{"id":438,"date":"2011-11-09T08:56:16","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T13:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=438"},"modified":"2011-11-10T00:41:44","modified_gmt":"2011-11-10T05:41:44","slug":"issue-275-november-8-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2011\/11\/issue-275-november-8-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 275 &#8211; November 8, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule No. 39<\/span><\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Knowledge and intelligent can be faked; clever and witty can\u2019t.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule No. 40<\/span><\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>On any campout, the gadget most needed will be the one left in a trunk in the parking lot.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>First things first.\u00a0 Let\u2019s fix an error\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>About those \u201cpumpkin shooters\u201d in your last column: I\u2019m not aware of any BSA policy that restricts Boy Scouts or Venturers from shooting outside of a council camp, such as the restriction for Cub Scouts.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m an advisor to a Venturing crew that\u2019s sponsored by a shooting club, where the main activities of the crew are shooting sports.\u00a0 So long as the Scouts meet the specifications of having a NRA-certified range safety officer AND a NRA-certified rifle instructor (assuming they\u2019re shooting rifles), they should be OK. (Ed Hess, Council Board Member &amp; NRA Training Counselor, Tecumseh Council, OH)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yup, I fired from the hip too fast on that one! \u00a0Thanks for your sharp eyes.\u00a0 The current BSA long-gun shooting rules are:<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201dAll <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">rifle<\/span>-shooting activities must have a certified NRA Range Safety Officer directly supervising all live fire on the range. Additionally, the instruction offered must be done by a currently certified National Camping School shooting sports director certified as an NRA Rifle Instructor, or an NRA-certified Rifle Instructor or an NRA\/USA Shooting\/CMP-certified Rifle Coach. These must be two separate individuals.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201dAll <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">shotgun<\/span> shooting activities must have a certified NRA Range Safety Officer directly supervising all live fire on the range. Additionally, the instruction offered must be done by a currently certified National Camping School shooting sports director certified as an NRA Shotgun Instructor, or an NRA-certified Shotgun Instructor or an NRA\/USA Shooting\/CMP-certified Shotgun Coach. These must be two separate individuals.\u201d<\/em><\/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>Can you please provide insights or advice on the new attendance and participation guidelines for earning rank advancements? I\u2019m trying to find norms and standards so that I\u2019ll be able to provide an answer to our Scouts, leaders, and parents, in anticipation of questions arising from the BSA\u2019s new <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Guide To Advancement<\/span><\/em>. (Sanjay Dhruv, CC, Central New Jersey Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve not seen anything the BSA\u2019s ever published relating to &#8220;norms&#8221; or \u201cstandards\u201d as regards Scouts&#8217; attendance or participation.\u00a0 The rule-of-thumb generally followed has been &#8220;Do Your Best&#8221; (underpinning of both the Cub Scout Promise and the Boy Scout Oath), with the wise understanding that boys and young men who are Scouts are invariably involved in lots of other activities as well (in other words, the boy who is <em>only <\/em>a Scout, with no other outside interests, is more than extremely rare). \u00a0 Until now, the BSA has been very careful to assert the authority of the national office on all rank and merit badge requirements.\u00a0 But that&#8217;s changed, of course, and that&#8217;s most likely what&#8217;s prompted your very legitimate and important question.<\/p>\n<p>That said, I&#8217;m going to briefly share with you my own observations and thoughts on this subject, for your consideration and use if they&#8217;re helpful\u2026<\/p>\n<p>In my experience, which includes several hundred Eagle rank boards of review in three different councils, and having served as a Scoutmaster on three different occasions for three different troops, there&#8217;s only one thing I\u2019ve ever found Eagle Scouts to have in common: They&#8217;re very active in lots of stuff. I&#8217;ve yet to meet one of this breed who just \u201cdoes Scouts\u201d and that&#8217;s all. Every one of these Eagles, and most other Scouts I\u2019ve known as well, have been involved and active with bands and orchestras, theater and drama, math and science, basketball, track and field, wrestling, football, basketball, National Honor Society, school government, Model United Nations, school service clubs, youth religious groups, tennis, squash, indoor badminton, forensics, swim team, water polo team, and the list goes on and on and on&#8230;and all in addition to their Scouting activities.\u00a0 In the face of these normal and expected teen-age activities, Scouting has historically taken justified pride in being the most flexible of all. Consequently, Scouting isn\u2019t in the business of \u201cdinging&#8221; a boy or &#8220;kicking him off the team&#8221; or &#8220;benching&#8221; him because he missed a meeting or campout or hike or service project, or two or three or ten of these, because we&#8217;re not in the &#8220;attendance business&#8221;\u2014we&#8217;re in the citizenship, character, and mental\/physical development business.\u00a0 Our charge as volunteers in the movement is help to create tomorrow&#8217;s productive, responsible, happy citizens.\u00a0 We can&#8217;t do that if we don&#8217;t keep our doors and arms open to these young men, understanding that the \u201cultimate volunteer\u201d isn&#8217;t us: It&#8217;s <em>the Scout himself<\/em>. If he gets sick and tired of our nagging him (instead of positive reinforcement of good habits) or &#8220;dinging&#8221; him, when it comes to rank advancement (even when he\u2019s proven he can knock off the skill-set required without breaking a sweat), then he&#8217;s going to walk&#8230;and that&#8217;s the very last thing we want to have happen, because then we can no longer instill in him the ideals and values of the movement (yes, we\u2019re a <em>movement<\/em>; not an \u201cactivity\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>So here&#8217;s my single guideline: Look only at the individual Scout; see only the individual; understand only the individual; each one by one and one at a time.\u00a0 Each and every young man who crosses the doorstep of Scouting is unique, and lives in a world and environment unique to him and him alone\u2014there is no other like him in the world and we dare not apply an arbitrary measure in this one particular dimension we call &#8220;active.&#8221;<\/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 just received and read the latest issue of <em>\u201dScouting\u201d<\/em> magazine, and I have a question.\u00a0 On page 15, \u201cADVANCEMENT FAQs\u201d the question proposed is: \u201cCould (a Scout working on Tenderfoot and Second Class, or Second Class and First Class) receive both ranks at the same court of honor?\u201d and the answer is, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve thought that Scouts are supposed to receive their next ranks earned at the earliest possible time, ideally at the very next troop meeting, and that courts of honor were supposed to be a recognition of what they\u2019ve accomplished since the troop\u2019s last court of honor.\u00a0 Have I got that all wrong?\u00a0 Are we supposed to hold back their advancements until there\u2019s a court of honor? (In our troop, we have four a year, which means a Scout who has his board of review a week after the current court of honor would have to wait nearly three months to get his badge and card, and that seems wrong.) (Name &amp; Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m delighted to tell you that you\u2019ve got it right!\u00a0 Both the <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Scoutmaster Handbook<\/span><\/em> (page 122: \u201cImmediate recognition is a powerful incentive of the BSA\u2019s advancement program.\u00a0 A Scout should receive his new badge as soon as possible after his achievement has been certified by a board of review.\u00a0 A simple ceremony at the conclusion of a troop meeting or during a campout is ideal\u2026\u201d) and the <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Troop Committee Guidebook<\/span><\/em> (page 31: \u201cWhen a Scout advances, he should be recognized as soon as possible\u2014preferably at the next troop meeting.\u00a0 He is recognized a second time at a public\u2026court of honor\u2026(where) all Scouts who have advanced since the previous court of honor are honored.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind that what I\u2019ve just quoted from both of these seminal publications don\u2019t represent \u201ca\u201d way of managing advancement recognition; they are <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">the<\/span><\/em> way to do so\u2014no alternative to this has ever been proposed by the BSA.<\/p>\n<p>Now some Scoutmasters, Committee Chairs, or troop advancement coordinators may be shocked by this.\u00a0 After all, they may be saying to themselves, our courts of honor are where we carefully label, stuff, and line up the Ziploc\u2122 plastic bags with each Scout\u2019s ranks and merit badges in them, so that we can call each Scout up to the front of the room, announce his advancement, hand him his plastic bag, shake his hand, and applaud him.\u00a0 Is Andy really telling us we\u2019ve been doing this <em>wrong<\/em> since time immemorial?\u00a0 And the answer is\u2026 Yup, that\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m saying.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not me that\u2019s telling you all this\u2026 It\u2019s the BSA, in foundational literature you need to re-read, so that you can confirm the quotes I\u2019ve just given you and then change what you\u2019ve been doing and get it right for the Scouts you\u2019re there to serve!\u00a0 And, take a look: It\u2019s actually a simpler process than you\u2019ve been using, because all that\u2019s needed is a printout or program that lists each rank beginning with Tenderfoot and the Scouts who\u2019ve earned that ranks since the last court of honor.\u00a0 When the court of honor\u2019s master of ceremonies states the rank to the audience, the Scouts who earned it all come forward, by name, face the audience, and receive Scout handshakes and a round of applause led by the Scoutmaster! \u00a0Same thing for merit badges, etc. Simple, honorable, and respectful of the audience\u2019s time (and attention span!).\u00a0 Troops all over the country do it this way, and it\u2019s worked for years.\u00a0 So don\u2019t \u201ctry\u201d it\u2026<em>DO<\/em> IT!<\/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 seen two \u201csquare knot\u201d emblems that I&#8217;m not familiar with: Are they official? \u00a0One is a white square knot on a light\u00a0blue background; the other is brown on a gold background. Do you know anything about them? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Also can the NESA life member Eagle square knot be worn along with the regular Eagle knot? (Mike Bowman)<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first one may be a limited council edition, or an &#8220;unofficial&#8221; emblem.\u00a0 It sounds like it may be the &#8220;Antarctica Service Medal,&#8221; which is not a BSA-recognized emblem.\u00a0 The second is equally mysterious and for this one I haven&#8217;t a clue!<\/p>\n<p>On wearing two Eagle Scout square knots, nope: Only one should be worn, says the BSA, so choose the one that fits your NESA membership status.<\/p>\n<p><em>NetCommish Comment:\u00a0 If these two knots are what you are talking about, I can give you some additional information &#8211; and Andy is right on the money.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2011\/11\/issue-275-november-8-2011\/tippey\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-538\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-538\" title=\"tippey\" src=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/tippey.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"122\" height=\"56\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2011\/11\/issue-275-november-8-2011\/uncold\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-539\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-539\" title=\"uncold\" src=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/uncold.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"134\" height=\"61\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>The first is a local District knot that was approved by the local Council and not available for use anywhere else.\u00a0 The second is an unauthorized Antarctica Service Medal Square Knot.\u00a0 Mike Walton has a great write up on this latter knot at <a title=\"http:\/\/www.scoutinsignia.com\/fakeknot.htm\" href=\"http:\/\/www.scoutinsignia.com\/fakeknot.htm\">http:\/\/www.scoutinsignia.com\/fakeknot.htm<\/a><\/em><\/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>We have a pack parent who just purchased a blue school jacket, to which he\u2019s sewn on the American flag, den numeral, CSP, Quality Unit, and World Crest.\u00a0 The jacket looks as if it\u2019s part of the uniform and now he\u2019s adding all the rest of the patches his son is earning, as well.\u00a0 I want to make sure this is something that\u2019s OK.\u00a0 Is he breaking any BSA insignia rules? (Manuela Valle<br \/>\npack advancement coordinator, Western Los Angeles County Council, CA)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He needs to look in his son&#8217;s handbook. These go on his son\u2019s uniform shirt.<\/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>Probably due to the new Cub Scout \u201cMeeting Resource\u201d Guide book, we have some packs that are now calling their 5<sup>th<\/sup> grade Webelos \u201cArrow of Light Scouts.\u201d This can\u2019t possibly be correct, because these Scouts haven\u2019t earned their Arrow of Light rank yet. That would be like calling a Life Scout an \u201cEagle\u201d Scout.\u00a0 Am I off-base on this? Shouldn\u2019t they still be called Webelos II? \u00a0Where can I find information on this new designation? (Leigh Ann Bostian, UC, Marin Council, CA)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s indeed what the BSA is now calling 2nd year Webelos Scouts (check out www.scouting.org).<\/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>In the November-December 2011 issue of <em>\u201dScouting\u201d<\/em> magazine, on page 10, there is a photograph of nine Scouting youth and adults, all making the three-finger Boy Scout sign or the two-finger Cub Scout sign.\u00a0 But the Cub Scout, both Webelos Scouts, and one adult Cub Scout leader giving the Cub sign are wrong: They have their lower and upper right arms at right-angles, like the Boy Scouts sign, instead of holding their arms straight up with no bend at the elbow.\u00a0 Why does the BSA allow such photos to appear in their official magazine?\u00a0 Don\u2019t they understand that they are sending the wrong message to a million or so volunteers? (Hal Facre, SM, Transatlantic Council, Germany) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of course you\u2019re correct: The Cub Scout sign is done with the right arm fully extended, as you describe; not like shown in that photo. As for how this sort of thing happens, I can only guess, of course. My guess is that it somehow slipped by the editorial reviewers. Unfortunate, no question; but it\u2019s going to happen from time to time\u2014they\u2019re human, too, and there will be occasional human mistakes. (Did you also notice that the two male leaders look more like they\u2019re giving the British Scout sign\u2014with tucked elbows\u2014than the American Scout sign?\u00a0 And then there\u2019s the Scout who\u2019s wearing a \u201cdress tie\u201d with his uniform shirt.)<\/p>\n<p>These errors not withstanding, ask any peace officer, lawyer, fire-fighter or military officer or non-com about how well TV shows accurately depict correct uniforming or correct procedure\u2014even those claiming to be \u201cprocedural dramas\u201d!\u00a0 Mostly, when they watch these the errors are so rife that their hair catches fire as they watch the glitches!\u00a0 Of course, these shows are \u201centertainment\u201d and not made for their \u201cinstructional value.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe we need to cut <em>\u201dScouting\u201d<\/em> magazine a little slack, too, because although it\u2019s aimed at helping us dedicated volunteers, it\u2019s decidedly not a training manual.<\/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>In reading your latest columns I notice that you\u2019re keeping an informal tally of readers\u2019 letters about the BSA\u2019s new <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Guide to Advancement<\/span><\/em> regarding the new guidelines on defining \u201cactive\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As our council\u2019s Advancement Chair, I finally broke down the walls of resistance with the older, very simple rules of what constitutes \u201cactive\u201d: Registered in his unit (registration fees are current), not dismissed from his unit for disciplinary reasons, engaged by his unit on a regular basis through Scoutmaster conferences or personal contact), in communication with the unit leader on a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">quarterly<\/span> basis, and \u201cUnits may not create their own definition of active\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Now they\u2019ve tossed out the simple, easy to understand guidelines and given it to the Scoutmasters to make up their own versions of active.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I had really made some people listen and understand that what they were doing was incorrect (e.g., \u201cI won\u2019t sign your Eagle application because you haven\u2019t been to a troop meeting this month, or you didn\u2019t participate in the troop service project, so I won\u2019t let you advance until you show me you\u2019re active.\u201d)\u00a0 I hear this kind of stuff probably as much as you do, so I started the \u201cTop Myths of Scouting\u201d flyer and then had them out at a leaders meeting and at Life-to-Eagle presentations, and Wow! would I get an earful from the \u201cestablished\u201d leaders: \u201cWhat is this?\u201d \u00a0I could then really explain it to them and ask why they\u2019d be putting so much more on their Scouts than the BSA required, which often would then be followed up with,\u00a0\u201cThen I won\u2019t sign them off for Scout spirit if they don\u2019t show up at these types of activities!\u201d which, of course, would be a great opener for, \u201cWhat is \u2018Scout spirit\u2019?\u201d followed by: \u201cIt\u2019s what you do when no one\u2019s looking!\u201d\u2026 It\u2019s how a Scout lives his life outside of troop meetings and such: That\u2019s the purpose of Scout spirit; it\u2019s not how many times he attends a troop activity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, I\u2019m saddened to see a reverse course on such a simple thing to follow; what had been clear black-and-white. Now, the newest way is grayer than ever and will surely fan the flames of, \u201cI\u2019m the Scoutmaster and it\u2019s my way or highway.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>So put another notch on the dark side of the new advancement guidelines. I\u2019m truly sorry so many hard-working volunteers put so much time and energy into this new guide and messed this one part up so badly.<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The issue of \u201cactive\u201d has been a weapon used against Scouts by thick-headed Scoutmasters (and others) for way to long. The new guide has a bunch of great changes, and I hope somehow the National Advancement Committee revises this one section. (Shawn Stiner, Advancement Chair, Scenic Trails Council, MI)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re not alone on this one&#8230; Any number of fine Scouters like you have written, and all about the same issue: Turning a former national requirement over to individual units.\u00a0 Whether there will be a further change or not isn&#8217;t showing up on my &#8220;crystal ball.&#8221;\u00a0 Please continue to make your observations on this known, at as high a level as you care to\u2014This is how we folks in the trenches can make a difference for the units and Scouts we serve.<\/p>\n<p>Although I\u2019ve yet to receive a letter in praise of that particular change, I will without reservation mental evasion endorse our need to follow it in all ways within our compass: It is the national policy now.\u00a0 Moreover, we need to recognize that while there may always be a few renegades, tin gods, ambushers, and saboteurs, they ultimately represent a tiny fraction of the BSA\u2019s volunteer corps; the vast, vast majority of our Scoutmasters and others involved with Scout advancement are getting it right, year after year, Scout after Scout.<\/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 notice that the BSA\u2019s new <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Guide to Advancement<\/span><\/em> states that the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project must have sufficient hours to show the candidate&#8217;s leadership.\u00a0 But in the 2011 <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Boy Scout Requirements<\/span><\/em> booklet it states that the project should be the Scout&#8217;s &#8220;best possible efforts.&#8221; \u00a0This may just be a clarifying change of wording, but it does seem to raise the bar a little bit, which I think is totally appropriate, especially in a time when the Scouting program is under criticism for its values by certain political factions. \u00a0To ask for &#8220;best possible efforts&#8221; in showing leadership while organizing service to others appears to me to be a slightly new focus, and one that should be taken note of.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>By the way, of the approximately 450 Eagle Scouts who annually earn that rank in our council, the average total man-hours for an Eagle project is approaching 200.\u00a0 Your thoughts? (Jim Jenkins, CC, Mesa, Arizona District<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, the BSA&#8217;s newest <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Guide to Advancement<\/span><\/em> contains a fair number of revisions, which I&#8217;m sure will all sort themselves out over a little bit of time.\u00a0 As for &#8220;best possible,&#8221; I&#8217;ve sort of always personally considered that an irreducible standard, anyway&#8230; (Didn&#8217;t we used to say, as Cub Scouts, &#8220;Do Your BEST!&#8221;?)\u00a0 But that\u2019s me\u2026<\/p>\n<p>As for &#8220;hours,&#8221; I&#8217;m not certain I&#8217;d personally be looking for some huge maximum number&#8230; Not when the workplace focuses on completing the task to the objective, which means that team leaders who hit timelines with least effort (i.e., maximum efficiency) get rewarded more than those who either take &#8220;forever&#8221; to get the job done or &#8220;work long, hard hours&#8221; to complete a task that gets morphed into a burdensome chore. But, again, that&#8217;s me.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s see what happens&#8230;<\/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>On Boy Scout uniforms, the star above the pocket flap or square knot emblems means what?\u00a0 The color of backing means what? How many of these can you wear? (Sorry to ask this stupid question but I can&#8217;t find any reference about them. If you have a reference, I\u2019d appreciate a copy or the website where I can get it. (Jorge Lugo, MC, Central Florida Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For everything you&#8217;d ever want to know about uniforms and insignia go to: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scouting.org\/scoutsource\/Media\/InsigniaGuide.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">www.scouting.org\/scoutsource\/Media\/InsigniaGuide.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scouting.org\/scoutsource\/Media\/InsigniaGuide\/10D.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">www.scouting.org\/scoutsource\/Media\/InsigniaGuide\/10D.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thanks for tracking me down and for taking the time to write. There are no \u201cstupid&#8221; questions here\u2026 Just smart readers who\u2019ve figured out where to get some answers!<\/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&#8217;ve appreciated the thoughts expressed in your columns, but this time I feel the need to ask you something that\u2019s a bit more &#8220;open-ended&#8221; this time\u2026 In your opinion, has Boy Scouting gotten away from the original Scouting skills that made it what it is (or was)?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The reason I\u2019m asking is because I have recently been asked to serve a new pack and troop in a sort of inner-city environment (with a note that although no one in either unit has ever so much as pitched a tent, they\u2019re going to go camping in a couple of weeks), and I\u2019ve been asked to provide \u201coutdoorsmanship\u201d advice for them.\u00a0 This makes me wonder just how much I should be \u201cadvising\u201d these new volunteers on what I\u2019d consider pretty basic Scout skills, and what I should figure they can learn for themselves.\u00a0 (Unit Commissioner, Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First, let\u2019s understand that this is an <em>advice<\/em> column: You have a problem or question; I try to help\u2026 When I feel the urge to write on a specific opinion, observation, or point of view of mine, I do so in a separate column, clearly labeled as such.\u00a0 There are a few of these sprinkled from time to time among the more than 250 advice columns.\u00a0 That understood, I\u2019m willing to take a crack at the question\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Since the initial thrust of your question was about Boy Scouting, how about we start there\u2026 If you review the past fifty or sixty years\u2019 or more worth of handbooks, you\u2019ll probably notice that while certain foundational Scoutcraft and campcraft skills have changed over the years.\u00a0 For First Class rank in the 50\u2019s, for instance, a Scout needed to be able to send and receive either Morse code or Semaphore, in a specific amount of time with no more than a set number of errors.\u00a0 But Morse isn&#8217;t even used at sea any longer\u2014marine being the last bastion of this communication method.\u00a0 Meanwhile, other skills for Scouts have been introduced, such as how to light a lightweight camp stove (such paraphernalia didn&#8217;t even exist, back in the day), and so on.\u00a0 That said, the degree with which these skills are taught, from one Scout to the next, and the degree of proficiency developed, will vary depending on the extent to which the adult volunteers are trained, and willing to encourage this.<\/p>\n<p>The responsibility of Unit Commissioners is to encourage Scouting units to deliver the best possible Scouting program they&#8217;re able.\u00a0 Some are more able than others, usually based on amount of training and degree of commitment.\u00a0 Encourage leader training\u2014adult and youth\u2014and you encourage the best Scouting has to offer.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, I was an \u201cinner-city\u201d Scout before that label even existed, in the most densely populated region of the country, yet what I learned about hiking, canoeing, camping, cooking, campcraft, and Scoutcraft stood me well hiking and canoeing the Adirondacks, the upper Missouri River, California\u2019s Sierra Range and King\u2019s Canyon, and the Colorado River.\u00a0 So the \u201cinner-city\u201d part of the equation is, in my experience, minimal, and certainly secondary to having leaders\u2014both Scouts and adults\u2014who know their stuff and are willing to impart their knowledge and skills to others.<\/p>\n<p>As for new leaders considering unit camping, if in Cub Scouting they\u2019re going to need BALOO training and if in Boy Scouting the IOLS (introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills) will be paramount, and your best efforts as Unit Commissioner will be devoted to convincing them to take this training before venturing out.<\/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 had some former den members past visiting with my Bear Cub Scout den and a question was brought up that no one had an answer for. \u00a0It was kind of funny with all the parents and their smart phones around, and still no one found the answer. Here it is: When did belt loops come into the Cub Scouting program? (<\/strong><strong>Larry Unsworth, DL, California Inland Empire Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Probably 25 or more years ago. (That&#8217;s worth assigning to your den to go find the exact answer!)<\/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 have an \u201cetiquette\u201d question\u2026 My son\u2019s a Boy Scout, and so I often attend the beginning of his troop meetings to listen for announcements (as many parents in the troop do).\u00a0 I&#8217;m an Eagle Scout, and have been saying the Scout Oath and Law with the troop (Scout sign and everything), but I&#8217;m not currently a leader in the troop, and consequently not in uniform (I&#8217;m Cubmaster of my younger son&#8217;s pack).\u00a0 Is it appropriate for a &#8220;former&#8221; Eagle Scout to do this, or should I be at the troop meeting as a parent and not participate in their opening ceremony (other than the Pledge of Allegiance)?\u00a0 (Russ Porter, Hudson Valley Council, NY)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First, you&#8217;re not a &#8220;former&#8221; Eagle Scout; you&#8217;re an Eagle Scout, just as you stated at the outset.\u00a0 As to whether one repeats the Scout Oath and Law (showing the Scout sign, as you point out) consider what sort of example you want to set and what message you want to deliver.\u00a0 If you know the Scout Oath and Law, and know how to hold the Scout sign, I can&#8217;t for the life of me think of a good reason why not to do it, regardless of what you&#8217;re wearing or where in the room you happen to be standing. (You can take the boy out of Scouting, but you can&#8217;t take Scouting out of the boy!)<\/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 am interested in the Varsity Scout program.\u00a0 Can you tell me if this program can be run as a Varsity Patrol with in an existing Scout troop, or does it have to be a separately chartered unit? (Nigel Andrews)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Varsity Scout <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">teams<\/span> are units unto themselves, the BSA informs us; Varsity isn\u2019t organized on a patrol-within-a-troop basis.<\/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>The BSA has just published a brand-new <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Guide to Advancement<\/span><\/em>. I\u2019m not sure you\u2019ve seen it yet, but I was thinking about it when you\u00a0answered\u00a0a question in your October 10th column about an Assistant Scoutmaster sitting on a board of review. \u00a0If you check out the wording in point 1 of Section\u00a08.0.2.0, and then contrast this with what\u2019s in Section\u00a08.0.0.3, Assistant Scoutmasters, or even Scoutmasters, may now\u00a0participate\u00a0in non-Eagle boards of review\u2014just not for their own troop\u2014so long as the criteria in 8.0.2.0 is met.\u00a0 Also, there\u2019s now an entirely new way of defining and assessing \u201cactive.\u201d (Robert Randolph)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, that nuance you mention is certainly accurate; however, when asking about boards of review, all those who&#8217;ve ever written to me are asking about such reviews in their own troops; not in somebody else&#8217;s, which is of course why I responded as I did.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I didn&#8217;t mean to come across a sounding like I thought your answer was incorrect, and I agree that that reader was asking about Assistant Scoutmasters sitting on reviews for Scouts in their home troop.\u00a0 I was just passing along this new revision, so that you can &#8220;show it in writing&#8221; with the latest material. (RR)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No umbrage taken, I assure you.\u00a0 And of course I&#8217;ve looked over the new way of assessing &#8220;active,&#8221; and I believe the task force that had to deal with that hairball did its level best to cover all bases and be as fair as possible to the busy Scout.<\/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>Are there boys who\u2019d like to be Scouts who live in remote areas without a troop?\u00a0 If so, how is that handled?\u00a0 Can a remote boy join a Scout troop via the Internet, and if so, how does he handle advancement, etc.? (Ben Hayes)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s an excellent article on Lone Scouts in the <em>&#8220;Scouting\u201d<\/em> magazine archives: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scoutingmagazine.org\/issues\/0110\/a-lone.html\">www.scoutingmagazine.org\/issues\/0110\/a-lone.html<\/a><\/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>Who picks the people who sit on Eagle boards of review? Our troop\u2019s advancement\u00a0coordinator says he\u2019s the only one who can choose. Why are Scouts allowed to choose for all other\u00a0ranks\u2019 boards of review?\u00a0 I read that the Eagle board of review must have at least three members and no more than six members, all of whom must be at least 21 years of age who don\u2019t necessarily have to be registered in Scouting so long as they understand the importance and purpose of the Eagle rank, plus at least one district or council advancement representative, when conducted at the unit level (at the unit&#8217;s request, this individual may serve as chair).\u00a0 However, our advancement coordinator chooses only from our committee. \u201cWhy would I pick an outsider?\u201d he says.<br \/>\nOne current Eagle candidate would like to have one of his high school teachers on his review.\u00a0 Why does the BSA say that? For Eagle, review members don\u2019t have to be registered in Scouting, and why can\u2019t a Scout choose or at least request someone to be on the review? (Dave Bennett, Great Sauk Trail Council, MI)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What you read about the composition of a board of review for Eagle rank is accurate.\u00a0 All boards of review except Eagle are specifically comprised of no less than three or more than six members, typically selected in collaboration between the troop&#8217;s Committee Chair, the advancement coordinator, and often the Scoutmaster.\u00a0 When an Eagle board of review is carried out at the troop level, it\u2019s proper to have a district or council advancement representative present also; in fact, that part is mandatory.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re informed by the BSA that Scouts are specifically prohibited from choosing or requesting specific members of their board of review for all ranks, including Eagle.<\/p>\n<p>The wise chair-to-be of an upcoming Eagle board of review will definitely reach out to the community in a variety of ways.\u00a0 It should go without saying that the first person to be invited is the head of the troop&#8217;s chartered organization, so that that person can see first-hand the kind of program the troop&#8217;s adult volunteers are delivering for the youth of the community.\u00a0 In similar regard, the Life Scout&#8217;s school principal, clergy, and team coach are also most appropriate.\u00a0 Then there are the town&#8217;s police or fire chief, or even mayor or a town council member.\u00a0 The purpose in doing this is to share this &#8220;mountaintop&#8221; experience with others beyond the troop.\u00a0 It\u2019s not to gild it or puff it up beyond the bounds of normal importance but, rather, to expand the knowledge of &#8220;the rest of the world&#8221; as to what sort of young men Scouting produces!\u00a0 To do otherwise is to think pretty small and narrow.\u00a0 Start thinking broad and deep, and watch what happens!<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>Finally, with thanks to our USSSP Webmaster, Michael Bowman, and with credit to \u201cTUNDRA\u201d The Comic Strip and Chad Carpenter, the cartoonist, for \u201cmaking my day,\u201d here\u2019s something just a little different to close today\u2019s column\u2026<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_486\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2011\/11\/issue-275-november-8-2011\/tundra-andy\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-486\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-486\" class=\"size-large wp-image-486\" title=\"tundra-andy\" src=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/tundra-andy-550x163.png\" alt=\"Tundra Cartoon\" width=\"550\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/tundra-andy-550x163.png 550w, http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/tundra-andy-300x89.png 300w, http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/tundra-andy.png 593w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-486\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click image to see larger size. Permission pending. For more great Tundra comics by Chad Carpenter, visit http:\/\/www.tundracomics.com\/<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>HappY ScOuTing!<\/strong><\/p>\n<form>\n<h3>Andy<\/h3>\n<p>(November 8, 2011 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2011)<\/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. 39: Knowledge and intelligent can be faked; clever and witty can\u2019t. Rule No. 40: On any campout, the gadget most needed will be the one left in a trunk in the parking lot. First things first.\u00a0 Let\u2019s fix an error\u2026 Dear Andy, About those \u201cpumpkin shooters\u201d in your last column: I\u2019m not aware [&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":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438","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=438"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":545,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438\/revisions\/545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}