Issue 632 – March 10, 2020

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I believe I’ve got the sharpest gang of readers on the planet! Thank you! Here’s some solid information that came in only a few hours after last week’s column was published…

Hi Andy,

Always enjoy reading your articles and advice. You weren’t wrong, but I have a little bit I’d like to add to your answer on Scuba Merit Badge.

Yes, for Scuba BSA the counselor must hold an instructor rating from an approved agency (including the ones you named), but it’s different for Scuba merit badge. The person providing the certification for req. 4 must hold an instructor rating or higher, but the actual merit badge counselor doesn’t need to. He or she must meet the usual requirements for all merit badge counselors, including being “proficient in the merit badge subject by vocation or avocation,” but that’s it. BTEW, asking the dive shop to become a counselor is a great idea—probably the best one—but not the only one. Keep up the good work Sir! (Cory Buckalew, Michigan Crossroads Council)
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Here’s another Scouter’s view on “discipline” that’s worth a read…

Hi Andy,

Every time I hear (or read) discussions about “discipline” my eyes start rolling to the back of my head. I don’t get how we can be about instilling values when we’re wrapped up in some “rule book.” My Scouts hear the same things that I learned as a Scout back in the 80’s—and they still work! It’s simple. It always comes back to the Scout Oath and Law. If a Scout’s picking on another, just ask him or her “And just how is that Friendly, Courteous, and Kind?” or if a Scout is just doing something dumb, it’s “Which part of the Oath or Law are you demonstrating right now?”

Yes, I’ve had to deal with Scouts who sometimes didn’t quite catch on. But the key I found is to deal with them right on the spot—none of that “Remember when you were on the campout last weekend, and you…?” That’s far too late! If it’s something that just can’t be handled on the spot, get in consultation with the Scout’s parent or guardian as soon as you get back home. But, if you really think about it, it’s going to be pretty rare for that to happen. (Kirk Wood)
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Hi Andy,

I just attended our council’s University of Scouting. An interesting question was posed by our council’s Merit Badge Dean: Is there any limit on how many merit badges a person can register as a merit badge counselor for? This arose because somebody did actually submit his Application to counsel one hundred of the BSA’s merit badges.

Now I personally don’t think there is or should be a limit; after all, the application we use in our council has four columns, where the first column is the name of the merit badge and the other three are for listing that person’s qualifications under the categories vocation, avocation, and special education or training. I myself am signed up for about fifty merit badges, since I earned 36 as a Scout and I’m already a counselor for most of those, plus—by virtue of my BS in Chemistry with a minor in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Safety Sciences with registration as a Professional Engineer—I’m signed up for most of the STEM merit badges. Then, from my 30-year career in public service, I counsel all of the Citizenship merit badges.

I’m sensitive to the Dean’s concern, but someone with broad interests and experience could indeed be qualified for dozens of merit badges. What do you think? (Name & Council Withheld)

The BSA policies on this aspect of counseling appear to be silent—I’ve not found anything published by the BSA National Office that states a maximum for merit badge counseling. However, if you check out the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT, you’ll find that it’s up to each council’s advancement committee to determine the level of subject matter expertise expected of a counselor for each merit badge he or she wishes to be listed for. And you’re correct that one’s qualifications are expected to be the result of one’s education, career or profession, or hobby/avocation, with the provision that having counseled a merit badge is not in itself a qualification. Moreover, simply being able to “stay a page or so ahead of the Scout” isn’t a qualification either. Similarly, having earned the merit badge as a Scout doesn’t make one an expert in the subject matter, because meri8t badges aren’t (and never have been) designed to make young people experts in any field of interest. They’re designed to be solid introductions to subject matter, as a way to encourage youth to discover areas of personal interest for future careers or avocations.

For example, I’m a counselor for Swimming and Lifesaving, based on the following: Red Cross Water Safety Instructor (commonly called WSI), Red Cross Senior Lifeguard, BSA National Aquatic School-NCS, BSA Lifeguard, BSA Lifeguard Counselor, former BSA Aquatics Director. But I’m not a counselor for Whitewater, even though I’ve counseled Canoeing and done whitewater myself. Same with skiing. Sure, I’ve got mile and miles of both Alpine and Nordic under my skis, but I’ve never applied for counseling this merit badge—just because I can ski doesn’t make me a coach for this sport.

If you can confidently counsel forty or more different subject areas, you’ve got a much broader set of qualifications that I’ll ever have. But here’s my question… Since the whole idea of having counselors and not “teachers” or—as one long-time Scouter put it to me (egad!)—“examiners” is for Scouts to “learn beyond the requirements” and to gain insights that aren’t “in the book,” how does one do that when that demands sets of expertise and insights in the dozens and beyond?

But this isn’t about either of us. The buck stops at the desk of the council advancement committee. If the MBC candidate can provide enough information to demonstrate that he or she is indeed and expert in a subject, then of course he or she would be a sought-after counselor for that subject matter. It’s up to that committee to determine the criteria that would constitute expertise.
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Hi Andy,

We have a Scout in our troop who has severe food allergies. His mom is on our troop’s committee and has attended all of the campouts that her son attends, due to his allergies. She even attended summer camp with him for the past two years. She carries his Epi pen on all trips. He’s now 13 years old.

We have a weekend camping trip coming up, and this Scout will be cooking his own food for the Cooking merit badge requirements. He’ll be with his patrol from Friday evening to Sunday morning; his mom will be there all day on Saturday.

Our question is about his safety around food and having an Epi pen available while he’s in camp without his mom. According to his mom, since he’ll be cooking his own food, there wasn’t a need to have an Epi pen on site. But we feel that since his AHMR includes an Epi pen under “medication needed,” and since we are well aware of his allergies, an Epi pen be available when he’s camping—in fact, this is exactly why his mother has been along on every campout for the past two years.

Is there any BSA regulation that needs to be followed for a situation like this? Does a parent always need to be on camping trips? Is the Scout required to be able to self-administer an Epi pen if needed? What are the unit leaders’ responsibilities and obligations beyond monitoring safe food handling procedures? Thanks! (Ron Rycharski)

I think there are two separate issues here: The EpiPen and the troop’s responsibilities. For the EpiPen, if the Scout’s parent says it’s not necessary on this trip, get that in writing from her, with her full signature. As for the troop’s responsibilities, your best resource is your home council’s risk management committee. This type of question is precisely what they’re for, so use your local resource to the maximum!

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.)

Although these columns are copyrighted, any reader has my permission to quote or reproduce any columns or column parts so long as you attribute authorship: “Ask Andy” by Andy McCommish.

[No. 632 – 3/10/2020 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2020]