{"id":2749,"date":"2021-04-13T17:28:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T21:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2749"},"modified":"2021-04-13T17:28:58","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T21:28:58","slug":"april-13-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2021\/04\/april-13-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"APRIL 13, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

[NO. 673 \u2013 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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

I\u2019ve recently been hearing about the BSA changing its national structure from four regions, each with six to nine \u201careas\u201d within them (totaling 28), to a bunch of areas smaller than regions but larger than their former \u201careas\u201d and called \u201cNational Service Territories.\u201d Is this right? Are we going back to something like the dozen regions we had in the 1940s into the early 1970s era? (John Arable, DC, Great Plains Council, NE)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yup, you\u2019ve got it right\u2014There\u2019s a reorg on its way, but it\u2019s not \u201cmoving back.\u201d This is a genuine effort to move forward. Let\u2019s also remember that the BSA has previously initiated across-the-board changes in our regional structure beginning in the 1910s, continuing into the early 1920s, then 1948 and 1973.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s let the BSA describe what will happen and what the volunteer-professional roles will be. Check it all out here: https:\/\/www.scouting.org\/commissioners\/news-for-commissioners\/?fbclid=IwAR0-oGlQNWoIeFFiJ16ApvkcLghVX7kaupcKORrECDlFJoJNiv-KWMbHLHY<\/span> <\/em>
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a result of Covid-19\u2019s impact on employment, the parents of a Scout in our troop both lost their jobs, and I just learned that their home was foreclosed on. They\u2019re all\u2014there are Mom and Dad, our Scout, and his younger sister\u2014living out of their one vehicle, an SUV that\u2019s about ten years old but at least paid off!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does the BSA have anything that helps families like these and, if they do, where can we find whatever forms need to be filled out? We\u2019re in the North-Midwest, but I don\u2019t what to say more than this, so as not to embarrass them. (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m terribly sorry that this family is in such a dire situation\u2014and I\u2019m sure they\u2019re not alone. Unfortunately, while the BSA is indeed a not-for-profit organization, I don\u2019t believe it has or is associated with a foundation that can help provide for families like the one you\u2019re trying to help.<\/p>\n

But this is far from the end of the line. It\u2019s entirely possible that your troop\u2019s sponsor may be able to help\u2014or may be able to put you in touch with an alternate resource. Also, the local community may have resources. Check with the closest YMCA and local food bank. Also, consider such websites as “gofundme.com” as a possible solution that’s not Scouting-based. I sure hope at least one of these ideas bears fruit! My heart\u2019s tugged by this family\u2019s situation, and I hope it can resolve quickly!
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a new Assistant Scoutmaster. He\u2019s 19 years old and earned his Eagle Scout rank about two years ago. When he hit age 18, he stuck around rather than the classic \u201cEagle-and-age-out\u201d routine (he\u2019s attending a local community college, sort of, because of the Covid situation. He\u2019s been a great ASM because he understands both leadership and how to be a team player\u2014so much so that we may have a \u201cjealous\u201d Scoutmaster. Jealous because he tends to be aloof and judgmental with the Scouts, including the Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leaders, and even his own son. (Frankly, some of us on the committee do wish this ASM weren\u2019t just 19; if he were 21, we\u2019d probably consider changing Scoutmasters!) But anyway, here\u2019s why I\u2019m writing to you\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our young ASM\u2014I\u2019ll call him \u201cPete\u201d (not his real name)\u2014was recently involved in a sheriff\u2019s traffic stop\u2014he had a broken taillight lens. He had been driving with a former high school classmate in the passenger seat and, unfortunately and unbeknownst to Pete ahead of time, his buddy stupidly popped a beer can that he had stuffed in his jacket pocket and waved it at the sheriff. This ended with the car impounded and the two young men saying hello to the desk sergeant at the Sheriff Department. Neither was charged (friendly sheriffs, thank goodness!), but both Pete and his buddy spent about an hour in lock-up. Pete got his car back and replaced the taillight lens himself; his buddy got the \u201cDutch Uncle\u201d talk of his life and was released UOR.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Word got around of course, and of course the tale escalated. It quickly turned into the two being arrested, and put in prison, and on and on\u2014none of which had happened (I\u2019m former military police, so I made a couple of phone calls to double-check and help if needed).<\/strong><\/p>\n

So we thought this was over, when the Scoutmaster came to our troop committee (I\u2019m not the chair, but I was a few years ago) and demanded that we \u201cpull\u201d Pete\u2019s Eagle rank. He wanted our agreement that he\u2019ll write a letter to our council Scout Executive and Executive Board, and also to the BSA national office, describing how Pete had \u201ctarnished\u201d the Eagle rank and demanding that Pete\u2019s Eagle be revoked.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I told him that this wasn\u2019t going to happen, for the simple reason that Eagle is \u201cearned\u201d not \u201cbestowed,\u201d and this means that there is no one and no group or organization that has the authority to take this rank away from Pete: Earned is earned and that\u2019s that!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the other committee members aren\u2019t so sure about what I said, so I thought this would be a good time to write to you as a double-check, before this goes any further. Any thoughts or advice you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! (Pierce Boylan, MC, Former CC & SM, Prairie Winds Council, MT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stand your ground. The answer is: ABSOLUTELY NOT. Once he or she has earned it, the rank, the merit badge, and all else in Scouting cannot be \u201cnullified,\u201d or \u201ctaken away,\u201d revoked, or any such thing. This is not only because once earned it\u2019s the Scout\u2019s forever, but\u2014and you can read the entire rules and regulations of the BSA on this point\u2014there is no procedure for doing this, no matter the reason.<\/p>\n

Please inform Pete (and ALL Scouts, for that matter!) that Eagle is Eagle, period. Plus, he personally did nothing wrong. As for his buddy, his actions were\u2014in a word\u2014brainless. And that\u2019s that.<\/p>\n

BTW, I certainly don\u2019t have the final word on this, but I know who does! Don\u2019t hesitate for a second to call Mike LoVecchio<\/strong> at the national office (972-580-2000) and check. He\u2019s a good guy and one-hundred-and-ten-percent knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\nHappy Scouting!<\/strong><\/em><\/span>
\nAndy<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I answer every message I receive. When writing, please include your name & council. If you want to be anonymous\u2014if published\u2014just tell me and I\u2019ll honor that. Although these columns are copyrighted, you have my okay to quote or reproduce any column or part, so long as it\u2019s attributed: \u201cAsk Andy\u201d by Andy McCommish.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

[No. 673 4\/13\/2021 Copyright \u00a9 2021 Andy McCommish]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[NO. 673 \u2013 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Hi Andy, I\u2019ve recently been hearing about the BSA changing its national structure from four regions, each with six to nine \u201careas\u201d within them (totaling 28), to a bunch of areas smaller than regions but larger than their former \u201careas\u201d and called \u201cNational Service […]<\/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-2749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749","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=2749"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2753,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749\/revisions\/2753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}