From: Settummanque, the blackeagle ((MAJ) Mike L. Walton) (blkeagle@USSCOUTS.ORG)
Date: Sat Jul 29 2000 - 23:56:44 CDT
Sorry for the late response to your survey. I hope this helps out:
You wrote and asked:
1. Is there a place for women in Cub Scouting? Boy Scouting?
> Venturing? If so, what?'
YES, there is a place for women in all three programs, and those places are
right beside, over and under those men whom are serving in adult leadership
or coaching roles in those programs.
>2. Should women hold top positions in a Cub Scout Pack?
> Boy Scout Troop? Venturing Crew? If so, what?
Women should have the same opportunities and chances to "lead" as males.
There are all-female Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, and Venturing Crews.
There are also all-male Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops and Venturing Crews
as well. But to *me*, the best Packs, Troops, Teams, Crews and Ships are
those which utilizes ALL of the adults they can get to "make the program
work for the youth."
>3. Should women be allowed to camp with the Troop? If so, under what
>conditions?
Under the same conditions that males are allowed to camp with a
Troop. While women have special physical needs (menstrual periods,
cramping, and the inability to urinate standing), there are lots of men who
have special physical needs (obesity, heart and/or lung problems, cramping,
and some do have an inability to urinate standing upright). So to those
out there who say " no, because females have periods and in the ideal
camping situation, there's no place for them to clean up", I say "silly guy..."
I read a study by the University of Southern California or the University
of Michigan a short time back (1997?) which stated that strenous outdoor
activities such as camping and hiking are actually GOOD for females, as it
assists to regulate their bodies in ways that pills and diet alone cannot
do. So, from a health standpoint, give me a woman visiting "aunt flo" over
some old geezer that can hardly keep up with his Scouts let alone stand by
the youth leadership during an encampment!
>4. Should women be allowed to instruct the Scouts in basic requirements? If
>so, under what conditions?
Again, under the same conditions as males should. If a woman is competent
enough, she can certainly ASSIST in the teaching of the basic requirements
for various ranks alongside males whom are ASSISTING.
But the actual TEACHING should be done by OLDER SCOUTS and NOT by adults.
This is one of those "movie and TV tricks" that a lot of new Scoutmasters
get themselves into....they think that just because they've seen some guy
teach a bunch of Scouts in a movie how to do something, that's the way it
should be....nope. The older Scouts teach the younger Scouts. The
Scoutmasters and other adults can ASSIST in teaching the younger Scouts,
but the PRIMARY teaching is done by SCOUTS.
>5. What is your greatest fear about including women in Scouting?
That one of them will tell my wife that I can indeed cook better than many
women. This will mean that I will have to compete with my wife over the
usage of the kitchen and I would be forced to prepare MORE meals for our
family than I'm "allowed" to.
The second biggest fear is that I will do something really, really stupid
during a campout or hike or something like that and my wife will "tell a
wife" to EVERY WOMAN SHE KNOWS, thereby insuring that the tale will NEVER
go away, but instead will become eventually bigger!!!
>6. What is your greatest fear about having women in a Scoutmaster position?
> Cub Master position? Venturing Crew Advisor position?
That some male bonehead will say to her after she screwed something up
"SEE, I TOLD YOU...WOMEN HAVE NO PLACE IN SCOUTING AND THIS PROVES IT!"
Despite the fact that we men mess stuff up with alarming frequency (when
was the last time any of us heard of a female molesting a Scout?? When the
was the last time any of us heard or read anything about a female running
off with the Troop's treasury? See what I mean?), we still want to "give
it to" our female counterparts when they mess something up. Unless there's
someone out there that have never made a mistake anytime in their lives, I
would seriously question someone telling a female Scouter that "she has no
place in Scouting" no matter how severe or petty the problem or situation was.
>7. Should women hold executive positions or any positions within the
>district or council? District Executives? Council Executives? If not, why?
Sure they should....they are doing it now, and some have discovered just
like their male counterparts, that perhaps Scouting isn't for them. For
those that enjoy Scouting as a profession, some are excelling and some are
just there.
And the same goes for volunteers at the District and Council level as well.
>8. What is the greatest asset that women can offer to the Pack, Troop or
>Crew?
The same assets that males bring to the program....their ability to be of
service to the youth of the unit, their personal experiences, their
vocational interests and experiences and their ability to work through a
problem and solve it.
>9. Should women be included on the basic training staff of Scoutmaster
>fundamentals, Woodbadge etc? Why? Why not?
If for nothing else than to remind some of those boneheaded Scouters that
Scouting is an equal opportunity program as far as males and females are
concerned. Again, if a woman is qualified and wants to serve, there's no
reason why they should not. There are likewise men who feel qualified and
dont get to serve on staff in some Councils.
>10. Should women hold postions on the District Committee? Council
>Committee? Why? Why not?
I responded to this one two questions up.
>11. What benefit can come from excluding women from Scouting?
None.
>12. What benefit can come from including women in Scouting?
A greater appreciation and knowledge that the programs of Scouting are
truly for the entire family and not just the males.
>13. Does your personal Pack, Troop Crew include women or exclude women from
>leadership postions? Why or Wy not?
Since I am registered with a Pack or Troop or Crew/Ship presently, I can't
answer this question; however, I had female volunteers on my Commissioners
staffs, in the Pack I was also a leader in, and within the Crew I served as
Coach of.
>14. Does your personal Pack, Troop or Crew include or exclude women from
>Committee positions or other support roles? Why? Why not?
Again, I can't really comment on this question except to say that in the
past, everyone was included in the unit's support roles...there was no
choice: include everyone or watch the unit die.
>15. Are your feelings regarding use or non use of women in your Pack, Troop
>or Crew exclusive to your Pack, Troop or Crew?
I sincerely hope that my feelings and expressions are those shared by other
Scouters, but I am realistic in the fact that even today, there are
Scouters whom would want females to take less of a role in our programs
than they have become.
In some Councils, female volunteers makes up a good third or more of the
adult population of the Council!!
>16. What are the general feelings of your community and other Pack. Troop or
>Crews in your district or council in regard to women in leadership positions?
Most communities still don't understand this. A newspaper editor from a
town in Ohio called me about three weeks ago and asked me for a comment on
their new "female Scoutmaster", the "first in our community". When I
informed him that the BSA has been doing this for well over 20 years now,
the editor asked me "This isn't new?? We are under the impression that the
BSA just recently allowed this to happen...."
When I faxed him a copy of the SCOUTING Magazine article which "opened the
floodgates" for females to be fully involved, he called me back and thanked
me. "You've saved me from looking really foolish," he told me, "So why you
supposed it took so long for her to become Scoutmaster?"
"That,", I told him, "is your REAL STORY."
>17. Do you consider yourself a true Scout, a"purist", a"traditionalist",
>a"dinosaur" a "Good old Boy" in Scouting?
All of the above, depending on who says it about me, why, and under what
circumstances. There's a few other names that some call me too, but some
of those aren't postable here! *laughter*
>18. What is your best advice for women considering joining the Boy Scout
>movement?
Be yourself. Don't try to be some "Daniel Boone wannabee" in a skirt or
slacks. We need you for the things which make you YOU....we want your
experiences in life, not just in the outdoors. You can learn those skills
if you don't have them and you can hone those skills if you already have
them. But don't come in thinking that you have to do "as good as the
guys", "better than the guys" or even "the guys." Volunteering to serve as
a BSA volunteer means that you are willing to work with YOUTH, willing to
be their role model.
Settummanque!
>19. Vote, more female involvement or less female involvement?
>
>20. If you could turn back the clock, should the BSA have stayed male
>exclusive?
>
>Thanks again for all of your input.
>Scoutmaster Linda Clossen
