scoutldr

One of the demographics that your District Committee and DE will track is "TAY" or "total available youth". It's the number of youth of Scouting age in your District's geographic area, gleaned mainly from school populations. As long as that number is greater than the number of BSA members in the District, they will try to start new units. # of new units is also one of the metrics that determines whether a DE succeeds or fails as a professional Scouter. They would much rather have 20 units with 5 scouts each than two 50 scout units. I agree...recruitment is difficult, and it's getting worse. But your enemy is not the other troops.

As I recall, graphite powder was the ONLY lube allowed. But it's been a long time. Just have fun and don't overthink it.

Does anyone know where the new uniforms are made? If it's China, then nothing prevents the manufacturer to make a million more copies to sell to Wally-world...as long as the BSA trademarks are not on them. In fact, it would be a smart business move to keep costs down and increase profits. Most of the patches I've seen come from China now.

Interesting. Thanks, Baden.

Welcome, Scott! Ebay is a good source for gently used or even new Scout uniforms. You might also patrol the thrift stores and sometimes you'll get lucky.

The ones with "Executive" or "Director" in their titles are usually the paid pros. The rest are mere volunteers. The Scout Executive (SE)is the head fred (CEO) of the Council and all the other paid employees report to him, directly or indirectly. The SE reports to the Council Executive Board...a group of volunteers who are usually hand picked by the SE. District Executives (DE) work for the SE and work with the District Chairman, a volunteer who chairs the District Committee. Commissioners are all vols, as are unit leaders. The "key 3" of the Council or District consist of the Chairman, Commissioner and Executive. I think there's an org chart in the leaders books. That's it in a nutshell.

It would seem logical that those on the Executive Board would serve in their positions a year at a time...Council President, VP's, etc. Aren't those positions elected by other members of the EB? As far as term limits for other District/Council positions, I'm not aware of any, other than the district I served would elect a "slate" of positions every year...if you wanted to continue serving, you were "re-elected." Only on one occasion did I witness someone asked not to return, and it wasn't pleasant. We don't seem to be able to keep a District Chairman or DE for more than a year at a time, but I don't think it's because of any term limits. The SE plays musical chairs with the DE's about once a year, not sure to what purpose.

"has made me wonder what we do in cases where a scout's family does not have health insurance" I'm with Ed. Why would we "do" anything? This is between the family and their health care providers. I DO think it's a good idea as a unit to sign up for the BSA accident insurance. Just pay the extra buck or two per scout when registration comes along. Either pass it on to the families, or factor it in to your Unit Budget plan. Then you've done all you can do. As I recall, our Council used to charge us for it automatically. Not sure if or when it became "optional".

Welcome back, Gonzo. We missed ya! Survey: 1. No. I think the rule should apply to all adults (>18) equally...either wear the badge or the knot, but not both. 2. Eagle class of 70.

If you are the Lifesaving MB counsellor who will sign off the badge, it is up to you to decide what you will accept. You can make them start over, or you can accept "a Scout is Trustworthy". It's all you now.

As I said, gcan, "I" understood what you meant. But at any given time, there are over a thousand people reading these comments, so, yes, I think we DO need to be conscious of the "literal minded" when we give advice. BSA policy is "no one on one contact" between youth and adults. And yes, it is called the "Guide" to Safe Scouting, however those paragraphs in BOLD are mandatory, as a matter of policy.

I was hoping to be able to retire in 2 years, but it looks like that's a dream that will never be achieved. As a federal employee under the "new" retirement system, my retirement is based largely on what I am able to squirrel away in a 401K type plan. I lost half of that in the past year, so I am having to ramp up savings in my other accounts to try to make it up. I am thankful that, so far, layoffs are not being discussed (except in the Obama campaign rhetoric) and I am healthy enough to get up and go to work every day. How long will that last, who knows. But genetics are against me. In the coming year, charitable contributions will be looked at hard in my household, including FOS. My focus now is paying down debt and increasing savings. Since I have no kids in the program any more, but still donate my time and gas, perhaps the other parents who do nothing can increase their FOS donations. It's time to start taking care of ME and my family's future, which has been severely impacted in the past year.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Good luck to Matt. I'm sure he'll do fine. Our Council is similar to others. Letters are requested, usually by the Unit CC who chairs the EBOR. (Our EBOR are run by the units with a District rep present). In most cases letters are received, but I know of NO case where an EBOR was postponed or a Scout denied Eagle because of the lack of them. They are considered just additional information that the EBOR can consider in their deliberations.

Officer Walt: Thank you for your service and God Bless you with a quick recovery! scoutldr in Va.

PeteM: In that case, the EBOR members have a hard decision to make, based on the Scout's answers to their questions. The SCOUT should never see the letters. Eagle77, I have seen similar forms, and I think they are Council-specific. To my knowledge, it is not a National thing.

The requirement on the Eagle Application states to "provide names" of people for references. There is no requirement to actually receive letters, which is beyond the Scout's control. Also, a THREE HOUR EBOR??? That's ridiculous. Ours are about one hour - max. Enough time for each Board member to ask about three questions. It's not supposed to be an inquisition.

I understand what you mean, gcan, but be aware that the BSA does not permit "1:1 time"...for this very reason. PLEASE take the Youth Protection training on-line which will explain the BSA policies. And as a parent or volunteer, it is not our job to "confirm" anything. That could make things worse for the kid and send the offender underground knowing that people are watching him. If you have a "reasonable suspicion", just report that. Nothing more, nothing less. Then you've done all you can do. Do not engage in gossip or rumor-mongering, because that can be construed as slander if it turns out to be untrue. If you perceive that nothing happens, and you are still uncomfortable with the situation, then all you can do is vote with your feet and find another unit. The "Scout Executive" is the paid professsional Scouter in charge of a Council. He is the only one you should report to, unless he is out of town or something and the #2 guy is acting. http://www.scouting.org/YouthProtection.aspx

A year ago this month, I was in the hospital several times and ended up having surgery. My SSN was on every piece of paper associated with me...even the plastic wrist bands, which I had to shred when I got home. Every time I had a procedure or was given a med, I had to recite back my SSN verbally while they read it on the wrist band. Who knows where the other hundreds of pieces of paper went. Truth be known, everyone's SSN is already out there and any 14 year old with a computer can get it. As I type this there is a banner ad at the top of this page offering to "find and verify SSNs with this FREE search"...

From the Insignia Guide: "Service stars may be worn by all youth and adult members who have at least one year of tenure with the Boy Scouts of America. The stars are worn with the appropriate color background for the phase of Scouting in which the service was rendered. If an individual's primary registration is in one phase of Scouting and later in another, separate stars with the appropriate background and numerals may be worn simultaneously. Or, leaders may combine youth and adult tenure into one or two stars with blue background." Sounds like a rule to me. And the phrase "at least one year of tenure" couldn't be more clear. It says "one year"...not "six months".

As long as the scout is not "double dipping" as the Den Chief and getting POR credit. IMHO, service hours can be whatever the SM agrees to. If the Web den needs help, make him a Den Chief!

I'm not a lawyer, but I think the answer is "whenever you file for SS benefits." (and maybe a tax return). The SSN is issued by the federal govt and it says right on the card "not to be used for identification purposes". Even in the federal govt, whenever I am "asked" for my SSN, it is accompanied by a Privacy Act notice which says "disclosure is voluntary", however that is followed by a list of consequences if I don't volunteer the information (like loss of employment). As private citizens, we cannot be forced by the "law" to disclose private information to a private corporation. However there can be consequences for not doing so.

I used to have my SSN printed on the front of my checks, because every time I wrote one, the store clerk would ask for it and write it on there. I don't do that any more, either. A friend of mine once walked out of a School Night for Scouting because they insisted that he fill out his SSN on the Adult application. Neither he nor his son ever became scouts. His rationale is...while the BSA may have a policy and procedure for safeguarding the info, the parents manning the table at School night have no duty to do so. Who knows where that app will go before it ends up in the Council office? He grew up in NYC, so a lot of that paranoia was justified. Perhaps the BSA needs to move to a secure website for collecting private/sensitive information.

"Why would one wear a flap from the council he is in now if he is not participating member of that lodge, that just doesn't make sense." About 80% of our Lodge members do just that, based on the operative term "participating". Are they current with their dues? I have no idea...but I have my suspicions. Much as it pains me to have to agree with BW...the uniform rules are clear...you can only wear the flap of the lodge you are currently a member of and that can only be the Lodge of your currently registered Council. Other flaps can be worn as temporary patches or as a display on a suitable non-uniform item. When someone asks what the "rules" are, we have to tell them. But what you choose to do with your own uniform is between you and the Great Scoutmaster...but I hear you will be damned to eternal Latrine duty if you disobey.

In a word...No. SPeaking of the Beav...where's he been?

CA: Call your Unit Commish (or District Commish) NOW. It's their job to run interference and fix stuff like this. Your Eagle candidate may need to transfer to another unit ASAP, as a last resort, if your unit's charter lapses. I'm not aware that the SSN requirement can be waived for anyone.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)