Issue 567 – May 23, 2018

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Dear Andy,

Thank you for your informative and insightful columns! In light of the upcoming changes, I have a question… Why is it that the “Boy” Scout program has no restriction on the gender of the adult leaders providing oversight (this can be both male and female and even be two females on a Boy Scout campout), but if there are female Scouts present (or even female Venturers) there must be at least one adult female present? Do you see, or have you heard of, this changing in the future? (Tony Curatolo, ASM, Nevada Area Council)

You’ve asked a valid and interesting question, but this one’s above my pay-grade. I’ll suggest checking with your home council’s health & safety committee for the best possible explanation.
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Dear Andy,

I’m a member of our district’s advancement committee and I’m working toward the Scouter’s Training Award. Under “Performance,” the first requirement is: “Take part actively in at least six district committee meetings.” How does one interpret the “take part actively” aspect of this requirement? Specifically, what is considered “actively”? (Jim Trombla, DCM, Circle Ten Council, TX)

How about first: show up; and second: engage in the conversation around the table. These two should satisfy the requirement (which is a simple “Scout’s honor” procedure, BTW—There’s no “test”) and be a lot more rewarding for you, too!
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Hi Andy,

In last few months I’ve heard of or read about now-adult Eagle Scouts and illegal actions: burglary, drug dealing, and sometimes worse. I find this very disappointing and disheartening, and it’s pretty personal (one of the Scouts for whom I chaired his Eagle board of review several years back just got himself arrested—and it sure wasn’t for not feeding the parking meter!).

Recently, I stepped in to stop a petition from families trying to get a young man stripped of his Eagle rank after he, his brother, and his father were arrested and convicted of illegally selling opioids. I stepped in because these families thought there was some “authority” that could rescind that rank; they didn’t know that, once earned, it can’t be revoked: It’s Eagle-for-life no matter what unethical or illegal decisions one might make at some point beyond this.

Our mission as volunteers is to model the Scout Oath and Law and to instill their values in the youth we’re here to serve, so that—whether they earn Eagle or not—they’re better equipped to make ethical and moral decisions. So when I hear or read about wayward young men or young women who were Scouts, I have to tell myself they’re a tiny, tiny minority. Sometimes, this isn’t easy. (Chet)

Yes, we Scouting volunteers do our level best—to varying degrees based on our own abilities—to instill the values you’ve described, and in probably 99.9% of all Scouting youth, we’re successful. But that 0.1% will likely always be present, as in the cases I read about should I succumb to Googling “Eagle/Scout arrested.”

I guess it’s sort of like standing in the shower… Most of the water hits us, but not all, and sometimes we’re not quite completely soaked. Darned shame. But then I think about how many we’ve actually made a difference for!

On rescinding Eagle, you’re smack on the ball: There’s no authority, either in the BSA itself or anywhere else, that’s permitted to take this (or any other) rank away, once earned. Personally, I think this is a good thing. In point of cold fact, I had an incident in my life, many years ago, where I lost so much that one of the precious few things I had left was reminding myself that I’m still an Eagle Scout and nobody can take that away from me. This actually helped me through that life-crisis and I’m not certain what I’d be like today if someone had come along and stripped me of that rank. (Thank goodness that’s impossible!)

So let’s keep on keepin’ on — It’s still worth our time, talents, and treasure!
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Hi Andy,

I’m a Life Scout working towards Eagle. I’ve served as Troop Bugler for a while now, but I’ve always played my trombone for the calls. I’m wondering if I can use my trombone to fulfill the requirements for the Bugling merit badge. (I’d like to learn to play the bugle, but because the embouchure is so different for a trombone, compared to a bugle or even a trumpet, that I don’t really have time to do that right now. Can I use my trombone for this merit badge? Thanks! (Jeff)

Well let’s start with the requirements, which tell us that you can use a bugle, trumpet, or cornet…but trombone isn’t listed. I’d say it’s time to have a conversation with a counselor for Bugling. Ask him or her what you’ve just asked me. Do this in-person; avoid email!

My instrument isn’t in the brass family, so let’s call the “embouchure” the mouthpiece. A little bit of research tells me that you may be able to fit a trombone mouthpiece to a qualifying brass and, with a little work on your part, get good enough with an alternative horn that you’ll be able to nail the requirements for Bugling!

I’m guessing you’d like to get Bugling as an “elective” merit badge toward the 21 you need for Eagle, and you’re hoping this will be a no-brainer. But, if you really think about it, the purpose of merit badges isn’t really to “get a badge” for something you already know about or know how to do. Merit badges are all about stretching yourself and learning something brand-new that you can tuck into your “knowledge toolbox.” So consider a subject that you don’t know much about, but would like to! There are more than a hundred different topics available to you, so “stretch” yourself a bit! (Hey, this is part of the fun of Scouting!)
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Dear Andy,

I’m doing my best to get my two sons qualified for the BSA National Outdoor Awards. One is a 16 year-old Life Scout on his way to Eagle, and the other is age 20, already an Eagle, and active in his Venturing crew. I’ve reviewed their accomplishments at the suggestion of our troop’s advancement chair and everything looks okay, but I need to check on one thing I may have missed… Can my older son earn these through the Venturing program? (Involved Mom)

The simple answer is yes; however, I’m sorta concerned about a different aspect here, so I’ll ask…

If one of your sons is 16 and his older brother is 20, what’s keeping them from taking charge of their own Scouting destinies? At these ages, both mom and dad need to be stepping back—they’re not Cub Scouts anymore! Your younger son should be checking for himself with his Scoutmaster and troop advancement coordinator, and your older son should certainly be doing the same in his Venturing crew! After all, these are their awards, and they need to own them, every step of the way!
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Hey Andy,

I’ve just recently take on the role of Cubmaster for our pack. When I was first approached to do this, I wasn’t too keen about the idea, but the parents nominated me and voted, and I accepted.

But now we’re having a problem with an Assistant Cubmaster, and parents are expressing concerns. To begin with, this ACM has skipped a lot of meetings without notice. Then, with this ACM in charge of meeting notices, “somehow” I was given the wrong start-time for our Blue & Gold, making me late to the banquet. But at the B&G, when a committee member approached the ACM (who was there on time, of course) asking to start with the flag ceremony and opening, this request was refused because “that’s not my job!” And this ACM continues to show up with no uniform at all, setting a pretty poor example for the other volunteers as well as the Cubs themselves.

Is there some way we can remove or replace this ACM? I don’t want to make it seem like I’m coming in and trying to be power-hungry, but parents’ concerns make this something we need to address. Apparently there have been several prior conversations about lack of consistent attendance and non-cooperative attitude.

We don’t have regular pack committee meetings, but we do have parent meetings. Do we just take a simple vote on this? (Brand-New Cubmaster)

Volunteer adult positions in Scouting units—including Cub Scout packs—aren’t “voted in” (or “voted on”) by anyone. The correct process for this is that it’s a decision made, most typically, by the pack’s Committee Chair. In the case of an Assistant Cubmaster, the Committee Chair is well-advised to consult with the Cubmaster. If they agree that an ACM is a detriment to the Cub Scout program that you all are collectively working to deliver with quality, then the Committee Chair simply thanks the ACM for his or her services and tells that person that their services are no longer needed—end of story.

If a “soft landing” can be carried out, by offering that ACM a responsibility on the pack committee that they’re capable of handling and would find rewarding, that would be a nice option; but it’s not a “mandatory” option.

Here’s the key: Make the decision in the best interests of the pack (meaning the Cubs and the other hard-working volunteers) and then carry it out compassionately. Waste no time— Time isn’t on your side.

Thanks for the quick response! Is there something I could find somewhere in a Scouting book or website that could confirm this? I believe you but everyone wants to make sure this is done right. One committee member says we needed letters to remove her. If there was something I could take to them from the BSA, we can get this done almost instantly.

Check page 2 of the BSA Adult Volunteer Application, where it states that the CR (Chartered Organization Representative), followed by (or in conjunction with) the CC (Committee Chair) have “hire-fire” authority over every adult volunteer in the unit.

Because this isn’t an “employment” situation, the CR or CC doesn’t have to “build a case”… No “three strikes,” no documentation, just a simple, “We think you’d be happier doing ___ for the pack…” or “Thank you for your services; they’ll no longer be needed,” and that’s that!

Importantly, there’s no “voting”…not by the pack committee or the parents or anybody else! This person isn’t “voted out” and nobody can “vote back in.” Further, the dismissed volunteer can’t “appeal” to the district or council because these two entities don’t “own” the pack; it’s owned by your chartered organization. This means that nobody can force you to recant and reinstate, once the termination is carried out.

But most important is this: YOU ALL NEED TRAINING! Find the soonest available position-specific Cub Scout Leader Training offered by your council or district and all of you sign up!

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. 567 – 5/23/2018 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2018]