CynicalScouter

Even if it doesn't become Eagle-required until May 1, it becomes optional January 1. Or was supposed to until National screwed up the roll out.

The Churchill plan calls for Councils to either meet the diversity goal OR show year over year improvement. Is that what you mean by graduated steps?

Councils are going to be scrambling to get MBCs for this PLUS all Councils have been told to expand their diversity up to and bordering on the creation of quotas. This was part of the Churchill plans

Well it's good to know that not only has National screwed up the roll out of this (delayed past the 1/1/21 release) but Councils are also messing this up. Just amazing, amazing work here.

OK, there's a ton of issues to go over here, but I want to cut/carve out one. If there fundraising is not needed, where's the money going? To the units? We can quibble about whether or not a EBOR is behaving or ignoring GTA, but if there's money involved and being misused, that's a whole other world.

I = Impromptu. There's a high school and college version of this called Impromptu Debate. Some of the aspects of Public Speaking merit badge could be modified.

They could even not use names at all or even use real names. The sticking points are a) finding a "good" PLC meeting and b) getting parental consent from all youth participants. BSA has an entire video collection of showing scout skills, "Putting Skills Into Action" but NONE that show a full PLC meeting. https://troopleader.scouting.org/putting-skills-into-action/ EDIT: I would also say this: the person who needs this kind of video more than any SPL is the newly minted SM. If the adult doesn't know, how can they possibly work with the SPL (or back the heck off) and not turn it into adult-run, adult-led.

The report claims This is itself a very political statement that is highly controversial. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/07/20/lets-grade-commission-unalienable-rights/

They announced this adhering to Black Lives Matter (note the caps). https://scoutingwire.org/bsas-commitment-to-act-against-racial-injustice/ And then had to backpedal, hard, 10 days later in a letter to Law Enforcement Exploring Volunteers

No, but BSA has decided to align themselves and embrace them and use them as the basis for the MB. That's not political? That's why the other MBC for this in my district plans on showing scouts a Blue Lives Matter video

And yet, BSA opted to do so. And then had to backtrack and issue an apology to the Law Enforcement explorer units.

I agree. But in the absence of anything even approaching transparency from National, it is what I am working with with my troop.

Welcome. They did not release them on time. The requirements were done by November, and if you look at this post you can see the leaked version. The problem that was holding things up was that MBCs for this new merit badge must be "vetted" by each council and they had a tough time figuring out a vetting process in time for January 1.

That ship sailed with a) BSA's letter endorsing Black Lives Matter (note the caps) and b) having to send a "just kidding" letter to Law Enforcement Explorer units after that backlash.

Feel free to email National or your Council. They'll tell you exactly what I just did. That list ALSO includes unit treasurer. Do you REALLY think this authorizes the SM (unit position) to serve as unit treasurer (unit functional position) as well? The person spending the money gets to sign off on it with no independent review?

Right. This isn't suppose to be antagonistic, but there's a reason these are separated.

Here's the problem with that: if the SM can start doing committee assignments (budget, advancement, etc.) you effectively have one person running everything. The committee is not suppose to be adversarial to the SM/ASM, but there has to be some group who is set apart. Again, I give the example of prohibiting ASMs from sitting on Boards of Review.

No, you are misreading the Registration Guidebook. SMs have one functional assignment: SM/ASM. That's it. Committee has multiple. So the CC can hold multiple functions. Again, at the risk of repeating myself. Troop Committee Guidebook Page 30

Again, Troop Committee Guidebook lays this out. Advancement cannot be SM/ASM. It is a conflict of interest. It is assigned to the COMMITTEE. Advancement is a COMMITTEE function. Not SM/ASM. http://www.magnificentsevens.org/docs/Resources/TroopCommitteeGuidebook/TroopCommitteeGuidebook.pdf See page 16 and especially page 30 which makes it clear as crystal

There is Unit Positions and Unit Functional Positions. You may only hold one UNIT position (other than the COR). That UNIT position may hold multiple FUNCTIONAL positions (although treasurer has special restrictions; they don't want the guy/gal with the money also doing other things). So, I am a committee member (UNIT position MC). I am FUNCTIONALLY responsible for training (128) and Popcorn (113), for example. That is fine. Your Troop may not even be that fancy; everyone is committee member (MC) or committee chair (CC) and they just assign the roles without getting into the fancy Functional Position numbers. Moreover, the Troop Committee Guidebook specifically states Advancement Chair (Coordinator) is a committee position. See page 16. http://www.magnificentsevens.org/docs/Resources/TroopCommitteeGuidebook/TroopCommitteeGuidebook.pdf

Read my edit. EDIT: Here's the official rule Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Registration-Guidebook.pdf So, a committee member may be assigned specifically to be Advancement Chair, but an ASM cannot be. Again, ASMs cannot do Committee roles, and vice versa. Remember: the SM/ASM corp and the committee are suppose to be distinct to avoid issues. The committee provides, to an extent, oversight of the SM/ASMs. It is why, for example, ASMs may NOT sit on Boards of Review. If you have an ASM who pencil whips through a scout (as ASM) and then approves it committee side, you are simply asking for trouble. As treasurer? I can cite **four separate provisions** of BSA policies and rules that says the treasurer in particular must not be ANYTHING else.

No. Advancement Chair is a committee position (Position Code 112 Unit Advancement Chair). No one can hold two positions in any unit EXCEPT the Chartered Organization Rep who can be both COR and on committee. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/04/29/can-volunteer-serve-multiple-volunteer-roles/ EDIT: Here's the official rule Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Registration-Guidebook.pdf

Still no word on the requirements, but I was in an email exchange with my advancement chair and another person who will be the other MBC for this. He's planning on using Prager U. and Ben Shapiro videos as well. As he put it, if the point is to "discuss" this stuff, showing a video that argues that a) institutional racism doesn't exist b) systematic racism doesn't exist and c) intersectionality = Marxism and asking scouts to discuss should work fine. That, and a Blue Lives Matter vid (to counter BSA's Black Lives Matter endorsement) I really don't think BSA is going to like how this is implemented in some places.

How bad is it getting? The official/unofficial BSA comment section known as Scoutbook Forums has now shut down and locked a thread where a Scouter expressed concerns over this merit badge. https://discussions.scouting.org/t/concern-over-the-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-merit-badge/212618/27

The sticking point is they have not figured out a way to "vet" the DE&I MBCs. They only want certain people with certain training to do it and they haven't figured out a way as to how councils and districts would do that. What I was told was Councils got the requirements and specifications and Wednesday night BUT were told to hold them until National released today.