{"id":1268,"date":"2012-05-31T22:59:50","date_gmt":"2012-06-01T02:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2012-05-31T22:59:50","modified_gmt":"2012-06-01T02:59:50","slug":"issue-313-june-1-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2012\/05\/issue-313-june-1-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 313 &#8211; June 1, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule No. 79:<\/span><\/strong><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Ready, fire, aim isn\u2019t always the best way to tackle a problem.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I noticed in one of your recent issues that you were sending a fellow Scouter a &#8220;Reader&#8217;s Digest&#8221; version of how a troop should operate.\u00a0 Any chance I could get a copy as well?<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re also a troop that\u2019s relatively new, in a sense\u2014we&#8217;re re-forming after being down to just a couple of Scouts.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve been urging our Scoutmaster along the right path, and now our patrols are formed, they\u2019ve elected their own Patrol Leaders, and our Senior Patrol Leader is now leading the PLC with guidance from the Scoutmaster.\u00a0 Strangely, it\u2019s much easier to do that with 30 Scouts than it was with just a handful.\u00a0 I think we&#8217;ve getting there!\u00a0 The Scouts are having a ball and doing the things Scouts do as opposed to sitting in a room listening to old goats talk, so a condensed version of &#8220;The Scouts run the troop\u2014the Scoutmaster interfaces with the SPL, and the rest of you hush up&#8221; would be great to read through and share with our newer parents!\u00a0 We all appreciate your columns and your advice! (Tim Aman, CC, Indian Nations Council, OK)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Happy to oblige\u2026 Here it is! (Readers, if you know someone who might be able to use a \u201cTroop Operations in Ten Short Minutes\u201d-type write-up, let me know and I\u2019ll send it along to you.)<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Hello Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I want to have my Scoutmaster conference and board of review to advance in rank but haven\u2019t been able to do it for six weeks because of a counselor teaching a merit badge class. \u00a0What do I do? (My Aunt helped me to find you.) (Scout\u2019s Name &amp; Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thank your aunt\u2014you&#8217;ve come to the right place!\u00a0 But&#8230; Your question&#8217;s a bit confusing.\u00a0 First, what rank are we talking about here?\u00a0 Also, what does a Merit Badge Counselor have to do with showing your Scoutmaster that you&#8217;ve completed all your requirements and asking him for a Scoutmaster conference?\u00a0 Do you go to troop meetings regularly?\u00a0 What has been causing this six-week delay?\u00a0 Help me out with some more details, and I&#8217;ll do my best to help you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m a Tenderfoot.\u00a0 I attended meetings every week\u00a0and I\u2019ve done everything to get to First Class except the Scoutmaster conference, and boards of review for Second Class and First Class.\u00a0The counselor\u00a0has set up classes to teach this merit badge during the same time we\u2019re supposed to have our troop meetings, so I\u2019ve not been able to have a chance to move up in rank. I have three more years to make Eagle and I want to do it. \u00a0I\u2019d be the first one in my family to make Eagle and I have a younger brother who\u2019s four years old,\u00a0who might want to be an Eagle when he is a Scout. \u00a0Please tell me in where I can get the rule to show the Scoutmaster that I should have my chance to move up in rank.\u00a0 Thanks, Andy! (SN&amp;CW)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can&#8217;t &#8220;move up in rank&#8221; if you&#8217;re not showing up at troop meetings, so that you can meet with your Scoutmaster!<\/p>\n<p>OK, here&#8217;s the problem&#8230; When that Merit Badge Counselor (I don&#8217;t know what merit badge we&#8217;re talking about, but it really doesn&#8217;t matter) told you he&#8217;s scheduling &#8220;classes&#8221; at exactly the same time as your troop meetings, your best answer would have been this: &#8220;Thanks, but count me out.\u00a0 That&#8217;s when we have troop meetings, and that&#8217;s where I&#8217;m supposed to be.&#8221;\u00a0 Then, you go back to your Scoutmaster and get the name of a different Counselor\u2014somebody who can meet with you at some time other than your troop meetings.\u00a0 Continuing with the merit badge this way isn&#8217;t helping you; it&#8217;s making a bit of a mess in your schedule.\u00a0 So here&#8217;s what to do&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>First, pick up the phone and call that Counselor.\u00a0 Tell him you can&#8217;t meet with him anymore because you&#8217;re missing too many troop meetings, so you want your &#8220;blue card&#8221; back, with his initials on all the requirements you&#8217;ve completed so far, then go get that card from him (he can put it in an envelope and leave it outside his door, for easy pick-up, if your schedule and his don&#8217;t match up).<\/p>\n<p>Second, pick up the phone again and call your Scoutmaster.\u00a0 Tell him what&#8217;s been going on and why you&#8217;ve been missing troop meetings.\u00a0 Tell him that you&#8217;re dropping that Merit Badge Counselor and getting your blue card back from him.\u00a0 Tell him you&#8217;ll be at the next troop meeting.\u00a0 Ask him to please give you the name of another Merit Badge Counselor for that merit badge, so you can finish up without missing any more troop meetings.\u00a0 Then tell your Scoutmaster that, at the next troop meeting, you&#8217;d like to sit down with him and talk about your Second Class and First class requirements, and how much you\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n<p>Third, go to the troop meeting, meet with your Scoutmaster, and finish up your ranks; then enjoy the rest of the meeting!\u00a0 Afterwards, call the new Merit Badge Counselor, introduce yourself, tell him how much you&#8217;ve already done, and ask to meet with him so you can continue, and finish up the merit badge.\u00a0 Then go do it!<\/p>\n<p>OK now?\u00a0 Go that plan?\u00a0 Go for it!\u00a0 No more missed troop meetings!<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Hi Andy &#8211;<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Our chartered organization changes its executive officer every two years.\u00a0 The changeover happens after the unit\u2019s recharter date.\u00a0 In the past, I\u2019d just\u00a0contact our council registrar and let her know to drop the old executive officer and add the new one\u2014an easy fix.\u00a0 But now we\u2019re being told that we have to fill out a\u00a0&#8220;New Unit Application&#8221; each time we have a new executive officer and then have that application signed by\u00a0him\u00a0and our District Executive.\u00a0 This just seems strange, especially considering we\u2019re a 75\u00a0year-old unit.\u00a0 Is this\u00a0a new national policy, or is it a local council rule? (If we really must go though this re-application process, do you know of any online resource for &#8220;New Unit Application&#8221; templates? \u00a0If I have to do it this way, it would be a huge time-saver. Thanks! (Name &amp; Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start here, just so it\u2019s covered: The chartered organization&#8217;s executive officer is <em>not<\/em> a registered BSA member unless he or she is also the Chartered Organization Representative (registration code: CR).\u00a0 Therefore, unless the latter situation is occurring, no individual \u201cvolunteer\u201d application needs to be filed, nor training taken.<\/p>\n<p>As for the &#8220;new unit application&#8221; stuff: That&#8217;s nonsense.\u00a0 All that should need to be done is for the outgoing executive officer to send a letter to the registrar notifying who the incoming officer will be, with contact information.\u00a0 It\u2019s completely inappropriate for a unit that\u2019s three-quarters of a century old to be filling out a for \u201cnew\u201d units.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m our council\u2019s training chair.\u00a0 We\u2019re moving towards 100% training in our council and making training mandatory to recharter.\u00a0 The training specified for each volunteer position is fairly well laid out for us\u2026except for Venturing Crew Advisors.\u00a0 Some need \u201cIntroduction to Outdoor Leader Skills\u201d (aka \u201cOLS\u201d) and some don\u2019t.\u00a0 We\u2019re told that only Advisors of crews focusing on high adventure need to take OLS training, but the problem is that no one can tell us what the BSA considers \u201chigh adventure.\u201d\u00a0 There are some clear-cut specialties like computers (which wouldn\u2019t) or whitewater rafting (which might, but we\u2019re not sure), and then we have things like fly-fishing (not usually high adventure, but it could be).\u00a0 Does anyone have an official list, or have the resources to obtain a list, of which crew specialties require Advisors to take OLS training, so that the pointer flips to green when recoding this stuff on MyScouting.org?\u00a0 I have calls in to our region and to several other sources, but I thought will all your background you\u2019d be able to nail this down for my district training folks.\u00a0 Thanks again for all the time you put into solving the Scouting world\u2019s problems! (Mike Koehen)<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This may be easier than you think&#8230; Start by taking a look at the OLS syllabus.\u00a0 Compare the skills focused on with what a crew will likely be doing.\u00a0 If there&#8217;s a match-up, then the adult volunteers take OLS; if not, then they don&#8217;t.\u00a0 I really think it&#8217;s that straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if fly-fishing is going to happen as part of a crew backpacking trek into a wilderness area, with camping overnight, meal prep., etc, then OLS would be a great help.\u00a0 But if the crew is connecting with fly-fishing outfitters, with day-guides, and staying in cabins with outfitter-prepared meals available as part of the package, then there&#8217;s no obvious need for OLS.\u00a0 Same with whitewater and rafting trips: They can be &#8220;high adventure&#8221; with lots of creature comforts making OLS unnecessary, or not.\u00a0 It&#8217;ll depend on what the crew is planning to do, and how.<\/p>\n<p>This is probably why you\u2019re unable to find a list: There are many little in\u2019s and out\u2019s to be considered.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy, <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>My son is an Eagle Scout, and he\u2019ll turn 18 in just a few days.\u00a0 He very much wants to continue working\u00a0with his troop, and he\u2019ll be able to do this because he\u2019ll be attending a local college.\u00a0\u00a0 My question is: How does he go from\u00a0Scout to Scouter? \u00a0(The troop has a brand-new Scoutmaster who\u2019s not sure how this happens.)\u00a0 Related to this, is there some sort of ceremony for this?\u00a0 And how does he \u201ctransition\u201d his uniform? \u00a0Does it have his \u201cold\u201d JASM patch one week and an ASM patch the next, or is there a slower transition stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>He is planning to take ASM training at summer camp in July, but will do the online leader and youth protection training during the week between his last meeting as a 17 year-old\u00a0scout and\u00a0his first meeting as\u00a0an 18 year-old adult (he\u2019s already filled out the adult application, and will turn it in at that second troop meeting).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As a birthday present, we have a new uniform\u00a0shirt ready for him, with his Eagle, Arrow of light and religious emblem square knots on it.\u00a0 Can he wear the ASM patch and training patch (same design for youth and adults) after completing the online training, or should he wait to put those on until he completes the training at camp this summer?\u00a0 Also, does he need to apply to the troop committee for the ASM position, or need to be approved by them before he can serve?\u00a0\u00a0(I\u2019ve looked\u00a0for the\u00a0answers to these questions but couldn\u2019t find any definitive information online.)\u00a0 Thanks for your help. (Name &amp; Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m happy to say the process is simple.\u00a0 Just as you&#8217;ve described, your son goes online and does the Youth Protection training, and whatever other training your council requires of Assistant Scoutmasters, and prints out the certificates stating he&#8217;s done these.\u00a0 Then he fills out the BSA Adult Volunteer Application, gets the signatures he needs, and registers as an Assistant Scoutmaster (Code: SA) for the troop, together with the annual registration fee (the troop&#8217;s treasurer will guide him as to the amount).<\/p>\n<p>As for his uniform, the oval Eagle badge comes off his left pocket, replaced by an Eagle square knot directly above the left pocket flap.\u00a0 The Arrow of Light badge comes off, too, replaced by the AoL square knot above his left pocket flap, along with the religious award knot for a nice, neat row of three.\u00a0 The JASM badge comes off his left sleeve, replaced by the ASM badge.\u00a0 He coordinates all of this with the troop&#8217;s Committee Chair and Scoutmaster.<\/p>\n<p>But, Mom, heart- to-heart, it&#8217;s time for your son to be asking these questions and doing these things for himself.\u00a0 (As a father, I know it&#8217;s difficult to &#8220;let go,&#8221; but that&#8217;s a big and important job of us parents!)<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>My son, as a Webelos Scout now, wants the tan \u201cScout\u201d shirt, but he previously earned a religious emblem pendant and knot, and also earned the centennial recruiter emblem.\u00a0 Is it permissible to transfer these emblems to his new uniform, or should I leave them on the blue uniform? (Wes Bradford)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, all emblems and badges transfer from the Cub Scout blue shirt to the Webelos Scout tan shirt.\u00a0 And, while you&#8217;re at it, encourage the parents of all the den&#8217;s boys to switch over to the tan shirts, too&#8230; This is a subtle reinforcement that they&#8217;re going to go on to be Boy Scouts (and that&#8217;s our number one objective here!).<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Hi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I just found your columns and I\u2019m impressed!\u00a0 So here\u2019s a question\u2026<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m the full-time Commissioner for Camp Geronimo in Payson, Arizona,\u00a0 this summer.\u00a0 Traditionally, the five or six Commissioners have done the opening skit in the Friday night closing campfire program.\u00a0 We\u2019re all pretty bored with previous skits and need some new stuff.\u00a0 Do you have any ideas for us?\u00a0 (Kevin Hunt, Grand Canyon Council, AZ)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The usssp.org website has a boatload of skits!\u00a0 Check &#8217;em out!\u00a0 But also remember that folks\u2014Scouts and adults alike\u2014enjoy the familiar: It makes &#8217;em feel at home.\u00a0 Think about it&#8230; How many times do you think Arlo Guthrie has sung &#8220;City of New Orleans&#8221;?\u00a0 Why does he keep doing it, even though he may be bored out of his skull?\u00a0 Simple.\u00a0 Folks love it!\u00a0 Same with Jimmy Buffet and &#8220;Margaritaville&#8221;!\u00a0 So just be sure you\u2019re not throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater!<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve been a Unit Commissioner for the past three years, following a two-decade break from the movement.\u00a0 Our council has had changes where two of the districts combined.\u00a0 I now have a new District Executive and District Commissioner but continue to serve the same units I\u2019ve had since I started.\u00a0\u00a0I continue with my unit visits and we\u2019ve reached a point in our relationships where they realize I\u2019m their friend and not a detective for the district.\u00a0 Prior to every visit I report to my DE what topics to discuss.\u00a0 Recently we had a situation where one of the units\u2019\u00a0 leaders wanted to \u201cdo it all,\u201d and failed to ask for more committee members.\u00a0 I kept in close contact on this by attending more committee meetings.\u00a0\u00a0 At the most recent meeting, the DE showed up and essentially took over the meeting, but never really said or did anything substantive that would help.\u00a0 I was confused about what was going on, so I reported to my DC that this didn\u2019t seem appropriate to do.\u00a0 The DC spoke to the DE and said he needs to communicate with me on anything going on with the units I serve, and that I\u2019d do the same.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now the problem is that the DE isn\u2019t holding up his share of communicating.\u00a0 Some of my units are now feeling like they should communicate with the DE (only), instead of me.\u00a0 They\u2019ve told me that\u00a0 the DE wants to be included with everything, and that he pays no attention to what I\u2019m doing (or have been doing for the past three years).\u00a0 At this point, I\u2019m not sure what to do.\u00a0 Do I transfer to another district, or just step down altogether? \u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019d think the DE would concentrate on the units that are failing and\/or the ones that don\u2019t have a Commissioner at all, instead of these, which have been served pretty well already. \u00a0I\u2019ve suggested that it would be better for him to attend courts of honor, Blue &amp; Gold\u2019s, and such, and not the regular meetings, because that\u2019s my job, but to no avail.\u00a0 I\u2019d understand if I\u2019d not been performing as I should, but that\u2019s not the case.\u00a0 All my units attend roundtable and other council related activities, and have been Quality units.\u00a0 So what can I say to them?\u00a0 Or, as a UC, will I always be out in left field?\u00a0 I have a Commissioners meeting tonight and it might be my last unless I can get some answers! (Name &amp; Council Withheld).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>DEs can sometimes side-track themselves.\u00a0 They have difficult jobs that don&#8217;t come easily to some.\u00a0 So, what do they do?\u00a0 They go brain-dead on their actual responsibilities and start doing stuff they shouldn&#8217;t be messing with.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Simple, it&#8217;s familiar, non-threatening, and they enjoy it.\u00a0 That&#8217;s a lot easier than doing the real work, which is unfamiliar in many cases, scary to some, and not necessarily &#8220;fun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As a UC, your best ally is your DC.\u00a0 Tell him what&#8217;s going on and ask him to please get that wayward DE off your back, out of your units, and doing the job he&#8217;s supposed to be doing.\u00a0 This is your DC&#8217;s fight; not yours.\u00a0 In the meanwhile, chill, baby, chill.\u00a0 Keep on doing what you&#8217;re doing and don&#8217;t sweat the DE&#8217;s mucking about.\u00a0 Your unit folks will figure him out pretty soon; just be patient.\u00a0 And take some deep, cleansing breaths!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/p>\n<form>\n<h3><em>Andy<\/em><\/h3>\n<p align=\"left\">Have a question?\u00a0 Facing a dilemma?\u00a0 Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council.\u00a0 (If you\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">[No. 313 \u2013 6\/1\/2012 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2012]<\/p>\n<\/form>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rule No. 79: Ready, fire, aim isn\u2019t always the best way to tackle a problem. Dear Andy, I noticed in one of your recent issues that you were sending a fellow Scouter a &#8220;Reader&#8217;s Digest&#8221; version of how a troop should operate.\u00a0 Any chance I could get a copy as well? We&#8217;re also a troop [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-18"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1268"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1271,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268\/revisions\/1271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}