{"id":2456,"date":"2019-05-21T14:34:12","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T18:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2456"},"modified":"2019-05-21T14:34:12","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T18:34:12","slug":"issue-600-may-21-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2019\/05\/issue-600-may-21-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 600 \u2013 May 21, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m looking at a postage stamp at the moment. Just a tiny bit of paper with some ink on one side and glue on the other. Pretty insignificant, you\u2019d think. After all, the envelopes and packages it\u2019s affixed to are often much more valuable, carrying contracts and paychecks, letters of remembrance and love and friendship, and all sorts of stuff. In the face of all this, that tiny stamp is hardly worth noticing. Or is it? After all, without that stamp, not much happens\u2014the contracts and paychecks and letters and such never get to their intended receivers without that little piece of paper. So what can we really say about that stamp? How about this\u2026 Once it starts its job, it sticks to it till it\u2019s accomplished.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hmmm\u2026 Sounds like a Scout to me.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

==========<\/p>\n

Hi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking for some help on a sort of sticky situation. We have a Scout in our troop\u2014he\u2019s been registered with us going on four years now\u2014whose only activity with our troop is to go to summer camp. He only attends the one troop meeting when camp sign-up comes around once a year and then, when he gets to camp, he spends most of his time disregarding his leaders (both youth and adult) and just doing as he pleases.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every year for the past three years, his mother has signed him up for camp and then requested \u201ccampership\u201d funding from our troop and from our council, too. So far, for three years running, our troop and the council have both underwritten her son\u2019s summer camp costs. But also throughout each of these three years, he\u2019s skipped troop meetings, skipped troop service projects and troop-wide fund-raising events (ironically, the fund-raising is for troop camperships!), and hasn\u2019t advanced even a single rank since joining our troop.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So it\u2019s that time of year again\u2014summer camp sign-ups\u2014and I\u2019ve just taken on the Scoutmaster role for our troop. What do we do? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This sure sounds like a parent who\u2019s been gaming the troop; she\u2019s found a cheap way to send her son to camp with other peoples’ money. And unfortunately, it also looks like your troop has painted itself into a corner by supporting the “game” for the past three summers. And here we go for a fourth time. I do understand the troop’s past actions\u2014it\u2019s trying its best to honorably and sympathetically serve the youth of the community. Unfortunately, it looks like this parent hasn’t been equally honorable.<\/p>\n

Obviously, “camperships” from the troop need to stop immediately\u2014that well has to dry up. Plus, the folks at the council level who grant camperships need to know right away about the game that’s being played here, so that they can stop this at their end, too.<\/p>\n

Once the “free money” sources dry up\u2014and they definitely need to\u2014this parent may pull her son from the troop. I\u2019m actually hoping this happens, because no further action on your part would be needed. But there’s no “guarantee” that she’ll do this, and she may decide to raise a ruckus about the money stopping, which ultimately hurts everybody. But keep in mind that this is what avaricious, selfish people sometimes do. So follow our motto and Be Prepared.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how: Contact your council’s Scout Executive, describe what you\u2019ve just told me, and ask to have a conversation with the council’s attorney (every council has one), so that, if this parent continues to want to register her son with your troop, appropriate actions can be taken.<\/p>\n

Your troop has been more than kind to this boy, but it’s definitely time for this nonsense to stop.
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

A question has come up in our Order of the Arrow lodge that I don\u2019t know the answer to\u2026 Can a troop have two OA Troop Representatives if they\u2019re both actively involved? (Frank Caccavale, Woapalanne Lodge #43\u2014Order of the Arrow, Patriots\u2019 Path Council, NJ)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Great question! I’ve just read through the responsibilities of an \u201cOATR\u201d online and in the SCOUT HANDBOOK. Based on these, both of which are silent on whether or not the OATR is a single position (like Senior Patrol Leader or Scribe, for instance) or can be held by more than one Scout (like Instructor, Troop Guide, and Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, for instance). So I\u2019d conclude that you’d be on safe ground as far as appropriateness is concerned. With that in mind, and with the possible advantage of having two OATRs who can create a “buddy-team” and both collaborate together or cover for one another as necessary, I’d also have to say there are some disadvantages to be on the alert for. For instance, when two people are responsible for the same thing, often nothing gets done (“Oh? I thought you were handling that!”). But here’s an important (and often overlooked) advantage: with, say, two Scouts in this position, but with different start-times (maybe a one-month separation in starting) there will be overlap that benefits perpetuating the troop-to-OA relationship. But there’s a caution also\u2026 If two (or more) OATR positions are being created (instead of just one), I’d ask if this is actually vital to success, or is it merely a way to find a “position of responsibility” for a Scout who needs this for rank advancement? If it’s the latter, I’d say it’s misguided and shouldn’t be done, because that\u2019s not what Scouting\u2019s all about. Yes, we\u2019re here to be \u201cgate-OPENERS,\u201d but not to the point where we\u2019re carrying Scouts through the gates
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should Assistant Scoutmasters be expected to attend Patrol Leaders Council meetings? Why or why not? (Jim Syler, ASM, Greater St. Louis Area Council, MO)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Providing oversight and\u2014occasionally\u2014advice at a Patrol Leaders Council meeting when the Senior Patrol Leader asks for it is one of the more important responsibilities of the Scoutmaster. In fact, it\u2019s entirely unnecessary for any of the troop’s adult volunteers other than the Scoutmaster to attend a Patrol Leaders Council meeting.<\/p>\n

If, due to special circumstances, the Scoutmaster is unable to attend a PLC meeting, then one Assistant Scoutmaster may fill in; beyond this circumstance\u2014which we’d hope is rare\u2014there’s no need or value in an Assistant Scoutmaster attending a PLC meeting with the Scoutmaster.<\/p>\n

Remember that the PLC itself is the “team” that the Scoutmaster has been building from the day these youth leaders were elected. ASMs have other responsibilities that don’t pertain to the PLC.<\/p>\n

And, since we\u2019re on this particular subject, let\u2019s emphasize that the \u201cchair\u201d of all PLC meetings and planning sessions, and the one who sets the agenda and runs the meetings from start to finish is the Senior Patrol Leader<\/span>.
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

The daughter of a former Scout who is now in his early 80\u2019s has contacted our council about her father. As she tells us, her dad was just three merit badges short of completing all requirements for Eagle Scout rank when he was, in her words, \u201ccalled to flight school\u201d by the US Air Force. He moved on from Scouting at Life rank and, although he pursued a military career and ultimately retired from the US Air Force as a Lt. Colonel, his single greatest regret in life, as his daughter tells us, is that he didn\u2019t \u201cget his Eagle rank.\u201d I\u2019m writing to you before vetting this story just to get a sense of any procedures that may be available in circumstances like this. If it turns out that the Eagle Scout rank is simply not obtainable at this juncture, do you have any suggestions as to how we might honor this veteran? Thanks! (Dr. Bob Clark)<\/strong><\/p>\n

If this gentleman was born around 1937 or so, he would have been a Boy Scout from 1948 to about 1955, I\u2019m guessing. Reaching back in time, up until 1952, there was no age limit on earning Eagle Scout rank. But in that year the BSA established the day before one’s 18th birthday as the upper age limit. This means that since this gentleman had not completed all requirements for the rank when he joined the USAF on active duty, he didn’t have the opportunity to return at some later date to do so, since he would have been past his 18th birthday. The result: He is a Life Scout (the second-highest rank) and joins millions of fellow Life Scouts.<\/p>\n

His situation isn\u2019t unusual. Fact is, historically only about four out of every hundred boys who join Scouting earn Eagle Scout rank. (I might mention that going all the way to Eagle isn’t a “race”\u2014all Scouts have the opportunity to do so if they choose, and it’s 99% based on personal motivation. As a 77 year-old Eagle myself, I earned this rank in 1957, at age 15.)<\/p>\n

(There is a “Spirit of the Eagle” award, but this is posthumous only and only if the Scout\u2014regardless of rank\u2014met an untimely death before age 18…something I’m delighted to say this gentleman won’t be receiving anytime soon! Not ever, in fact!)<\/em><\/p>\n

So the bottom line is that this gentleman is and forever will be a Life Scout by rank, and for this he should be extremely proud\u2014he is (and has been) already in rarefied air!<\/p>\n

He retired from the USAF as a Lt. Colonel; not a general. This in no way diminishes his dedicated and honorable service to his country. Life rank in the BSA isn\u2019t very much different from this: He reached the second-highest rank in Scouting\u2014which is in itself rare\u2014and he did so based on self-motivation, learning unique skills that I\u2019m certain aided him in his chosen career, and doing so with enthusiasm and honor. Congratulations to him!<\/p>\n

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

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

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com<\/span>. 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. 600 \u2013 5\/21\/2019 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2019]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m looking at a postage stamp at the moment. Just a tiny bit of paper with some ink on one side and glue on the other. Pretty insignificant, you\u2019d think. After all, the envelopes and packages it\u2019s affixed to are often much more valuable, carrying contracts and paychecks, letters of remembrance and love and friendship, […]<\/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-2456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456","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=2456"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2460,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456\/revisions\/2460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}