{"id":2225,"date":"2017-08-15T10:55:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T14:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2225"},"modified":"2017-08-15T10:55:48","modified_gmt":"2017-08-15T14:55:48","slug":"issue-540-august-15-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2017\/08\/issue-540-august-15-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 540 \u2013 August 15, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

________________________________________
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to a great district committee and a marvelous nomination I hadn\u2019t expected, I\u2019ve recently received the District Award of Merit and, with it, my tenth \u201csquare knot.\u201d But then, at our summer Roundtable, a long-time Scouting friend who scanned my uniform shirt pointed out to me that the BSA only allows a maximum of nine \u201csquare knots\u201d to be worn, so I\u2019d better decide which one I\u2019m going to remove.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before I start playing \u201cSolomon\u201d with these badges, I figured I should check with somebody else first, and that\u2019s why this letter. What\u2019s the deal here, Oh Wise One? Is my friend correct? If he is, this doesn\u2019t seem to make a lot of sense to me. Why would the BSA create recognitions for BSA adult volunteers to earn or receive and then restrict wearing them? Can you set me straight? Thanks! (Glenn Watkins)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a current BSA video, our National Commissioner Charles Dahlquist is seen in uniform, wearing\u2014wait for it\u2014ten square knots. Now, turn to page 61 in the BSA\u2019s GUIDE TO AWARDS AND INSIGNIA (SKU614937), were you\u2019ll find this statement in the paragraph on \u201cWearing medals and embroidered knots\u201d: \u201c\u2026It is recommended that the number of knots (worn) be limited to\u2026a total of nine.\u201d (Note: \u201crecommended\u201d\u2014not \u201cmandatory.\u201d)<\/p>\n

As to why there\u2019s even a \u201crecommended\u201d number, I\u2019ll admit that this is way above my pay grade. It seems to me that this is about the same as telling a Scout there\u2019s a maximum number of merit badges he can wear on his sash, like \u201conly the 21 you earned on your way to Eagle.\u201d Sound silly? Yup! So enjoy your tenth\u2026and more as you continue to serve the youth of our nation. Happy Scouting!
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you know of or have a chart with all the merit badges on it? I have a seamstress that does a lot of Scout uniforms and sashes, and sometimes she struggles with their orientation\u2014particularly the merit badges. Thanks! (Rod Honeycutt, CC)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BSA produced a full color poster titled “The Merits of Scouting” a while back that showed all merit badges. Maybe it\u2019s still available:<\/p>\n

Call Scoutstuff.org to see if they’re still in stock. If not, just Google “merit badge poster” and then print your own from “Images” (since you\u2019re using it purely to help a seamstress, I can\u2019t see this violating copyright laws\u2026but I say that as a layman, not an attorney).
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two questions here\u2026 Does a Scout need to have his Eagle Project Workbook completed and ready for his Eagle board of review, and must his application be filled out before he has his Unit Leader conference? Thanks! (Jeff Beiermann)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BSA\u2019s GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT informs us that a Scoutmaster (aka “Unit Leader”) conference can take place at any time, and even multiple times; it’s not “required” to hold these conferences only after all other rank requirements have been completed. That said, it’s definitely not a bad idea, in the case of Eagle Scout rank, to wait until all other requirements are indeed completed, because this allows the Scout and his Scoutmaster\/Unit Leader to briefly review the next steps to Eagle.<\/p>\n

Directly related to this but often overlooked, a Scout doesn’t “pass” a conference; he simply has one. That’s because these conferences aren’t “tests” and a Scout doesn’t “go before” his Scoutmaster, as if such conferences were in any way judgmental in nature\u2014they’re conversations that focus on support and encouragement!<\/p>\n

So, to your specific questions\u2026<\/p>\n

– A Scout will definitely want to have his Eagle Scout Rank Application completed before his conference, because the Scoutmaster will want to sign it at the end of the conversation.<\/p>\n

– The “Project Report” section of the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook (Project Report Page C) should already have been signed as completed by both the beneficiary and the Scoutmaster, so it’s not “mandatory” that the Scout have this with him for the conference, but he\u2019ll definitely have it as part of his board of review.<\/p>\n

(As an interesting and important point in some instances, neither the Workbook nor the “Ambitions and Life Statement” need be completed prior to a Scout’s 18th birthday.)<\/p>\n

One other thing to keep in mind about Eagle Service Projects and a Scout\u2019s board of review: Far too often, the review centers on a lengthy discussion of the project\u2014as if it were the single-most important requirement. It\u2019s not. In fact, it\u2019s simply one of some 125 rank requirements a Scout will have accomplished from the time he joined his troop, and this doesn\u2019t count the many, many requirements for the 21 or more merit badges he earned along the trail to Eagle! So, folks, let\u2019s concentrate on the \u201ccomplete\u201d Scout!
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Was Vice President Mike Pence ever a Scout? Is he an Eagle Scout? (Don & Doris Riley)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several online biographical statements state that our vice president was definitely a Cub Scout. (But, gotta say, he sure acts like an Eagle!)
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll soon join our district as a committee member. Up to now, I\u2019ve been a Unit Commissioner. When I begin my new district committee assignments, do I need to remove anything from my shirt besides the Unit Commissioner badge (replacing it with a District Committee badge)? How about removing the Arrowhead Honor? Anything else? (Jim Trombla, Circle Ten Council, TX)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’ve got it right… As a district committee member you\u2019ll replace the UC and Arrowhead badges. (The Arrowhead is only worn when there’s a Commissioner [any kind] badge above it.)
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m updating our troop’s JTE Award records for 2017, and I have a question: We have two Scouts who, in preparation for going to this year\u2019s National Jamboree, participated in and completed the KODIAK Challenge, and earned the \u201cBear Claw\u201d award. I\u2019ve asked our District Executive if this would count toward our troop\u2019s JTE Award. She said it wouldn\u2019t because this is a Venturing award. So, if you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019d appreciate your \u201csecond opinion\u201d on this\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is the KODIAK Challenge strictly for Venturers, or is it available to Boy Scouts as well? And, if it is, can it be used as an advanced training course in the Patrol Method portion of the Troop JTE? (John Burnham)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s first reaffirm this important ground-rule: I steadfastly resist offering \u201copinions.\u201d What you find here 99% of the time is what the BSA has to say on the subjects I\u2019m asked to tackle, and when I do provide an opinion, it\u2019s always identified as just that.<\/p>\n

First, that Kodiak “bear claw” is the symbol of completing the course; it’s not an “award,” like a rank or merit badge. That established, let’s take this point-by-point, per the BSA…<\/p>\n

– Kodiak is absolutely available to Boy Scouts as well as Venturers (the application itself provides for this).<\/p>\n

– The JTE (Program Measures #9 for troops) states, in part: “…and youth have the opportunity to participate in advanced training.”<\/p>\n

– To be eligible for Kodiak, a youth\u2014Scout or Venturer\u2014will have completed ILS, NYLT, or NAYLE; thus Kodiak is indeed “advanced training.”<\/p>\n

Based on these points, it certainly seems to me that the troop meets the “advanced training” criterion for the pertinent JTE section (i.e., Program Measures #9).<\/p>\n

Thanks, Andy \u2013 I knew I could count on you! Now we just need to hold a Junior Leader training course in our troop, and we should be all set for that part of our JTE. If things fall in our favor we just might make Gold again! Thanks again and happy trails (John)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In “going for the gold,” you’ll be advancing the knowledge and skills of the Scouts you and your fellow volunteers have committed to serve, and it just doesn’t get better than that!<\/p>\n

“The Scoutmaster’s most important responsibility is to train the Scouts so that they can run their own troop” (SM Handbook)
\n==========
\nHi Andy \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

My neighbor and fellow troop committee member and I have just been invited to sit on an Eagle board of review. We\u2019ve done lots of reviews for other ranks, but this will be our first time at the Eagle level and we have a couple of questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our troop, for Tenderfoot through Life, review members from our committee show up wearing everything from tank tops to cargo shorts and flip-flops (which has always seemed a little odd to both of us). Is this okay for Eagle, too? Second, I\u2019ve heard that there\u2019s a lot of talk about the Scout\u2019s service project. Is this what the review is all about? Thanks! (Milt and Burl, Davenport, IA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In reverse order, we\u2019ve addressed the focus-on-the-project aspect of Eagle reviews in this column, above. So let\u2019s take a look at your first question\u2026<\/p>\n

When we hold boards of review for any rank, the Scout is usually expected to wear his complete and correct uniform. Even the BSA\u2019s GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT (Topic 8.0.0.4) makes the point that \u201cit is preferred that a Scout be in full field uniform for any board of review\u201d (but goes on to state that this is definitely not mandatory and no Scout can be rejected on the basis of attire). This topic continues: \u201c\u2026the candidate should be clean and neat in his appearance and dressed appropriately\u2026for the milestone marked by this occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at that last statement\u2014\u201cdressed appropriately\u201d\u2014and ask: If a Scout showed up in a tank top, cargoes, and flip-flops, would we be okay with this, or would our teeth start to itch? It strikes me, having sat on a bunch of Eagle boards of review, that if we\u2019re asking the Scout to \u201cdress appropriately,\u201d we owe him the courtesy and respect of doing the same.<\/p>\n

Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Andy<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Just to me at: askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

[No. 540 \u2013 8\/15\/2017 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2017]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

________________________________________ Hi Andy, Thanks to a great district committee and a marvelous nomination I hadn\u2019t expected, I\u2019ve recently received the District Award of Merit and, with it, my tenth \u201csquare knot.\u201d But then, at our summer Roundtable, a long-time Scouting friend who scanned my uniform shirt pointed out to me that the BSA only allows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225","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=2225"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2228,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225\/revisions\/2228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}