Beavah

Yah, Dozy... hard case. Your problem isn't with a BOR. The difficulty in your unit is that you have a group of people ("new guard") who are causin' conflict, in part by viewing things as "us" (new guard) vs. "them" (old guard). Yeh are forgettin' that adult-level scoutin' is about shared service. These things happen in units when the adults don't have a common vision of the mission, particularly where da CO is only weakly involved. I think you need to decide whether your goal is to split the troop (with all the attendant consequences including possible folding altogether, or t

I do have one question with the G2SS, I can understand the restriction against chain saws, but having never used a log splitter, could someone explain the danger in that tool? This is a poorly written G2SS rule, eh? There are some varieties of mechanical logsplitters that use a fast-moving impact wedge which can be hazardous to those who aren't careful. Risk is from the splitter itself and also from the potential of flying wood. On the other hand, there are some log splitters that use a slow-moving pressure wedge which are quite safe for high school or even middle school kids to o

The procedure is: The SM refuses to sign the Eagle application (refuses to recommend the boy for a BOR), perhaps because he cannot sign Scout Spirit. If the Boy appeals the SM's decision, it goes to the unit committee. The unit committee can overrule the SM and send the boy to a BOR with their recommendation. Note that this appeal is not the BOR itself, which has to be done by the district or with a district rep. If the unit committee decides in the SM's favor, the boy can appeal up the chain to the district/council/national (see below). If the SM did sign the application an

Whether an adult scout leader is interpreting the advancement requirements too harshly or too leniently is a matter of opinion, and the prevailing opinion of the majority of leaders should be persuasive, if not dispositive. I'm goin' to disagree "lightly" Hunt. I think it's important to remember in da BSA system that the CO's goals are the ones that are most important. So the question of whether the adult (or youth) leaders signing off on requirements are being too harsh or too lenient depends primarily on how well their use of the method is achieving the CO's aims and purposes.

Yah, dat's weird, eh? There were a number of replies to this just a little big ago. They all seem to have been zapped.

ANOTHER requirement fundamentalist thread? It just never gets old, does it? Of course the counselor has to interpret the requirements in light of the aims and the local conditions. If we didn't want the counselor to use his/her best judgment most of the time, then we would have to make the requirements book as long as the U.S. Administrative code - dozens of volumes of fine type. Complete 20 days of camping. That includes nights, but not if you happen to be in Alaska where the sun doesn't set in the summer. Camping must be outdoors, not in a basement or garage or cabin. However,

Seriously, I don't think the actual method (#4 - #9) is crucial. What I think is crucial is consistency. Yah, I agree acco. The person I stole this list from I think was advocating that only #8 or #9 was any good, though. Very different from Hunt, eh? So units can have different expectations. That's fine until a boy transfers to a different troop, or leaders change too quickly. Then there can be some friction. Some friction, too, when Eagles meet from different style programs, perhaps. I don't mind the difference myself, as long as the units are reachin' kids in some way.

That's not true at all. BSA owns the BSA program. BSA charters local community groups to use the BSA program. Yah, that's right FScouter. And in the BSA's own program and organizational structure, issues of advancement are expressly the purview of the unit, district, council, and national advancement committees. There is nothing in the BSA program or governance structure that permits a DE or even an SE to make an interpretation of advancement requirements. Nor, in the BSA governance structure does the DE have any say in charter decisions. That is exclusively the SE, and only with

Examples are probably easiest, eh? This is from an old Scouts-L posting. When a boy gets signed off for the 2nd Class first aid requirement for serious burns in your unit, what has he done? Be honest. 1) He watches as the counselor demonstrates first aid for burns, then gets signed off with the group. 2) He watches as the counselor demonstrates first aid for burns, then later that day or the next he is quizzed on what the steps are for burn first aid and answers correctly. 3) He listens to the counselor tell about how to do first aid for burns, and plays victim while one of

Not that frequent around here. Every now and then, usually just one or two families at a time, rather than a bunch. About half the time they find a happy home in the second unit (partly because they're a bit more circumspect about their yammerin'); about half the time they bounce again, and again. I'd say almost all of the conflict, when it happens, comes from advancement issues. Usually parents lookin' for da fastest lane on da road to Eagle, tho once or twice an Eagledad movin' his kid out of a mill and into a handcrafted Eagle unit. The kids never really care, at their age, they ju

I ran this subject by our DE last night. Guess what. It is adding a requirement. Yah, guess what? The DE has no authority in the BSA structure to make that decision. That's a decision that is the sole purview of the advancement committees (i.e. volunteers) as it is a policy/mission decision. At the point when the boy has fulfilled all of the other requirements and the SM refuses to sign for service, the boy can appeal to the Troop Committee for a BOR anyway. If they say no, he can appeal to the district, then the council, then the national advancement committees. The BSA can choo

So every time I click on da "Click here for active topics in the last 24 hours" link, I get: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e31' [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Timeout expired /forums/search.asp, line 43 Well, almost every time. Sometimes late at night I'll get through. Anyone else experiencin' this?

Yah, this is Philmont, eh? All da boys goin' should be older scouts. I'd let them do what they think is right and live with the consequences. Plus the Philmont rangers will do gear checks. But, FWIW: 1. There are a few boys taking rains coats but no pants. I prefer rain or at least windbreaker pants. For the lower country, goin' without isn't too bad, but a bit uncomfortable. For somethin' like goin' up Baldy, wind pants can be necessary. More important for smaller/leaner boys. 2. There is one boy that said he will not take a long sleeve shirt Yah, so? He does have a long-

Uh, and who will pay the cost of food, supplies, etc, from the course??? I dunno. How about all da FOS dollars that are ostensibly collected for that purpose? You know, providing trainin' and enhancing the kids' scoutin' experience and all that? Providin' trainin' and program is after all why FOS dollars are collected, right? But BrentAllen has a good point. I agree with him that there needs to be some financial commitment in order to build a mental/emotional commitment.

Home, home on the range... Where the Buffalo and Antelope play But their playing's a curse 'Cause we're missing their verse So da Beavah's can't chime in today... Dam.

Ooh, ooh, let me try. I love word games. Yah. Word games are fun, eh? We need context, though, even for word games. It's really more like 'Take part in Leadership Service Project(s) approved by the SM before the project(s) are started.' Even tho' word games are fun, they don't really answer the question "What's best for the boy?" or even better, "What's best for all da boys in this particular unit's program?" My wish is that service-oriented and mentally awake scouters debate those things, not what the meaning of "is" is.

Yah, yelruh. That's the hard part about "askin' questions and callin' them" on things. At some point, the volunteers just don't want to spend any more of their time on that. They volunteered to try to help kids and have some fun in the woods, after all, not debate requirement 7c(1). At the point they're sick of the debate, they can either leave (hurt all kids) or ask the COR or Committee to remove the offender (hurt one kid) who is takin' up too much time. Which is why I counsel that unless you're willin' to step up and be SM, yeh have to think carefully about critiquing the guy in th

Nah, Ed, Longhaul got this one right. "Star and Life service projects may be approved for Scouts assisting on Eagle Service projects." (33215 p. 20, emphasis mine). So just because the Eagle project was approved for the Eagle candidate doesn't mean that the SM has to approve work on the Eagle project to meet the Star or Life requirement. For example, a Star Scout might assist da Eagle candidate with his project by helping him organize tools before the project. But is that really providing service to the community, or just being helpful to a friend and troopmate?

Anytime there's a death/injury in this country, the jury assumes there was negligence involved - that's why there are so many of these cases (they're very easy to win). Actually, the stats are that plaintiffs win tort cases only about half da time. In many cases, a bench trial is a better deal for the plaintiff than a jury trial. See: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/civil.htm

Yah, it's tough CNY. Those sports teams have advantages we don't have. Frequency of practice, and simpleness of task. Da best way to build pride is hard work and high expectations leading to achievement. Especially for boys, the hard work of doin' something together builds friendships and teams. Dat means yeh have to do enough, frequently enough that the kids really struggle, and learn things, and get good at them. Hard to do with a short meeting per week. Harder still because doing well as a youth leader or teammate in scouting involves a lot more skills than playin' a

NJCub, high voltage electrical shock can disrupt heart rhythms in a healthy heart, triggering the same kinds of arythmia (like fibrillation) as a heart attack. This is, I believe, the most common way to die from a lightning strike or elecrocution (though a "direct hit" by lightning is instantly fatal). Good extended CPR and timely advanced life support can often save a person from this kind of heart arythmia, because da heart itself is healthy. It is a shame that didn't happen in this case.

We teach our boys to be leaders. Yah, not necessarily LyndaJ. There's no explicit requirement in da BSA program for leadership skills in any form until a boy hits the Eagle project. And you and others are clear that you don't want to "add to the requirements." There's no requirement for JLT (and most council-level JLT/NYLT will only take a couple of boys from each troop a year). There's no requirement to hold a leadership role, just a Position of Responsibility. Many if not most of da PORs involve service and support, but not leadership (quartermaster, scribe, librarian, histor

Yah, I think leavin' the parents out of it is a good way to approach the boy. But I think we've got to recognize that the parents may be the ones sabotaging the boy's scouting experience. It's hard for a 15 year old to succeed if mom and dad aren't supportive, eh? And not many quiet boys are going to explain/admit that their parents don't like their scouting participation. Perhaps, since he likes sailing, it's time for him to leave the troop and go to a Sea Scout Ship. He can finish his POR, Scout Spirit, and Eagle work with them. I'd raise that suggestion with the boy and the pa

FScouter is on the money! The G2SS has procedures for this. Yah, useful stuff, like "don't use hair dryers, electric toothbrushes, or electric razors" "stay away from open doors and windows" and "stop tractor work." I'm feelin' safer already.

Full financials. Not just fundraisers, but an easy-to-read formal statement of revenues AND expenses. Include information on capital gear (tents, stoves) and wear-and-tear (depreciation) that will eventually to lead to replacement. Quotes from parents and boys about their view of scouting and the troop.