"Active" tenure for Eagle rank - (LONG)
Bruce_Mccrea@LANSING.CC.MI.US
Fri, 30 Apr 1999 14:15:41 -0400
I was glad to see Donna Davis-Daisley's discussion of this topic. I agree with
most of what she said.
My concern is with her statement, "2. In addition to the "be active" requirement
for Eagle, there is also a "serve actively for a period of six months in one or
more...positions of responsibility". A Scout meeting requirement #4 has
automatically completed requirement #1."
I agree with this statement entirely if the position of responsibility is any
position on the list but den chief. She states, " It is the responsibility of
the SPL and PLC, with the counsel and support of their SM, to set the
expectations for the attendance and participation of leadership, and to take
action if the leadership does not meet the standards accepted when the Scout
agreed to the position." This works fine for any position of responsibility
that is a troop position. However, the SPL, the PLC, and the SM do not observe
a Scout's service as den chief like they observe service in other positions of
responsibility and I do not believe that service as den chief automatically
means that a Scout has been "active" in his troop and patrol.
We have a Scout on our troop roster who was formerly a member of another troop.
That troop folded and his membership expired. He later came to one of our troop
meetings with a friend and said that he wanted to become active in Scouting
again and to earn his Eagle rank. He had not yet received his Life rank, so we
contacted people from his old troop and reconstructed his records to show that
he had 6 months tenure and 6 months in a position of responsibility as a Star
Scout in their troop. We therefore held a Scoutmaster's Conference and board of
review and awarded him the Life rank. In his Scoutmaster's Conference, he said
that he wanted to use den chief as his position of responsibility for Eagle. I
said that den chief is an acceptable position of responsibility, as it is on the
list, but in order for him to meet requirement 1. "Be active in your troop and
patrol for at least 6 months as a Life Scout.," he was also going to have to
become active in our troop. (We have a very active Venture patrol composed of
Scouts his own age along with a very active troop.) He agreed that he would do
that. Since then, despite calls and letters, just about the only times we have
seen him is when he has stopped off at troop meetings to drop off completed
merit badge cards and left immediately afterwards. Many people on Scout-L seem
to be saying that it is BSA policy that I must certify that this Scout has
satisfied Eagle requirement 1."Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6
months as a Life Scout.",even though, using every possible definition I can find
of the word "active" he has not done this. I am very troubled by the
possibility that BSA might be asking me to violate the first point of the Scout
Law, "A Scout is Trustworthy." in certifying that this Scout has satisfied this
requirement.
In my opinion, the problem is in the wording of the requirement. BSA could have
established a requirement that states, "1.Be a member of your troop and patrol
for at least 6 months as a Life Scout." Some of us might have disagreed with
this, but the wording would have been very clear, and I would have no problem
ceritfying that this Scout meets a requirement worded like that. Instead, they
established a requirement that states, "1.Be active in your troop and patrol for
at least 6 months as a Life Scout. " Many of us believe that the word "active",
using any definition in any dictionary, means more than having your name on the
troop roster and never attending any meetings or activities.
It almost seems like the BSA is trying to have their cake and eat it too. "Have
their cake" by stating in public that an Eagle Scout has been active in their
troop and patrol. "Eat it too" by stating privately that the word"active"
doesn't mean a thing in this context and that any registered member qualifies.
I would urge BSA to either change the wording of this requirement to "1.Be a
member of your troop and patrol for at least 6 months as a Life Scout." or
remove den chief from the list of acceptable positions of responsibility for
Eagle Scout. Otherwise, the controversy will continue.
Bruce McCrea
Scoutmaster, Troop 180
Chief Okemos Council, Michigan
