Can You Register in 2 OA Lodges?

[andrews]

I think I asked this before, but here it goes again.

 

I am a registered adult leader in two different councils.

 

Can I register in the OA lodge for both councils? If I pay my fees, will anyone care?

 

I am in the process of moving, but I don't know how long that will take and I was thinking about just paying the annual membership fee in the lodge for the new council.

 

Brad

[le Voyageur]

 

 

Yes - a few years back I was registered with 2 lodges also....but, talk to your O.A. Advisor for the current rules regaurding dual membership

[Chippewa29]

As far as I've heard, you are not allowed to be a member in two different lodges. A friend of mine went to Yale and had to drop his registration in our home lodge while he was active in Connecticut. We still like to kid him now and then about his traitorous behavior. He said it almost killed him to sew a flap from another lodge on his shirt.

 

If you find a way to get around it, please post it. I hope to try living in another part of the country one of these days and couldn't bear the thought of wearing another lodge's flap (no insult intended, but the Chippewa Pride goes very, very deep).

[eisely]

It seems to me that the OA national would frown on membership in two lodges. So big deal. Where's the harm in paying dues twice if you choose to do so? If you want to receive newsletters etc. from your former lodge, pay up and enjoy. Chances are no one will notice.

[andrews]

I may just do that under the guise of "its easier to get forgiveness than permission."

 

How does a lodge know an adult is really eligible? I was tapped out as an adult about 2 years ago. (Somehow I never got it in my entire experience as a boy in spite of being everything from PL to SPL to JASM. My SM told me recently it was because we "never got into OA much.")

 

I am waiting for my own sons to get selected, hopefully this year since they are both eligible.

 

Brad

[eisely]

Brad,

 

If you were merely called out, but never made it to an ordeal, you are not a member of OA. You have twelve months from the time of election to complete an ordeal. Some lodges have some flexibility on this and begin counting the twelve months from the date a candidate was called out. If I am interpreting your post correctly, and you were called out two years ago, your candidacy has expired. You need to talk to your local district OA advisor, if there is such a person, or contact the lodge advisor, to find out where you stand.

 

Provided you meet the eligibility requirements currently, your committee can always resubmit your name if the committee wants to do that. Even so, the nomination has to be approved by the adult OA advisor hierarchy.

 

It is unfortunate that scoutmasters sometimes blow this whole thing off, since they are depriving their youth members of the possibility of a serious honor that strongly reinforces the ideals of scouting. Even if the unit leadership is not solidly behind the OA program, unit elections should still be held to at least give youth the option of participating.

[slontwovvy]

Chippewa29,

 

I have not been able to find this elaborated upon in many BSA documents, but there is a thing as the College Scouter Reserve. This is where College Scouts can keep registration in their own council and lodge throughout their college years without needing to transfer. Check your OA Handbook. There should be something about it in there. That way your friend who goes to Yale will not need to change flaps.

[slontwovvy]

Holy cow! I went Senior!!!

[andrews]

I did the Ordeal all right. Though knowing the weekend (Labor Day in Texas), I almost skipped it. If it weren't my last chance (since I didn't get my selection until Summer Camp), I might easily have skipped it.

 

It got to 105 or 106 during the day, though I was glad to have made it!

 

I will do the Brotherhood at some point, perhaps when my own sons do their Ordeal, or maybe when they do their Brotherhood. I expect that being a new Scoutmaster will keep me busy enough soon. (As it had in the past.)

 

Brad

[Chippewa29]

slontwovvy-

 

Thanks for the info, but my friend finished up at Yale in 1994 and has since proudly sewed the red, white, and black of Chippewa back on.

[Bob58]

OR... can you undertake your ordeal at summer camp under the guidance of another lodge?

I understand the "ties that bind" and the building of fraternity but we've been told by the camp that we're attending that our boys can go directly from a campfire to an ordeal. At least one of our local lodge people says they would have to repeat the Ordeal under our local lodges supervision. These guys are very involved in the unit and their schools, (varsity athletes, Model UN, Student Gov. & even shows or band.)

Can they undertake the ordeal outside of their home lodge?

[slontwovvy]

It is my understanding that you cannot undertake the ordeal out of the lodge of which you are going to be a member. Double-check this but to even be tapped out in another council requires permission from the lodge chief and/or advisor.

[eagle90]

We attend another council's summer camp, and our OA candidates who have been duly elected thru our lodge can be MENTIONED at the camp's call out ceremony, but cannot be officially called out nor can they go thru their Ordeal at the other camp. Even being mentioned takes approval of the OA advisor or chief.