Being Mr. No at my first committee meeting

[Scoutfish 16]

Clem,

One of the biggest issues I se with G2Ss is that people break alot of rules...but not always intentionally.

 

I guess as adults, we think we are making sound eecisions based on good judgement.

 

As an active parent, I helped teach BB guns at a pack campout. Had no idea that it was a big NO NO! As a parent, you kinda assume thet thae pack knows what they are doing.

 

Didn't help that at the time, my son was already experienced in shooting .22 rifles ( bolt action and semi auto) and .410 shotguns.

 

As a kid, I wondered through the woods all alone with my bb gun at age ten.

 

So when you are thinking of activities for a pack, thinking that BSA might restrict a common activity doesn't always come to mind.

 

Same with canoeing. The particular DL assume that Tigers MIGHT be restricted..never though all cubs would be.

 

 

It's a great idea to make a few copies of the age /activity char and hand them out at the next leaders meeting.

[moosetracker 132]

Although the "rules" do state the CM/SM & ACM/ASM & DL have no vote in a committee, I get where Beavah is comming from, some committees who do not see the reason for restricting the vote from this group, they may choose to give them the vote.

 

I know our committee does not, but for years our ASM's have refused to come to any committee meetings, they don't see the point when they don't have a vote. With our current SM, (who was a absentee ASM) he started going to the committee meetings, then gave excuses from what I hear (I am no longer active).. He doesn't bother comming.. Bad decision, the committee is now makeing up all sorts of rules they should not be, and the whole mutual respect between the two branches is unraveling..

 

While the SM came we may have had a vote on something every two or three meetings, 9 times out of 10 with the full support of the SM. I think now the committee is doing alot of voting and just shoving it down the SM's throat, to which most he ignores.

 

That vote thing does get in the way of a good running troop, I can see sometimes a committee voting on letting this group have the vote, just to get them to feel part of the team.

 

I know in our troop though the CC & COR would not for they feel the SM & ASM's agreeing to work together to vote things in that the rest of the committee was against. That was when we had dynamic SM's now, they shouldn't fear it because this SM doesn't have that type of support. I don't think they will change it, because I don't think they care whether the SM is there or not. So he can be absent in protest all he wants.

 

My troop committee has though altered the rule of committee members having to be 21 or older, they allow my son & his fiancee to be in the committee & have a vote, although neither is 21. My son holds the position of Outdoor Coordinator, his fiance holds a position, but I forgot which one, it is one I had never heard of & deals with making sure medical forms are Up-to-date, we have first aid kits and the saftey guidelines are being followed.

 

So yes the rules do state, one thing but all committees do not follow them to the letter.

[SSScout 1615]

Oh, the luxury of an active unit committee that has enough folks to be able to determine who may NOT vote.

 

Treasurer: How's our finances? Popcorn raises enough money or not? Have we collected all the IOUs from the Philmont trip?

Program: How are plans for the canoe expedition coming? Does the SPL need any help?

The SM should always attend, even if he/she doesn't "vote". In a small Troop, where few people wear many hats, the SM may well be a "voting" member. In any event, the UC needs to hear from the SM as to how the Unit is doing. How'd that last hike go? Are the boys having a good time or only just "being there?" Maybe the old timers on the UC have some suggestions. The good UC will sense burnout before the SM is aware of it himself.

The UC is the group that holds the "Operating Officers" of the Scout Unit responsible. And the consensus of this concerned group must be part of the corporate memory of the Unit.

Blest is the Scout Unit with a Concerned Committee that puts the welfare of the Unit above petty ego things.

[moosetracker 132]

Blest is the Scout Unit with a Concerned SM that puts the welfare of the Unit above petty ego things.

 

The SM should attend and not choose to be absent until he is given the vote. Instead he usually dashes off an email, rather then attends..

[clemlaw 55]

Well, from reading this thread, I realize that we stumbled into a pretty good pack just out of blind luck. (And we were equally lucky with the pack we stumbed into last year from which we had to transfer just because of a conflict with meeting nights.) The committee seems to run very smoothly, mostly from consensus. They seem to operate mostly under Bob's Rules rather than Robert's Rules. There were no votes taken on anything, and there was no need to. There were differing opinions, but decisions were made based upon what the majority wanted, even though nobody bothered to formally count to see whether there was a majority.

 

If things were such that the SM's or CM's vote actually was the swing vote on any important subject, then it seems to me that it's not a very healthy troop or pack to start with. And when someone feels the need to break out Robert's Rules of Order, that's also probably a bad sign.

[ScoutNut 147]

clemlaw, not to worry, the two Pack's that you have been affiliated with are handling their Pack Leaders Meetings (Committee Meetings) exactly the way that BSA says they should.

 

While the TROOP Committee Guidebook does use the word "vote" in conjunction with the Scoutmaster and the TROOP Committee, nowhere in the Cub Scout Leader Book does the word "vote" appear.

 

The Cub Scout Leader Book does, however, talk about the monthly Pack Leaders Planning Meeting, the Pack leadership team of Cubmaster, assistant Cubmasters, Committee Chair and members, Pack trainer, den leaders, assistant den leaders, and den chiefs, the importance of the team approach in Cub Scout Packs, how it is a combined effort, and how, at least monthly, this team of Pack leaders should meet and plan the Pack's program together.

 

Discussion and consensus is how a Pack Leaders/Committee Meeting should make decisions.

 

As others have said, there are LOTS of discussions on these forums on how a Pack works, or should work. It seems to be one of our hot topics!

[moosetracker 132]

Oh our past 2 SM's vote alone would not be the deciding factor, but they both had a way to "rally the troops" so they easily could have marched into any meeting with their 4 or 5 ASM's behind them, and thier 3 or 4 committee members who were more ASM then committee and have swayed the vote. Without the SM or ASM's having voting rights they would sway the 3 or 4 committee members and all other committee members would listen to both sides and form their own unbiased opinion.

 

But, it is not an issue of the SM & ASM's normally having the right to vote, which the committee denied. It is the issue that the committee is not suppose to give voting rights to the SM & ASM by the BSA policy & procedures, and our committee never saw fit to bend that rule.

 

Personnally I would have bent it, but I am only one vote on the committee. Not because SM's & ASM's are childishly hosting a rebellion (that causes me not to bend it, simply not to want to reward childish behavior.) But because under normal circumstances I don't see the harm.