Who Stewards the Unit Copy of a Blue Card

[Minstrel]

I've looked around and can't find guidance on a specific question.

 

When a boy transfers to another troop, what is the proper location of the unit's section of the merit badge blue cards? Should the unit where he earned the badge keep them, or should they be transferred to the new unit's advancement chair? In either case, should the other unit get a scan/photocopy?

 

Is there a even a right/wrong to this, and instead more about what the boy wants?

[DLChris71]

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that once a merit badge is earned/awarded then the individuals scouts electronic record was updated. So there wouldn't be a paper trail going from unit to unit.

[frankpalazzi]

Once the merit badge is completed and the blue card is turned into the unit, an advancement report is filed with the council. The blue card is usually just stored away (in our troop anyway)in case it is needed if there's a mistake at council during review of an Eagle application. Otherwise, if the troop enters the MB in their records (such as Troopmaster) and the council has a record of it, the blue card is usually never needed again. Of course, the scout should have his third, and the MBC should have his third, so there's redundancy in the system. I have a shoebox full of blue cards going back several years! Only had to dig into it once, six years ago to clear up an Eagle required merit badge issue. As far as who keeps it, it's usually the Advancement Chair or the committee chair, and does not really need to travel from troop to troop with the redundancy built into the system.

[Beavah]

Hiya, Minstrel, welcome to the forums!

 

Blue cards are for the most part an optional record-keeping device. The real record of a Scout's advancement is the Advancement Report filed with the council office and the report yeh file through online advancement.

 

So do whatever yeh think is best. Lots of units don't keep 'em at all.

 

B

 

[Basementdweller]

Chris, there are three parts to the blue card, one for the MBC, One for the scout and one for the council.

 

http://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/docs/Merit-Badge-Application-34124A.doc

 

The unit does not keep a copy....In the ideal world his scoutnet records would be complete correct and accurate....but we all know better and there are always mistakes.

 

I tell my scouts to get one of those baseball card three ring binders and keep them in there as a record.

[srisom]

The unit copy of the blue card is handled by the Advancement Chair. If a boy then transfers to another unit, he has his copy of the blue card. Along with this, he should be given a filled out Transfer Form that lists all of his advancements. This is the only form that flows from unit to unit. This form and $1 gets the boy transferred. If the unit wishes to give up their copy of the blue card to the other unit, they can.

[Basementdweller]

SRI take a look at the link I provided......there is NO unit copy.

[NJCubScouter]

Basementdweller, that form looks different from the "blue card" that we use. I don't have one with me, but we definitely regard one of the copies as being the "unit copy", whether it says so or not. And the form you link to says the "council copy" is to be sent to the council with the advancement report. I have never heard of that. I can't imagine that our council would want a separate piece of paper for every merit badge earned in the council. They'd lose them, either by mistake or on purpose.

 

In our troop, the "unit copy" (whatever its official name is) is kept in a binder with what I have seen called "baseball card holders" (the plastic sheets with pockets.) The binders are kept by our "advancement records person" (the person who does the computerized recordkeeping and advancement reports, not the advancement coordinator, which is me.) (Oh look, I actually answered the original poster's question, though it's not an official answer.)

 

The cards are kept mainly as a backup in case the Scout loses his copy of the blue cards, which ARE REQUIRED by the District at the Eagle BOR. So regardless of what is supposed to be the "real record" according to someone in this forum or according to National, the "blue card" is the real record according to my council. Anyone is free to go argue with them if you desire. In fact, one of the things on the District's "Eagle checklist" (the last time I saw one) is to look at the cards and make sure the Scout had a "variety" of MB counselors. There's no way they could do that with just an advancement report. (And I realize that what I just said opens a big can of worms, but it's not my can or my worms. Before his Eagle BOR my son made sure he had every blue card, including a couple that he did have to get from the "backup binder," and everything went fine.)

[ZScout5]

There is not a unit section of the official blue cards.

Three parts:

The counselor's record

The applicant's record (scout keeps)

The application for merit badge

That last part is turned in to the council office with the advancement report, either manual or internet version. You must turn in a report with the blue cards or you will not be allowed to purchase the merit badges.

Units are not supposed to use worksheets or photocopied requirements instead of the blue cards. The only exceptions made are for Jamboree printouts, merit badge university sheets, and summer camp printouts.

When a scout moves to another unit, he can ask for a copy of his Scoutnet report and a copy of his troop records. (Printout from Troopmaster or other program if the unit uses one)

[nldscout]

There is no right or wrong on the applicantion portion of a blue card. That link is to one someone scanned and added to.

 

Our council does not want the card, just the report.

 

Find out what your council wants, thats the real answer.

[Eagle732]

I don't find that online Merit Badge Application form from usscouts.org on either the BSA or my council's website. Could it be that it's not an official form?

 

The Application For Merit Badge form number 34124 (2008 edition from BSA), AKA the "Blue Card" only says the "Applicant will turn in this portion to his unit leader for record posting".

 

In out troop the Advancement Chair dates and initials this portion of the card and also records when the badge has been awarded. We keep this card for our records. We do not send these cards to another unit in the event of a transfer. The unit's copy has been used to clear up mistakes in the record when the Applicant portion of the card has been misplaced by the scout. Nothing on the official Blue Card says a unit has to keep their part of the card or that the unit can't give it back to the scout. On the scout's portion of the card the scout is directed to "Retain this copy..." and on the Counselor's part "It is suggested" they keep their copy. Nothing says the unit must, should, shall, or will keep their copy.

 

The Scout doesn't necessarily get this part of the card back, he gets the Applicant's Record part back for his record.

 

[Oak Tree]

You must turn in a report with the blue cards or you will not be allowed to purchase the merit badges.

 

Yeah, not in our council. Anyone can purchase a merit badge at any time, with or without an advancement report and with or without blue cards.

 

We never turn in the blue cards - I can't imagine that the council office would want them.

 

The link that BasementDweller gives is not an official BSA link. Here is a link to the card at the national web site: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/34124.pdf - all it says is that "Applicant will turn in this portion to his unit leader for record posting."

 

The Advancement Guide (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf) says "the applicant submits one part to his unit leader".

 

The Advancement Report (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34403.pdf) doesn't say anything about needing to turn in the blue card.

 

In our troop the advancement coordinator keeps the blue cards. We'd certainly forward them on to another troop, or give them to the Scout himself, if he was leaving the unit. I don't know why we'd want to keep a copy.

 

[srisom]

BasementDweller, True, the link provided does not show a Unit Copy, but a Council Copy. As others have said, your link has a card that has been modified. In my council, the card we use has the three parts and the Application part is the one that goes to the unit. The council cars nothing about the actual card.

[NJCubScouter]

I just did a little math on this. The Scouts in our troop, in total, probably average somewhere around 150 merit badges a year. That's a fairly large but manageable number of cards for us to maintain. But now multiply that by 25 troops in our district (I just made that number up, but it's probably low) and five districts in the council, and now you're up to 18,750 additional pieces of paper going into the council office every year. There's just no way. If they were going in the front door, they would probably be going out the back door just as quickly. But I don't think they're even going in the front door.

[Eagle732]

Some councils require proof of advancement and some don't. My council requires an advancement report to purchase rank patches and merit badges. Our neighboring council requires no proof.