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Which shoulder position patch?


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I am a Den leader but also volunteered for a Unit Commissioner position. Which patch and shoulder loops should be worn? I really don't have a budget for two fully decked out shirts. Does one supersede the other? Too bad the shoulder don't have velcro so you can switch position patches out at will.

 

Thanks

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Unit Commissioner is a district position and would be silver shoulder loops and the Unit Commissioner patch would be placed in the same spot as the den leader patch. The shoulder loops are interchangable by simply unbuttoning the epaulets and swapping them out, the position patch I have seen people use velcro to swap them out. In answer to your question about whetjher oen supercedes the other, the answer is yes, whichever position you are currently functioning in. As a den leader you should be uniformed in your Den Leader uniform with your unit numbers. As Unit Commissioner your uniform should reflect that position as District registered without unit numbers.

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Sablanck,

 

Thanks for your willingness to volunteer both at a unit and district level. I would like to caution you about being both a unit leader and a commissioner. Actually, you are not suppose to do both. The Admin. of Commissioner Service manual says "Commissioners must not be registered unit leaders". I am a District Commissioner, and I make it a point not to ask anyone currently serving in a unit leader position to be a UC. On the other hand, I will ask them to be a Unit Mentor to one unit only, and they do not wear a different position patch. I know there are plenty of people who prob. are UC's and a unit leader, but I do not think it is a good idea.

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I was a unit commissioner for a while at the same time I was serving as an assistant scoutmaster. I was not aware that it was not allowed and I guess the DC wasn't either as they knew that I would continue with my troop when they recruited me. I quickly found that the time requirements of the two roles were incompatible so I chose to continue with unit scouting.

 

What I do remember is that you should not wear unit numbers on your uniform when serving as a commissioner. I splurged for a second shirt with the appropriate patches and loops.

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There is what the Admin Manual says, and what is actual practice ...

 

If I have a unit leader who wants to be a UC, that's fine, but they will not be the UC for their own unit. Plus, I always limit UCs to one unit -- and when they are ready for another, we will discuss if that is appropriate for them.

 

Do I prefer UCs who are not an active unit leader somewhere else? Sure, who doesn't, but the reality is we do our best to match volunteers with the available jobs in the district.

 

One of the things that I created as a 1-page "UC job description" based on the new "Commissioner Support" document -- this as really helped prospective commissioners to understand the role of the unit commissioner -- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/144059/Commissioner_Support.pdf

 

 

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What exactly is a "unit leader"?

 

Is it any adult with a unit registration?

 

Is it anyone registered to an adult unit program leader position (DL, CM, SM, CA and assistants)?

 

Is it specifically the person holding the top program adult leadership position (i.e. the person who signs on the "Unit Leader" line on various forms?

 

And as a UC and former ADC, I do know what the actual expectations are and what the reality is. Perhaps I'm asking a rhetorical question, but then I've never seen "unit leader" (lower case) actually defined anywhere.

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Back when my dad was in the US COast Guard, he did spend some time in Special Police duty. I guess that was their version of MP's. Anyways, instead of changing his uniform or having a different uniform for that duty, it was just a black wool armband that was about6 inches in length and had the yellow SP on it.

 

So I am wondering ( since I do not have the cash to throw down for a second shirt) if you do do the same?

 

Maybe take a old shirt and cut the left sleeve off of it and maybe even have a short tan suspender that wopuld hook to the epualetts to help it stay up. Then change your loop from blue to silver.

 

coversleeve could have your Commisioner patch and no unit numbers, andf the real sleave underneath could have your pack patch as well as the unit numbers.

 

Just slide the arm band on or off as needed.

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"unit leader: The adult leader of a unit is a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Coach, Advisor, or Skipper."

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/LOS/All.aspx

 

In Commissioner College, we discussed this topic and were told that any direct contact unit leader should not be looked upon as a Unit Commissioner. This would include Assistant Scoutmasters, Den Leaders, etc. Unit Committee members are not excluded, and I have asked Assistant Scoutmasters to be Unit Committee Members instead. Yes, I realize the reality of it all, and there are people doing both. I think that is part of the problem, most are paper commissioners like this, just to make it look good on a report and not getting anything really done.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If it comes down to wearing only only 1 patch, think of it this way. BSA's org chart is upside down, meaning youth are at the top. Then direct contact leaders, then Unit support leaders (i.e. committee), then district and council leaders are low on that org chart. Unit leader position is more important than a District Commissioner. So I would wear your unit leader position over commissioner patch.

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  • 2 years later...

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