Issue 639 – April 28, 2020

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Hey Andy,

How do I search all 638 of your issues a specific topic without having to open every individual issue? (Tony)

There’s deliberately no index. That’s because there are rarely “blanket” answers that will apply to every nuance of every situation folks have been writing to me about these past 19 years! And when there’s a single answer with no nuances (like “What do the two stars on the Scout badge stand for?”) my usual answer is “RTFM”—Read The Friendly Manual.

So the best way to get an answer to your question is just write to me and ask. This way, I know what you need and can give you the best answer possible for your question.

Just so you know, you’ll get a personal answer from me every time, so you won’t have to wait and see if it pops up in a column!
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Hi Andy,

I’m almost Eagle, and I’ve run out of time. I’ve done all my requirements, except for my Eagle project report, and my 18th birthday is in two days. I’ve had what my Dad calls “writer’s block” and just can’t seem to get this done in time. My Dad said to write to you. Is there any way I can get an extension or something? I’ve been in Scouts since I was a Tiger Cub and I’ve worked hard to get here, but I’ve hit a wall and don’t know what to do. (Sean, Life Scout)

No worries! First, writing that report isn’t affected by your 18th birthday. So long as all the project work is done, and you have sign-off that the work was completed before your 18th birthday, the rest is just “paperwork.”

The second bit if good news is that you’ve already written ninety percent of your project report already written—it’s all in your project proposal! Think about it. When you wrote your proposal, you used the “future” tense to discuss what you planned to do (e.g., “We will…” and “I will…”). So now all you need to do is change the proposal to “past” tense (“We built…” “We did…” “I did…”) and plug it into the report section. The only things you’ll actually need to write from scratch are whatever may have changed, and why the changes, if any, were made.

So, knowing that you’re 90% already there, and you can finish it up right after your birthday, go enjoy your party! (And be sure to thank your father for suggesting you write to me!)
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Hi Andy,

I’m trying to get some insights on a couple of issues about merit badges that our troop committee has been discussing lately.

One issue is who, besides the Scoutmaster, can sign off on a “blue card.”

The GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT (Topic 7.0.0.3) says that the “unit leader” (in our case, Scoutmaster) can, in certain circumstances delegate this responsibility to others, as in “…should be entrusted to a knowledgeable assistant unit leader.” The use of “should” is a point of confusion for us. One of our committee members is a lawyer, and he says that the word “should” is a suggestion only, leaving our Scoutmaster open to delegating this to any leader. Is this right? Is it actually okay for a Scoutmaster choose any leader instead of an Assistant Scoutmaster?

The second issue is who is authorized to say that a requirement wasn’t earned.

According to the GTE (Topic 7.0.4.7), it is allowable for a requirement to be declared as not having been fulfilled. But the process only mentions the unit leader. Our question is whether or not this must be only the Scoutmaster’s responsibility, or can others be delegated to make decisions about requirements not having been met. For instance, could the troop’s advancement chair or an Assistant Scoutmaster do this? (Puzzled Merit Badge Counselor)

First let’s take care of a definition. The GTA regularly refers to the term, “unit leader” because Scouts can earn Scout ranks and merit badges while members of BSA units other than troops. In the case of Sea Scouts, for instance, they’re members of a ship instead of a troop and the key adult leader is a Skipper (the Skipper’s “second” is the Mate). In Venturing, the corresponding positions are Advisor and Associate Advisor. So, rather than continually saying “Scoutmaster, Skipper, or Advisor, the shorthand chosen by the BSA is simply “unit leader.” Therefore, since you’re affiliated with a troop, you’re correctly translating “unit leader” as Scoutmaster, and any “assistants” referred to in the GTA or elsewhere will be Assistant Scoutmasters.

With that out of the way, yes, in certain circumstances such as those the GTA describes, the Scoutmaster can delegate “blue card” signing to a qualified Assistant Scoutmaster. Here, the key isn’t this “should” issue; it’s the “qualified” issue, and it’s not the “signing” that’s the important part; it’s the quality of knowing the Scout.

If the “other leader” (whether Assistant Scoutmaster or not) doesn’t know the Scouts as individuals; doesn’t know where they are along the advancement trail and what’s coming up next for them, doesn’t have an inkling of their other interests and their family background, and doesn’t know what their general strengths are, then they’re not “qualified” to have an informed conversation with a Scout who’s interested in a particular merit badge.

A qualified Assistant Scoutmaster is the obvious choice, because members of the troop committee don’t have regular and ongoing contact with the Scouts of the troop. Committee members are a support group for the troop and the “direct contact” adult leaders: The Scoutmaster and any assistants. (In actuality, committee members are support staff that assist in providing the underpinning and financing for the Scoutmaster and assistants to deliver the Scouting program to the youth members.)

About this “should” vs. “must” issue, your lawyer committee member is certainly correct: they have different meanings. But this difference isn’t intended to provide “loopholes” through which a troop’s adult volunteers can act in some willy-nilly fashion that disregards to purpose and intent of Scouting’s merit badge program.

On to your second issue, about who is authorized to say that a requirement wasn’t earned, the best answer to that is: nobody. Once a registered Merit Badge Counselor has signed a Scout’s “blue card” signifying that the Scout has completed all requirements, that signature will stand except in highly unusual instances—instances so rare that one can devote decade upon decade to Scouting and never once encounter a problem in this arena. This is why the Scoutmaster’s second signature, when the Scout gives the Scoutmaster the two remaining segments of the blue card, does not signify “approval” but simply (as stated on the blue card itself) that the Scout’s completion of that merit badge has been recorded by the troop.

Since you’re asking your questions as a Merit Badge Counselor, keep in mind that you’re the “final word” on a Scout’s completing a merit badge’s requirements. No merit badge can ever be “taken away” from a Scout by anybody. If you say the Scout completed all requirements as written, then that’s that!

Till next week, please stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
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. 639 – 4/28/2020 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2020]