DuctTape

An idea to go along with the "reading" could be for a group to "act it out" as the narrator reads. Could work for some of the items, like buddy system, or STOP, or...

I would hesitate to believe it was resolved. It sounds like there will be an action taken (communication), but this does not guarantee a similar encounter will not be repeated. If adults were aware this was going to be an issue, past behaviors must have led them to that conclusion. Past behaviors are generally a good predictor of future. I would not be surprised if the situation repeated or even escalated. I would suggest having this conversation with the SM as a follow up so he can formulate a plan "for the next time."

By providing the supervision and oversight it will undoubtebly increase their exposure. A student club whose only tie to the university is that they allow them to hang up flyers and sign out rooms creates less exposure.

And yet the ones supervised by professionals have significantly more injuries than the student led activities. Yes that is the nature of those activities, and professional supervision mitigates some of the injuries. But the policy is based on potential, not actual. Second, I know of many student led outdoor activities in which the student leaders (adults) have significantly more training in their activity than some professional coaches. Being paid as a professional does not necessarily equate to being a highly qualified leader/instructor. Lastly, some outdoor clubs are affiliated or contract with other organizations which provide quality guides, leaders, expertise as needed. IMO, the risk aversion by Penn State is not for the safety of the students but for their own exposure to liability.

This is new to me. We never used the mb sash for anything except mbs.

Specific actions may or may not be hazing depending on context, intent and other factors. Is having a scout do push-ups hazing? If it is in context of encouraging physical fitness, probably not. Making a first year scout do push-ups to get his breakfast, yes. I may not be able to define it; but I know it when I see it.

growing up, our CO was "group of citizens". basically the troop committee.

see if your district (or council) training chair is willing to do the Troop Committee training in person with all of you. Much better experience than the computer modules, at least in my experience.

I think we all did.

the electoral college system would be the PLC electing the SPL.

@qwazse is spot on. When one looks at the monthly outings a patrol could be doing all along with increased challenges along the way, the training is ebedded. A patrol cannot just be plop campers for 3 years with one&done advancement and expect to be able to plan an execute an advanced high adventure trip. I view all adventure on a growth continuum. When the adventure takes one step further out from their comfort zone, it is "high adventure" for them. Too often the high adventure trips must be guided because as qwazse points out, the training part was skipped. I am disheartened by this, as there are many steps which are fun to get to the next level.

Guided trips for sure. However most public lands are available to use for free. The only costs are food/gas. Much cheaper than summer camp for same duration of time. If you are interested, I regularly adventure in many of the locations much less than 10 hours from you. I am happy to help you plan a high adventure type trip for your patrol.

Most areas where high adventure would take place have group size limits. The Adirondacks for example puts a hard limit at 9. The Whites is 10. And the USFS recommends 10 or less even where not required. The first LNT principle suggests smaller groups as group size exponentially increases impact.

I haven't done one of the online modules in a while and perhaps I am confusing the BSA modules with the ones I must do for my employer... I seem to recall that a wrong answer will just tell you the correct one and why, so I am not sure that skipping the entire "instructional" portion is sufficient if it is impossible to fail the competency quiz. Like I said, I could be conflating two different systems, and likely am.

As a suggestion, not sure if it possible in your area though... We regularly use woods attached to a farmer's field for patrol campouts. Great way for a scout to make calls to get permission, and set up service projects, etc... Also some town/county/state parks allow scouts to camp in conjunction with a service project, like "park cleanup" in areas not typically used for camping. Some outside of the box thinking which might spur other ideas which could work in your area.