Re: Can a Scout earn both Skiing and Snow Sports MBs?
(no name) ((no email))
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 18:04:56 -0600
Stan asked:
Bruce McCreary <Bruce_Mccrea@LANSING.CC.MI.US> asked:
>I know there have been many situations like this in the past
>in which names of merit badges have been changed. In such
>situations, can Scouts who have earned the merit badge under its
>old name also earn the merit badge under its new name.
Yes. For instance:
I earned the Forage Crops Merit Badge and when the new Plant
Science Merit Badge came out two years later, I earned it;
I also earned the old Conservation of Natural Resources Merit Badge
(beating the "deadline" by four months before it became
nonexistant) and the present Environmental Science Merit Badge.
In both cases, the merit badges were earned using the *stated
requirements at the time of the badge's existance*. And no, you
CAN NOT use one set of requirements to meet another Merit Badge's
requirements..even though I performed the same kinds of projects in
the case of Cons of Natural Resources AND Env Sci, those
requirements AS WRITTEN MUST be met (again) and worked with a
registered merit badge counsellor.
Many Scouts have earned the older Rifle and Shotgun Shooting Merit
Badge and the present Shooting Sports Merit Badge; however, they
MUST meet the *stated requirements* for each badge (and in the case
of Rifle and Shotgun Shooting, the badge must be earned before it's
"cut off date", normally within 6-12 months after discontinuance,
upon exhausion of the physical merit badge, or by direction of the
Council's Scout Executive (whichever comes first).
Bruce Coburn wrote about a year or two back that the National
Director of Boy Scouting at that time didn't have a "deadline" for
the removal of merit badges after talking with his staff by phone.
I disagreed, based upon the previous "record" of the BSA's Boy
Scout Program Division as it applied to other merit badges being
discontinued (a short grace period was allowed, and it was up to
each local Council as to whether or not the merit badge would be
allowed to be earned after that grace period was up; much of this
depended upon the unit leaders' concurrence that indeed they had an
*actual merit badge* to present).
I yield however, to Bruce, because of his conversation with the
(one back now) present holders of that position and it is the
Division's recommendation (note the word) that merit badge work
STOPS after the merit badge has been "declared dead."
We never got an answer however, on what happens if a Scout *started
work* on the merit badge a short time back, and the badge is then
discontinued before he could finish work.
Hope all of this helps out, and Bruce Coburn, if you've got more to
add, please do!
Settummanque!
(c) 1999 Mike Walton ("no such thing as strong coffee,...") blkeagle@mninter.net
http://mninter.net/~blkeagle Burnsville, MN 55306-7130 (612) 435-3068
privately at kyblkeagle@aol.com or waltonm@server.kaiserslautern.army.mil
---- FORWARD in service to youth ----
