I started this column just over two years ago, and since then, my notoriety\u2019s been spreading. A number of councils around the country are reproducing this column or parts of it on a regular basis on their websites or in their printed newsletters. I\u2019m honored that this is happening. Here are two of the more recent requests…<\/p>\n
Hi Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d like to run your column as a regular feature in our Council’s newsletter. I think it could prove to be a great asset to our leaders. (Tony Vogl, Senior District Executive, Connecticut Yankee Council)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I just read my first ever \u201cASK ANDY\u201d column, and I want to give you a big round of applause (hands clapping in circular motion)! This is a great column, and I\u2019d like to include parts of it in my monthly Commissioner’s Newsletter. Thanks for taking the time to do this! (Richard Kusmierczyk, District Commissioner, Osceola District, West Central Florida Council) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n To both Tony and Richard…and others who have asked and have been doing this for a while now\u2014THANK YOU! Please spread the word in your councils, because the more readers, the more good questions, and the more help we can all be for one another! \u201cBorrow” whatever you’d like. But…do keep in mind that this is original material and I do expect to be credited, including my name and email address.<\/p>\n For those who may have done some \u201cborrowing\u201d without asking, you need to know that the drawing of me is not<\/span> \u201cclip-art\u201d\u2014that is ME<\/span>\u2014and the words of the answers are mine as well, so if you\u2019re going to borrow, then ask! Heck, I\u2019ll always say Yes. Let\u2019s just all respect this symbol\u2014\u00a9\u2014as much as we do the Scout Emblem!<\/p>\n (Publisher’s Note<\/strong> – In Scouting we lead by example and our example is what we expect our Scouts to see as the right way to do things. We expect Scouts to respect the property of others, not to steal, and not to cheat – A Scout is Trustworthy. When using the web we need to make sure that we give the right example by always getting permission to reprint or ‘borrow’ material. We need to credit original authors and not make it look like our own work. And we need to remember that instead of ‘taking’ material that isn’t ours, we should instead link to it on the website of the original author. Scouts will learn from your example and be less likely to engage in plagiarism, software piracy or music piracy. — Michael F. Bowman – The NetCommish) Back to Andy . . .<\/span><\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s take a look inside this month\u2019s mailbag . . .<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m confused. Yes, I know the title of our organization is \u201cBoy Scouts of America,\u201d yet I find that our written, verbalized and practiced profession seems to suggest a division between the terms: Boy, Scout and Scouter. What\u2019s the difference between these three terms, and why do so many of us take personal advantage of our perceived positions-ranks? (Cecily Garnhardt)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n “Boy” commonly refers to a male youth (i.e., under age 18) who’s not<\/span> a member of the BSA. “Scout” means a youth who is a registered member of the BSA. Commonly, and more particularly, if he’s a Cub Scout, he’s often called a “Cub” and if he’s a Boy Scout he’s often called a “Scout.” “Scouter” refers to an adult volunteer registered in the BSA, and includes everyone\u2014both men and women\u2014from Commissioners to committee members to Den Leaders and Cubmasters\/Scoutmasters. But there\u2019s more… \u201cExplorers\u201d are male and female youth members of Explorer Posts; \u201cSea Scouts\u201d are, well, Sea Scouts (actually, they\u2019re also older youth, and they\u2019re members of Sea Scout ships); and \u201cVenturers\u201d are youth members of Venturing Crews. And as to the second part of your question, I\u2019m guessing the same kinds of people who try to \u201cpull rank\u201d in Scouting do it elsewhere in their lives too.<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m the Unit Commissioner for a Troop with a \u201cproblem Scout\u201d \u2013 he\u2019s a 15-year-old who can\u2019t keep his hands off of other (mostly the younger) Scouts. No, I don\u2019t mean in a sexual sense. I mean he likes to grab kids from behind and squeeze their chests and lift them off of the ground. The Scoutmaster\u2019s yelled at him, but this doesn\u2019t stop it. Every time the SM turns his back, this Scout\u2019s at it again. What the heck do we do about this, short of calling his parents and having them take him home? (B.E., New Jersey)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m going to give you the exact words to use that will make this Scout stop instantly. Here they are: \u201c(NAME), if you like hugging other Scouts, I\u2019m sorry but you\u2019ll have to do your hugging after the Troop meeting\u2019s over.\u201d<\/em> Do this exactly this way, with sufficient volume for your voice to \u201ccarry,\u201d and it will never happen again \u2013 I guarantee it!<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a new District Commissioner (I\u2019ve been an ADC for a couple of years), and I have a confusing contradiction from what you\u2019ve stated and what our Assistant Council Commissioner has stated about Commissioners sitting on the Troop-level Boards of Review. The ACC recently stated that if there aren\u2019t enough committee members to fill a BOR, a Commissioner can fill in as a member. I contested this with him, having just read your words to the contrary. He said that a Commissioner can sit in, but has no vote. Is this correct, or is he mistaken? Is there a resource for this information that I can access? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I also have a Troop that has an advancement chair who allows anybody to sit on the board, including ASMs and non-registered adults. The Troop\u2019s Committee Chair is on my side, and tries to insist that Troop have only registered committee members sit on Boors. The response we get is, \u201cI\u2019m the advancement chair and you should butt out.\u201d This guy\u2019s been doing this for years, he says, and he knows what he\u2019s doing. (Ty Roshdy, DC, Golden Empire Council, Sacramento, Ca.) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n To your first question: Your ACC you refer to is technically correct, but so what? So a Commissioner “sits in” as an observer for a B-O-R… what of it? Since the Commissioner is an observer only, and has no vote, his or her mere presence doesn’t satisfy the requirement for a quorum \u2013 The Troop still needs to provide a minimum of three folks, and unless it’s an Eagle board, all three need to be registered committee members of that Troop. Whatever point your ACC is trying to make with his notion of Commissioners \u201csitting in\u201d on Boors is beyond me! And you bet there\u2019s a resource! Get your hands on a BSA publication called “Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures.” It\u2019s all spelled out with excellent clarity. Here\u2019s what it says about boards of review (national policy, we know, can’t be changed for the convenience of any unit, district, or council)…<\/p>\n – B-O-Rs from Tenderfoot through Life, plus Eagle PALMS: No less than 3, no more than 6 adults, all registered members of the Troop committee and specifically EXCLUDING SMs AND ASMs and relatives of the Scout. One Scout at a time.<\/p>\n – Eagle B-O-R: No less than 3 nor more than 6 “adults who understand the importance of the rank” \u2013 this is the one and only time they don’t have to be registered in the BSA (they can be, but they don’t have to be) — but with the SAME EXCLUSIONS AS ABOVE.<\/p>\n – About that SM exclusion\u2014The SM may sit in as an observer at ANY<\/em> BOR, but without either a voice or vote.<\/p>\n – If a parent\u2019s the SM, the \u201cSM rule\u201d doesn\u2019t apply; the parent rule does.<\/p>\n As for that advancement chair, what he’s been doing “for years” is so wrong as to be comical if it didn’t affect the Scouts. Sounds like \u201cone year of experience, repeated 20 times\u201d instead of any true experience or growth. Replacing him with Jo-Jo, The Dog-Faced Boy would be better than keeping him, especially with the attitude he\u2019s showing his Troop\u2019s Chairman and a Commissioner!<\/p>\n Let’s talk a little more… The Commissioner’s job is one of the most rewarding and simultaneously one of the most difficult in all of Scouting. A large part of this is because it’s 100% responsibility with 0% authority! You can’t be the “council cop” or “program police” or “Scouting’s SWAT team”\u2014You\u2019re a diplomat and ambassador, rolled into one. This means your job is to convince more than correct, persuade more than push, refine more than reinvent, refocus more than reform. This requires utmost gentleness and minimal force. It’s the equivalent of a feather and the antithesis of a battle axe. And the most important quality of a good Commissioner is patience\u2014patience with people who just aren’t getting it, and patience to understand that re-aiming a person or unit closer to the True North of Scouting takes more than a moment of argument. It\u2019s like turning the wheel of an oil tanker and then knowing you\u2019ll have to wait a while before you begin to see the bow move a little bit toward the new course.<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n As Scoutmaster (and a fairly new one) of a pretty established Troop, I\u2019ve had to advise our Troop\u2019s Senior Patrol Leader and the Patrol Leaders in our PLC that, sometimes, their ideas for Troop activities need a little redirection. Last week, the PLC wanted the Troop to spend a Saturday \u201cpaint-balling.\u201d I had to tell them that, while this would be fun, it\u2019s not an \u201capproved\u201d Scouting activity, so they\u2019ll need to come up with another idea. In another case, about a month ago, we were car-camping and a bear wandered near our Troop\u2019s campsite. Without checking with me first, the SPL immediately ordered the PLs to drop everything, clear the campsite and move all of the Scouts back down to where the cars had been parked. The result was that the bear had a field-day ransacking a couple of tents that had food in them, tore up a couple of sleeping bags with \u201cstashes\u201d of candy, and then continued to wander around the campsite. I called for a PLC right away, and told the SPL and PLs to reassemble the Troop, grab up the pots and pans, form a bunched-together line, and make all the noise they could by banging the pots and pans and shouting. The bear meandered off, and I quickly called for the SPL and PLs to inspect every tent and gather all \u201csmellables\u201d for removal to the cars\u2019 trunks (there was a ton of them\u2014from GORP to Gummy Bears!). The rest of the weekend proceeded without further incident. But, now, the SPL has convinced the PLs (and some regular Scouts in the Troop, too) that I\u2019m not \u201cletting\u201d this be a \u201cScout-run Troop,\u201d and they\u2019ve called for a meeting of the Troop Committee to demand (Yes, \u201cdemand\u201d) my removal as SM. Although I\u2019ve taken all the training required for my position, no one\u2019s ever talked about anything like this! Are they right\u2014am I out-of-line here ? Or not? Help! (Sign me: Confused SM in New Jersey)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Stick to your guns\u2014you\u2019re not out-of-line at all! And if this SPL doesn\u2019t have the brains to realize that part of your job as Scoutmaster is to be the Troop\u2019s \u201csafety net,\u201d well, it may be time for another Troop election! Same goes for the Patrol Leaders. When it comes to issues of safety, health, and following BSA national policies, the Scoutmaster has to absolutely be the final word. Otherwise, chaos reigns and the program goes astray in major ways. So, get with your Committee Chair right away, to make sure you\u2019re both on the same page here (he\u2019d better be, or this is a really messed up Troop!). Let the SPL and PLs make their \u201cpresentation,\u201d and be sure you\u2019re there to hear it, too. Then, you and the CC can both set these young men straight, and help them start focusing on their own jobs instead of yours. Once this has settled down, your next job as SM\u2014actually, it\u2019s the most important job you have!\u2014is to run a Troop Junior Leader Training program, so that everyone\u2019s on the same page, and understands why.<\/p>\n Hey Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve asked this question of many Scouters and can\u2019t get an answer: What type of knot is tied to the bottom of the Scout badge? When you look at one, it appears to be a hangman’s noose, but I know it\u2019s not that. Some have said it is an overhand knot. What do you think it is, and how is it tied and affixed to the bottom of the badge? (Pat Gargan, Scoutmaster, Troop 469, Madison, NY)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Easy! Here’s what my own \u201cHandbook for Boys\u201d says: “The knot at the bottom of the badge\u2014a simple overhand knot\u2014is a reminder that a Scout does a good turn to someone daily.” So there you are!<\/p>\n Thanks, Andy, but I did know what the handbooks said. Here\u2019s the real problem: How can it be a simple overhand knot when it has a loop and what appears to be no ends? My problem is not that I don’t believe it\u2019s an overhand knot, but how do you tie it the way it\u2019s pictured so that it comes out the same as it appears? (Pat Gargan)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s a different question, and you may be looking for “reality” in a place of symbolism. The “stars” on the Scout badge certainly wouldn’t be approved by Carl Sagan, nor the Eagle by Audubon, but there they are, anyway! So, stick with the symbolism of the knot, and teach your Scouts to appreciate it, but don’t try to have them duplicate it in a knot-tying contest!<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I found your column while doing a search for some information on Eagle Palms. I always hear that 2% to 4% of Scouts reach the rank of Eagle. Are there any statistics about the percentage of Eagles that reach each of the Eagle palms? (What percentage make Bronze, etc.) Is there a resource that might have this info? (Dave Mason)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n That’s a great question, but I don’t have an equally great answer for you. Here’s what SCOUTING Magazine has to say on the subject: “The Boy Scouts of America does not keep records, nor do councils, on Eagle Palms…” Too bad, because that’s the kind of information that’s useful in encouraging Scouts to keep on keepin’ on! If you ever do find anything on this, send it in and I\u2019ll publish it, for all my readers.<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n When my son became Cub Scout age, he joined a Pack at his school and I was recruited to be Assistant Cubmaster. That was OK with me\u2014I was a Scout myself as a boy. But then last year, just as I too on the job of Webelos Den Leader, our Cubmaster\u2019s son \u201caged out\u201d and I got recruited to be Cubmaster, too. Meanwhile, I\u2019d been asked to be a member of the district\u2019s Roundtable staff, which I had said Yes to. Now, with three Scouting \u201cjobs\u201d I\u2019m not home as much as I\u2019d like, my son isn\u2019t as enthusiastic as he once was (I\u2019m getting worried that he might not want to be a Boy Scout), and my wife\u2019s not exactly thrilled with my nights out. Plus, our daughter\u2019s started complaining that, thanks to the Boy Scouts, she never sees her Daddy anymore. How can I juggle these jobs and get my family back on track? (B.H., Middlesex, NJ)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Buddy, your family\u2019s not off the track\u2014you<\/span> are! Personally, I\u2019m really not thrilled with the \u201chats-piled-high\u201d approach to volunteering in Scouting. Fact is, I think it\u2019s a great killer\u2014of people and units, too. Especially the Cubmaster-Den Leader dual role. And, let\u2019s face it, brother, nobody put those \u201chats\u201d on your head except YOU. So, it\u2019s time to shed a couple, because the other three members of your family\u2014your wife, your son, and your daughter, too\u2014are absolutely right! But, Scouting\u2019s not to blame\u2014you are! Time to grow a spine and say, \u201cThanks, I\u2019m honored, but NOT RIGHT NOW.\u201d If you were just the Cubmaster, or just the Webelos Den Leader (take your pick), you reasonably should be looking at just three to at the most four evenings a month: One for the Roundtable, one for the Pack committee\/Den Leader meeting, and one for the Pack meeting itself, plus maybe one evening at home, for “prep” work. That\u2019s only once a week, and that leaves lots of time for you to spend with your own son. And your wife. And your daughter. THEY are the ones who need you most! When folks insist on wearing several Scouting “hats,” the ones who lose the most are the very children we’re supposed to be doing this for. So, I encourage you to focus your energies where they’ll do the most good\u2014on your own son, and then his friends in his Den. Now, you’re gonna tell me, “If I don’t do the job, no one will stand up and the job won’t get done at all.” Well, go ahead and say that, if you like. But I’m going to tell you this: The best leaders of volunteers\u2014in or out of Scouting\u2014are the ones who can get others to volunteer, too. If you\u2019re going to \u201crescue\u201d your Pack by taking on multiple jobs, who\u2019s going to rescue you, when your family throws you and your uniform into the doghouse? Ask yourself this: How will my own son appreciate what Scouting has to offer if I’m never home to share the vision with HIM? Besides, if your wife isn’t exactly overjoyed with your spending so much time on Scouting stuff, how’s that workin’ for you? You\u2019d better start remembering: “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” Think about it!<\/p>\n Hi Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n In the 2002-2004 Insignia Guide there\u2019s no information on where to wear the Risk Zone and Youth Protection emblems on the uniform shirt. Are these actually \u201cofficial\u201d and where can information on the placement of them be found? Dennis Vega<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n My local Scout Shop experts told me all about these two. These “trained” patches for RZ and YP are treated as patches in the “temporary” category\u2014this has to do more with location on the uniform than permanence. Insignia in the “temporary” class go on the RIGHT pocket ONLY. For these two small ones, either or both can be placed at the bottom of the pocket (but not below the bottom seam of the pocket), and below any other temporary patch (such as a summer camp or camporee or other patch). Or, if there\u2019s no other temporary patch, they may be centered on the pocket itself (but definitely NOT on the flap\u2014this location is reserved exclusively for OA “flap” patches). Unlike the red-bordered \u201cTRAINED\u201d insignia that’s worn on the left sleeve, signifying unit leadership training, these are definitely not placed in a similar sleeve position, even though they, also, say “trained.”<\/p>\n Dear Andy,<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Where can I find the list of current Merit Badge Counselors for my home council? (Bill Baldwin, Troop 1, Mendham, NJ) <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Merit Badge Counselors are typically approved by your council’s advancement committee and registered through your council’s service center, but the actual lists are more usually maintained by each of the districts in the council. So, I’d start by asking your district’s advancement chair for the current list. If there’s no answer there, I’d reach out to the council advancement chair. As a last resort, your council service center might have the list you’re looking for. Good luck!<\/p>\n Dear Andy, <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Please send me a Merit Badge Counselors list\u2014I\u2019m in the Patriots\u2019 Path Council, in New Jersey. (M.C., Explorer Post Advisor)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Seems we have a misunderstanding here. I answer questions; I’m not in the “fulfillment” business. Check with your district’s advancement chair or committee for a list of Merit Badge Counselors\u2014they’re the folks who are usually charged with updating and publishing this. Or, as an alternative, check with your local council’s service center\u2014someone there might have the list and can send it to you. Now I have a question for YOU\u2014Explorers don’t earn Merit Badges…So why would you need a list of MBCs?<\/p>\n Explorers age 14 to 18 can earn Merit Badges. It\u2019s an unusual situation, because girls can be explorers and as such can earn Merit Badges. In my Post, we have none earned by girls yet. (M.C., Explorer Post Advisor, Assistant Scoutmaster, & Commissioner)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n NOOOOOO, Sir! Explorers do NOT earn merit badges. Young men, who are dual registered as both Boy Scouts and Explorers (which is perfectly OK), can earn merit Badges, because they are registered Boy Scouts. Do NOT (repeat: NOT!<\/span>) suggest to anyone that a youth who is registered only as an Explorer\u2014whether male or female\u2014can earn Merit Badges. They can\u2019t. This IS “in the book”\u2014it\u2019s not my “opinion.” And this is not a discussion of \u201cmy opinion versus your opinion.\u201d Got it? Good! This is something you need to know, as an Advisor, an ASM, and most importantly as a Commissioner!<\/p>\nHi again, Andy,<\/span><\/em><\/h1>\n
As always, your advice is just as I thought it would be. Sometimes I just need that second opinion and shot in the arm. Thanks for the encouragement. When the units and district are working well, that\u2019s my reward! Thanks so much! (Ty Roshdy) <\/span><\/em><\/h1>\n