My scoutmaster sat on my Eagle BOR

[Trevorum 24]

Welcome to our campfire, Artigas! Stick around and share your experiences.

 

FScouter - terrific answer. I'd like to paraphrase that from time to time. (You must have sat on EBoRs before!)

[eisely 13]

It has been awhile since I looked at the Advancement Guidelines. When I wrote my initial post I did not have the information available to me and I just wanted to clear that up. A false impression that is all.

[Artigas 10]

Sure, I'll stick around. I might even drop a line to the scoutmaster of our regular troop about this site, in case he might like to discuss/has questions.

[acco40 95]

Only restriction is no currently registered unit leader/assistant unit leader types. That's SM/ASM, Coach/Assistant Coach, or Advisor/Assistant Advisor.

 

Depending on how one interprets the above it may be incorrect or correct. I am a registered unit leader (Scoutmaster) and it is perfectly kosher for me to sit as an active participant on an Eagle Board of Review. However, only for Scouts who are not in the unit to which I am registered.

[Oak Tree 15]

Our district does have the restriction that you don't sit on EBoRs for your own unit. There are always plenty of volunteers, and it avoids any appearance of favoritism.

[scoutingagain 20]

Interesting to see differences from Councils and Districts. Our Districts conducts EBORs at the unit level as Beavah describes. The District Advancement Committee sends 1 volunteer and the other spots are staffed by unit committee members. The SM sits in and rarely says anything other than to introduce the scout.

 

Artigas, Welcome and congratulations. Your application should be fine. Administrative errors not of your doing should have no bearing on your application. Looking forward to your comments in the forums.

 

SA

[Eagle69 46]

Around these parts it is not at all uncommon to have an ASM on the board. The board usually consists of one or two people from the district and the rest are Committee Members or an ASM from the boy's Troop. When I was doing the Eagle Boards as Eagle Review Chair we never let the SM participate and that rule was still in effect with the last 4 Eagles I had reviewed. In a lot of troops if you prevent ASM's from sitting in, you will have a hard time getting enough people for a board.

[acco40 95]

I fully don't comprehend why some troops allow SMs and SAs to participate as board members for an EBOR for Scouts in their unit. Not enough comittee members? Are there enough humans in your town? They don't have to be committee members. All they need to be are adults, not the Scouts parents/guardians and not the Scouts SM or SA(s). If you can't find enough to fill a EBOR how in the world do you accomplish anything else?

[Beavah 205]

Yah, acco, but your location puts you in a pretty high-density urban area, eh?

 

Gets different in other places.

 

Still, I reckon with a bit more effort units should be able to find non-unit-leader board members. But then yeh run into how well experienced those folks are? If yeh add the local grocer (who is also a vet, but never a scout), puttin' an assistant unit leader on might be necessary just to help "coach" some of the inexperienced board members.

 

All just depends, eh? I've seen units in bases that were closin' down where things were quite a scramble. Sometimes yeh just do what you can to do right by a lad.

 

Beavah

 

[John-in-KC 311]

Artigas,

 

Congratulations.

 

ACP&P #33088 does say that SM/ASM are prohibited by policy (as opposed to rule and regulation of charter/bylaws) from being a sitting member of the EBOR.

 

It also says non-Scouters may sit, as long as they are trained about what is happening in the process of an EBOR.

 

Have I seen the first rule violated? Yes. This will neither be the first nor the last time a SM sits the EBOR. I suspect there's often a deeper reason. When the Board goes well (and most do, let's be honest), it's a moot point. Most young men approaching their Eagle Board are folks who we want to see as Eagles.

 

If the Board doesn't go well, as BW said, it's one ground for appeal.

 

BTW, turn-around from National has hugely improved in recent years. EagleSon got his in 9 days! If an Eagle packet hasn't shown up in two weeks, then it's time to start asking questions up the line.