’s a full year! But there is a “sunset date” and it’s widely published (always in SCOUTING Magazine, for instance).

“Partials” are good, of course, right up to a Scout’s 18th birthday cake; that’s the only “expiration date” for any advancement-related endeavor.

Let’s say a Scout started a merit badge at some time in 2017 and starting on January 1 of 2018 one or more requirements changed. Usually, a Scout has all of 2018 to wrap up this merit badge while sticking with the “old” requirements. But if the partial is now a couple of years old, then guess what? Yup, he’s now obliged to complete that merit badge with the new requirements, as published every year in the BOY SCOUT REQUIREMENTS book for the most current year.

Now some might call this “unfair!” And others might say, “You snooze—you lose!” Neither is really appropriate, especially if the Scout is working with a conscientious counselor who lets the Scout know there’s a “sunset” approaching the horizon, so that the Scout can make an informed decision for himself.

In short, it’s mostly up to the Scout to stay on top of his own advancement plans and progress. Is this “too much to expect”? Well, Scouting’s like that (thank goodness)! It’s the one place in his young life where he can screw up and it ain’t “lethal” or “punishable” (unless the Scout decides to kick himself around the block for letting things get away from him!).

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 563 – 4/13/2018 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2018]