Cheating to make Eagle Scout!

[backwood]

Cheating to receive Eagle award, We had a Eagle board of review this week, the Scouts Father is the Scout Master and had done the proper paper work, to bad his son didn't actually do much of the work. Merit badges were signed off on but never completed and this scout never held a leadership position, as a matter of fact he is a bully. After 5 votes failed, (2 review members voted no) The distric Eagle chair nullified the board of review and ejected the 2 apposing members called a new board of review and awarded this scout eagle. I contacted the council and they are not responding.

[Beavah]

Yah, paper Eagles are a sadness eh? Paper Eagles are always based on paper Star and Life ranks, though. Stoppin' a kid at Eagle is often a poor way to address some real program deficiencies at the unit. So at least be willin' to entertain the notion that the district advancement chair also intends to work with the commissioner staff and do some follow-up with the unit in a courteous and kind way.

 

Yeh don't mention whether your council does district-level or unit-level Eagle Boards. At the unit level, the district representative has no authority to ask anybody to leave. At the district level, it's an interestin' question I suppose, but clearly discourteous to the two members "ejected" and contrary to the spirit of the rules. DAC's in my experience are sorta odd ducks. They really do care, but they get a bit trippy sometimes.

 

I'm not aware of any way to appeal a positive decision by a BOR. Eagles naturally have to be approved by "National" but that's just based on the application form and is rubber-stamp automatic.

 

Two routes of follow-up for the ejected members, if they feel it's in the best interest of the program to pursue things a bit (and if someone else is ready and willing to take over as DAC). One is a complaint (appeal?) to the council advancement committee and SE (SE has to sign Eagle applications for the council). That's gotta happen right away. The other is to the district committee/district chair, which appoints (and can remove) the district advancement chair (or pull him gently aside for a conversation). That's best done in a month or so, after some coolin' off.

 

Of course, you could always call da Tower of Power, eh?

 

 

 

 

 

[evmori]

Well, calling the Tower of Power might get you a concert ticket, but it probably won't do any good.

 

I would file a formal complaint with your DE, your council & national.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[orennoah]

As a Scoutmaster who just sat through my first Eagle BOR, for an excellent young candidate - I wish to add, this really saddens me.

 

That the adult leaders, from the Dad-"Scoutmaster" through the District and/or Council level Scouters, would allow this to happen does a great injustice to all Eagles. My hopefully-not-naive view is that Eagles are very special people, to whom we all owe a great deal of respect.

 

Being an Eagle means so much, it should not be attainable through cheating, favoritism or internal politics. For shame.

 

- Oren

[Eamonn]

I'm not sure if this is going to come out as I want it to?

I feel that as we wonder along life's highways, the things that may be important to you may have little or no meaning to me.

I'm all for the Eagle Scout Rank, being viewed as something very special.

But the real meaning lies with the person who receives it.

The Lad in question here will receive a ribbon, a chunk of metal and an embroidered scrap of material.

Sure he can brag that he is an Eagle Scout, but sadly deep down he has to know that it's all very hollow.

Still at the end of the day it is his Eagle!!

Maybe if we could find a way of taking away the glory that others attach to being an Eagle Scout and work on making sure that Scouts understand that anything that they receive without effort might as well come in a Crackerjack Box.

If a Scout advances to any rank without meeting the requirements, he hasn't done his best.

However the real judge should be the Scout.

This is why the Scoutmaster conference is so very important. With the right questions a Scout should know if he is really ready to move on to the next level.

If he hasn't done his best, he isn't keeping the Scout Oath.

If he isn't keeping the Scout Oath - Is he really a Scout?

Eamonn.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Ignoring dishonest work can be done with great mental effort but then we can't ignore the results, nor can anyone else.

FB

 

 

 

 

 

 

[evmori]

But the real meaning lies with the person who receives it.

The Lad in question here will receive a ribbon, a chunk of metal and an embroidered scrap of material.

Sure he can brag that he is an Eagle Scout, but sadly deep down he has to know that it's all very hollow.

 

One would hope this is true but in this case I doubt it. This boy will be encouraged to use his ill-gotten Eagle for all the benefits it has. And when he winds up behind bars he will just be another man who didn't earn his Eagle.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Venividi]

I would doubt that he will end up behind bars. I expect that he will, however, be in for a rude awakening when he has an employer that has higher standards than the revised BOR did.

 

venividi

[Eamonn]

"Ignoring dishonest work can be done with great mental effort but then we can't ignore the results, nor can anyone else"

Surely the result has to be what a Scout gets out of the program?

If we are trying to help young people make ethical choices, don't we have to be prepared and ready for when the wrong choice is made?

But on a technical note I didn't think that who ever was chairing the BOR could act the way this person did?

Once the vote wasn't unanimous and the vote had been taken, the work of the board was done and the Scout had not passed.

I have sat on Eagle Scout BOR's where we felt that something wasn't right and as a board we decided that we would give the Scout more time to correct the problem, but we all as a board agreed to this.

I can't help but think that this chairman was way out of line.

Eamonn.

 

[purcelce]

All I'm seeing is just one side of the story. The application must me signed by the unit leader and committee chairman. According to the post by backwood. This means the Committe Chair is in kahoots with the Scoutmaster.

Most Eagle applications are reviewed and certified by a council representative to make sure all merit badges correspond with the council records, and other dates (birthdate, last board of review for life etc) before a council rep signs the application.

 

Backwoods how are you assoicated with the troop? Committee member or ASM? I need more info before I can give my opinion.

 

I've sat on seveal Eagle BOR's as a member and a few times as the "chairman of the board". so I have a little exprience with this.

 

YIS

Cary P

 

[Fuzzy Bear]

Agreed, there are several levels of people ignoring responsible behaviors in this scenario. The problem is generally manifested to even a greater degree after a choice is made on how to avoid being honest. A dumb mistake can be honest and even a little humorous. A dishonest act usually appears like someone trying to hide an elephant under a tarp. It is noticeable and it won't go away. We live with our dishonesty(ities) and recount them (*for life) like King Midas with his gold but a little differently. FB

[Jeffrey H]

If the paperwork is in order and everything is signed-off by troop leadership, the boy has his Eagle. He will have his Eagle but he will not enjoy his Eagle rank the way other scouts enjoy theirs. He will have no sense of accomplishment nor will he have learned any lessons about the value of real work to reach a goal.

 

The scoutmaster "Dad" has taught his son and other scouts that dishonesty is acceptable if it serves as a means to the end. SAD.

 

 

[Hunt]

I think purcelce has a good point--we don't have enough info to really make any judgements. We can take this as a hypothetical situation and talk about it, but the real situation is often more complicated. No offense to you backwood, but it is also hard to evaluate statements from a first-time poster, especially since we don't know what your role in the whole matter may be.

[backwood]

My role is troop treasurer and merit badge cousilor. My son earned his eagle the honest way last year but had to stand up next to 2 others who had not been active in our troop for more then 2 years prior to making their Eagle. It is hard to explain to some scouts and their parents why this keeps happening. The last one not only did not come to any meetings in 3 years but also had his paperwork altered to show he was an instructor during that time. He is a bully and has never helped any other scout. I really do beleive that he is going to end up in jail. His Dad has enough money to buy everything none of the other scouts parents can afford. If our committee tells him that the troop does not have enough money to do something he just writes a check and then makes a big deal about donating to the troop.

[Jeffrey H]

 "My son earned his eagle the honest way last year but had to stand up next to 2 others who had not been active in our troop for more then 2 years prior to making their Eagle. It is hard to explain to some scouts and their parents why this keeps happening."

Explain to them that a Scout can be registered with a troop without attending meetings or going on campouts/outings.  It does not seem logical, but according to the requirements for Eagle, they are only required to be active with the Troop for 6 months as Life Scouts and, as Life Scouts, they are required to serve a period of 6 months in a position of troop/varsity/venturing leadership.  Were they doing any "active" service for the troop in the background?

 

 

 

 

Boy Scout troop: Patrol leader, assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, troop guide, Order of the Arrow troop representative, den chief, scribe, librarian, historian, quartermaster, bugler, junior assistant Scoutmaster, chaplain aide, instructor.

 

Varsity Scout team: Captain, co-captain, program manager, squad leader, team secretary, Order of the Arrow representative, librarian, historian, quartermaster, chaplain aide, instructor, den chief.

 

Venturing Crew / Sea Scout Ship: President, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, boatswain, boatswain's mate, yeoman, purser, storekeeper.