BOR success rate

[GernBlansten]

I've recently been tasked with organizing Eagle BORs for the troop. We have 5 Lifes who used the winter to finish up their requirements and are ready. After the first few, I got to thinking what is the success rate for these? So far, I'm at 100%. What is your success rate for BORs?

Also, on the lower ranks. I've never heard of a BOR deny a scout in my troop. Now SM conferences are a different thing. I'd say 50% don't make it through that gate the first time. Our troop uses the SM conference to test skills and knowledge and the BOR to measure spirit.

[John-in-KC]

John shouts:

 

WHEN I CHAIR A BOARD OF REVIEW, A SCOUT DOES NOT "SUCCEED!!!!" HE ADVANCES IN RANK. I MAY ADJOURN THE BOARD TO MEET AGAIN AT A LATER TIME, BUT SOONER OR LATER, THE SCOUT ADVANCES IN RANK!!!

 

Allow me to explain:

 

I expect a Scout coming to a BOR I chair to be in uniform. I have, malice aforethought, postponed BORs before they even start because the Scout is not prepared (in other words, he wasn't in uniform).

 

Now, there are obvious times to even let that slide. I know a young man who had an Eagle Palm BOR on the Tooth of Time. BFO: Uniform? I don't think so.

 

I expect a Scout, particularly for a Scout seeking First Class or above to be able to lead the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, and to give all members of the Board the Scout Handshake. Why? IT'S BLOODY HARD TO ASK AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION ABOUT "A Scout is Helpful" when the Scout doesn't know the Law!!! Further, if one of the Methods the BOR reinforces is Adult Association, it's part of most business meetings I partake in to shake hands with friends, co-workers, and the folks at the table.

 

I've been lucky. I can count on one hand with fingers left the number of times I've adjourned a Board, to meet again at a later date because the Scout concerned had not applied our Motto "Be Prepared" to himself.

[evmori]

While we request a Scout show up for his BOR in uniform, making it a requirement is adding to the requirements which isn't allowed.

 

I'm not sure what our success rate is. I would say it is less than 100% an above 80%.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[DugNevius]

Well, Ed, one can easily make the point that Scout spirit is a requirment and to not be in full uniform during a BOR is lacking in scout spirit.

[Lynda J]

I use to sit on BOR for the troop I am now ASM for.

In the two years of that I can remember one scout not being advanced at his BOR. He came in. Ploped down in the chair, with legs sprolled all over didn't offer to shake hands. His answere were yep, not, I don't know. After it was over all 4 on the board were really upset with him. We called him back in and explained to him why we were not advancing him in rank. He contacted the CC the next week and ask for another BOR. She set it up. He came in. Introduced himself, shook hands. Set upright in the chair. Apologized for how he acted the last time.

He passed with flying colors.

 

 

[evmori]

Dug,

Good point. But Scout Spirit is way more than wearing the uniform. Requiring a uniform for BOR's is adding to the requirements. A Scout doesn't even need to own a uniform to be a Scout!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[John-in-KC]

Ed,

 

My operative words were "At a Board I chair" ...

 

Would you, other than an Eagle Board where you are the District Guest, chair a BOR for a Scout you don't know??

 

I would not; I'd defer to someone else and just be a Member.

 

The young men in the unit I serve have some to all of the Class A uniform. Their wearing the uniform opens the door to a range of open-ended questions on a Scout is Thrifty and a Scout is Clean. At the same time, their unwillingness to wear their uniform, especially to their BOR, opens a door to open ended (and sloping downhill) questions regarding a Scout is Cheerful.

 

Now, let's go and look at the thread in the Uniforms section here introduced by Ms Sunsetandshadow. Implementing the uniform method may mean simply a T-shirt for now, with full uniforms being 4-5 years down the road for the Troop. If I'm in that unit, then we bypass the uniform check and truck on!

 

Common sense has to govern us in this Game...

[DugNevius]

Ed, i am going to disagree. Wearing the uniform is about pride, wearing the uniform when appropriate is an example of scout spirit. A scout that wears a dirty, disheveled uniform is not showing scout spirit as much as a scout that shows up to a BOR, eagle COH or other ceremonies. Scouts dont have to wear their uniform all the time, such as camping trips, sports and games and that sort but a BOR is a time where all those participating, members of the BOR and the scout should and must be in uniform. I cant imagine an eagle cannidate ever passing an Eagle BOR without being in full class A, and so, all BORs preceeding it should be conducted in the same manner. In our troop, if a cannidate were to appear at his BOR not in full uniform, or late, he would be sent right home and have to rescheduale his BOR.

[evmori]

Dug,

And if the Scout showed up for his BOR in a suit & tie you would turn him away?

 

Sure wearing the uniform shows pride. But what does that have to do with Scout Spirit? Scout spirit is living the Oath & Law in your everyday life.

 

John,

I would & have sat on BOR's (other than Eagle) for Scouts I don't know. I have no problem doing that. I actually think all BOR's should be with people who are not familiar with the Scout.

 

A Scout showing up for a BOR without a uniform doesn't prevent the asking of open-ended questions. Using the uniform as an excuse to ask open-ended questions is just that, an excuse.

 

What else does your unit add to the advancement requirements?

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

 

 

[GernBlansten]

Steady men! Focus!

This thread isn't about why you deny advancement in a BOR, but the frequency.

And heaven forbid its about uniforms!

Please, stay on topic.

[OldGreyEagle]

Gee Ed, we have something we agree on, haveing a requirement that a BOR be done only when the scout is in uniform is indeed adding a requirement and is wrong, but thats ok, the Dug Nevious school of scouting is so twisted beyond the BSA, its the least of the troops issues.

 

Gern, I cant beleive no one has mentioned that a scoutmaster conference is not the time to do skills testing, skills testing is done when the scouts book got signed off because the scout showed he knew the stuff. To have to test again indicts your program and tells me someone doesnt have confidence in your sign off procedure. Its the scoutmaster's job to sign off scout spirit and as Ed has said, Scout spirit is the way the scout lives his life out side of scouting. The BOR is time to ask the scout about his acomplishment, how the program has helped the scout and where the program could improve.

 

I would say we have a 95% success rate at BOR with 55 scouts in the troop

[evmori]

OGE,

You are correct about the SM conference but I did not state Scout Spirit is how a Scout lives his life outside of Scouting. It's how he lives his everyday life in and out of Scouting.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle]

Ed, I bow to the superior intellect, you are again correct, scouting spirit is how a scout lives in everyday life. I dont know why I want to say outside of scouting, as we are never really outside of scouting there are just the odd times we arent at scouting events, but we are still always scouts

[GernBlansten]

OGE, please give us some credit, we finally quit testing the scouts at the BOR! I would agree that the SM should have no need to re-test skills at the conference, but in many situations, the scout had learned the skill (ex. tie specific knots) but by the SM conference, had lost those skills. The SM retests to verify and reinforce the skill set. If you all think that's wrong, perhaps we should have a conference with the SM! One thing our SM does do, is re-tests every scout the cumulative knots he is supposed to know. For instance, a scout going for Life must know all the require knots and demonstrate them. A tenderfoot, just the 3 basic. I think this is a good thing.

 

So if the BOR is "time to ask the scout about his accomplishment, how the program has helped the scout and where the program could improve" how could any scout fail this? There can be no right or wrong answer to those issues. How would 5% of your troop not pass this gate?

[FScouter]

"... to not be in full uniform during a BOR is lacking in scout spirit."

 

The Boy Scout handbook discusses Scout spirit in several places. The uniform is not part of the discussion at all. Certainly a boy should wear as complete a uniform as he can. And the board may certainly discuss the uniform and when it is appropriate to wear it as part of the review.

 

But let's not perpetuate the myth that the uniform is a component of Scout spirit.