How long is too long to wait for Board of Review

[andysmom]

In our district Eagle Boards of Reviews are held by the units with the district advancement committee member who signed off the scouts project proposal present.

Our Committee Chair schedules Eagle and Life Boards of Review.

Our troop's policy is that we give atleast 2 weeks advance notice of Eagle and Life Boards of Review.

Our current committee chair only schedules Eagle Boards of Review on nights that we have troop meetings.

 

SM, CC and AC get an email 2/2 that an Eagle Package is ready to be picked up after being checked by council.

Should it reasonably be expected that the BOR be held by the end of Feb?

Lacrosse tryouts and Confirmation classes take up every troop meeting night in March. 

Should it reasonably be expected that the BOR be held on another night in March when the scout is available?

 

Other information:

Eagle Candidate in question is 15 years old, probably the youngest in our 104 year history.

 

How are Boards scheduled in your troop?

[perdidochas]

In our district Eagle Boards of Reviews are held by the units with the district advancement committee member who signed off the scouts project proposal present.

Our Committee Chair schedules Eagle and Life Boards of Review.

Our troop's policy is that we give atleast 2 weeks advance notice of Eagle and Life Boards of Review.

Our current committee chair only schedules Eagle Boards of Review on nights that we have troop meetings.

 

SM, CC and AC get an email 2/2 that an Eagle Package is ready to be picked up after being checked by council.

Should it reasonably be expected that the BOR be held by the end of Feb?

Lacrosse tryouts and Confirmation classes take up every troop meeting night in March. 

Should it reasonably be expected that the BOR be held on another night in March when the scout is available?

 

Other information:

Eagle Candidate in question is 15 years old, probably the youngest in our 104 year history.

 

How are Boards scheduled in your troop?

Well, our district has EBORs once a month on the third Thursday of the month.  You have to ask for an EBOR from the District Advancement chair by the Monday before at the latest.  Our Troop tries to do BORs the week after the SM conference, and usually accomodates it (sometimes even the day of the SMC), but it can take a week or two longer. We have had BORs on campouts (as well as SMCs). 

[Krampus]

All BORs below Eagle are done by the advancement chairmen. We try to batch them to match when SMCs are done. We hold SMCs on the first and third Monday of the month, BORs are usually on the same dates BUT Scouts passing an SMC one night may have to wait 2 weeks for their BOR.

 

EBORs are done in the unit. We invite the district rep. We usually have several week's notice. Only Scouts who are within their 90 day post 18th birthday deadline are sped up. I'd say we usually know 4 weeks ahead of time of when an EBOR is. We have about 9 a year, give or take, so about once a month or less. If possible we will batch these as well.

[Sentinel947]

Once our Scouts complete all the other Eagle requirements, We have our Eagle Adviser reach out to the Districts Eagle Advancement Chair to schedule the review. Our Troop's Eagle Adviser also handles sending out and collecting the Reference Letters. We generally hold the Eagle Boards at the Church on the same night as the Troop meeting so that the committee members that sit on the board don't have to make multiple meetings in a week, but if necessary we do them on other nights, or on a weekend. Depends on the schedule of the District Eagle folks. 

[andysmom]

We have SMC anytime a scout asks for them, depending on the rank it could be scheduled for the next week, but the SM is available an hour before every troop meeting for extra things like SMC, advancement needs, questions from parents, etc.  Committee does not hold a BOR the same evening as a SMC, the following week at the earliest depending on if there are enough committee members present at the meeting.  A general email goes out to the committee when a SMC is held for anyone under Life.

 

 Life Boards of Review require 2 weeks notice so anyone who wants to attend can since, in the words from our former committee chair of 18 years "because it is our last chance before Eagle to be sure they are ready". Eagle BOR require 2 weeks notice so anyone who wants to take part can, seriously, there were 10 people, not counting the scout at a recent EBOR.

 

4 days before the committee meeting his family expressed their wish that he have his BOR in Feb to insure that paperwork would be complete and they could plan a COH for  before his brother had to go to college and because of the scout's schedule conflicts in March.  CC wouldn't schedule the BOR because when he was pressed at the committee meeting it would be 13 days notice, not 2 weeks and noted that "we just have to have it done so he can have a COH before the middle of August and that he doesn't like this "push for younger and younger Eagle Scouts"

After our last troop meeting called to ask if the BOR was happening at the next troop meeting (the last one in Feb), I told her no and I would let her know when it would be.  Family is frustrated.  and tells me that the scout wont be able to be at any meetings in March because of other commitments and the further it gets pushed back the less time to plan for a COH that they want in June so there will be scouts to participate before vacations etc..  I am frustrated because I don't know why it couldnt happen in Feb because CC was notified on 2/2 that paperwork was good.  I contact CC and explain new details to him and he said that we all are busy and "we will do our best to accommodate" his schedule.  At this point I think the best we can hope for is a March BOR.

[Stosh]

Hmmm, sounds like more adult posturing going on....  I'll not comment on it because I get enough flack the way it is.

 

Our EBOR's are once a month 2nd Tuesday at the council office.  It's up to the Scout to make time for it.  If Tuesday's bad this month, maybe next month would work better, or the next.

 

Our troop BOR's are held when we get a board together.  Right now we are strapped in the fact that our committee fell apart when boys dropped out.  Remove the SM, ASM and parents from the formula and we don't have enough people to hold one.  At various outings we have requested people from other troops to help out and thus far no one will assist so it's going on about 6 months now waiting for a TF BOR for two boys.  The way it's going, they will earn TF, 2nd C and FC all at the same COH.  The boy's advancement is not being held up because the adults aren't available.  

 

Our next plan is to fill our committee with new parents from the Webelos crossovers and train them first in doing BOR's. 

[T2Eagle]

I do SMCs as needed.  When I first became SM we had a formal "you have to ask a week in advance" policy for them.  After I had to cancel two because things came up for me I ended that formality and I'll do them when asked, sometimes the same night sometimes the next week or on a campout.  I know the scouts and the scouts know me, I don't see any reason to put it off for formality's sake.  Our Advancement Chair schedules BORs, usually the meeting following being asked, but they can also happen the same evening.  These things aren't disseration defenses they're conversations between a scout and the adults they associate with.

 

EBORs are worked out between the scout and the District Advancement Chair, basically they are an accommodation of everybody's schedule.  

 

For your situation I would say reasonable people should act reasonably.  If the responsibility for scheduling the EBOR fell to the CC and he didn't act for a few weeks than I would think he could bend a little on his scheduling.  A Lacrosse tryout, and certainly confirmation classes are reasonable things to be worked around.  Maybe the EBOR is held on the meeting night but later rather than earlier, maybe pick a mutually agreeable different night.  I will say that time to adults and time to teenagers can feel very differently.  To a 50 year old a couple weeks later means nothing, to a 15 year old that can seem interminable.  Adults are volunteers and their sacrifice needs to be recognized, but adults claim to be the serbant leaders of the kids and should give due deference to their point of view as well.

[perdidochas]

I do SMCs as needed.  When I first became SM we had a formal "you have to ask a week in advance" policy for them.  After I had to cancel two because things came up for me I ended that formality and I'll do them when asked, sometimes the same night sometimes the next week or on a campout.  I know the scouts and the scouts know me, I don't see any reason to put it off for formality's sake.  Our Advancement Chair schedules BORs, usually the meeting following being asked, but they can also happen the same evening.  These things aren't disseration defenses they're conversations between a scout and the adults they associate with.

 

EBORs are worked out between the scout and the District Advancement Chair, basically they are an accommodation of everybody's schedule.  

 

For your situation I would say reasonable people should act reasonably.  If the responsibility for scheduling the EBOR fell to the CC and he didn't act for a few weeks than I would think he could bend a little on his scheduling.  A Lacrosse tryout, and certainly confirmation classes are reasonable things to be worked around.  Maybe the EBOR is held on the meeting night but later rather than earlier, maybe pick a mutually agreeable different night.  I will say that time to adults and time to teenagers can feel very differently.  To a 50 year old a couple weeks later means nothing, to a 15 year old that can seem interminable.  Adults are volunteers and their sacrifice needs to be recognized, but adults claim to be the serbant leaders of the kids and should give due deference to their point of view as well.

 

I agree with you.  At least with small troops (under 30), it's easy to try to work things out.  I can see how in a large troop strict scheduling might be needed, but other than that, it should be for the boys--that is why we volunteer this "one hour a week." 

[Eagle94-A1]

Growing up, it was done as needed and based upon the EBOR and the Eagle candidate's schedules. Between the night I finished my last requirements for Eagle, and the actual EBOR, it was 1 month and 12 days. Between my school schedule and the district advancement chair's, that was the earliest it could be done.

 

One of my friends had it worse. Between completing and the night his EBOR was scheduled it was almost 4 months. He actually missed the 3 months after turning 18 deadline, and had to appeal for an EBOR, I believe to council.  I think he had a good excuse. He had to go to basic training.

[fred johnson]

You are dealing with the quirks of internal troop relationships and people controlling their turf.  Beyond that ...   Everything we do teaches lessons.  Flexible or inflexible.  Process or person oriented.  I don't care for the lesson your troop is teaching, but others could justify it.  

 

Beyond that ...

 

In our troop ...

 

All ranks ... Our SMCs (for any rank) are on demand, if the scoutmaster has time.  Otherwise as soon as possible, given coordination between the scout and the scoutmaster.  

 

Troop BORs (not EBORs) ... are on-demand.  Usually, as the scoutmaster goes to do the SMC, the scoutmaster asks the CC or the adv chair to prepare for a BOR.  Hopefully, we can do it that night.  If not, then as soon as possible

 

EBORs ... are usually one to two weeks ... sometimes three ... after the council approves the paperwork.  They are scheduled usually a Mon, Tue, Wed or Thu night.  Usually there are multiple that night, but not required.  

 

...

 

Not finishing a BOR (any of them) quickly affects advancement and teaches lessons.  Plus, BORs are not a scout requirement.   They area a process step to make sure the troop is doing a good job and to encourage a scout to continue.  As such, IMHO BORs should never be delayed.

[Krampus]

Our unit used to do things "on demand" but that usually meant the scout was think planning in advance and taking other things in to consideration. In a large troop we found that on demand did not work over time. The scouts became accustom to instant gratification. By going to a schedule for SMCs and BORs we found the scouts became much better at managing their affairs and the troop/patrol overall.

 

Since life is based on schedules rather than instant gratification, we figured this was the best approach.

[andysmom]

Honestly, our committee is a disaster as far as advancement is concerned.  Old CC held the position for 18 years and let everyone know it.  No training beyond the committee challenge 18 years ago and youth protection.  He was a smart man and could read up on the advancement changes, but interpreted them how he wished.  When he "deferred" a scout's advancement for what turned out a month because he wanted to see"some leadership qualities" and commented that he "isn't ready to be a star scout" it caused a very un scout like conversation when I stood up to him at the BOR.  He wanted to produce "the best" Eagle Scouts and held scouts back at Life if they didn't fit his criteria.

New CC as of last April has has no training other than YP, was a SM atleast 12 years ago and has been on the committee ever since.  I had been on the committee for 3 years before I even knew who he was.  He also sat on the "deferred" board and the first thing he did was hand the scout a rope and told him to tie a knot.  He backed the old CC every step of the way that he knows what and Life scout looks like "bla, bla, bla"  He cant describe it or explain it to anyone, he just knows.  New committee chair was of course approved by the CO because he was recommended by the old CC, no one on the committee even knew he was leaving until he announced the new cc.

[fred johnson]

Honestly, our committee is a disaster as far as advancement is concerned.  Old CC held the position for 18 years and let everyone know it.  No training beyond the committee challenge 18 years ago and youth protection.  He was a smart man and could read up on the advancement changes, but interpreted them how he wished.  When he "deferred" a scout's advancement for what turned out a month because he wanted to see"some leadership qualities" and commented that he "isn't ready to be a star scout" it caused a very un scout like conversation when I stood up to him at the BOR.  He wanted to produce "the best" Eagle Scouts and held scouts back at Life if they didn't fit his criteria.

New CC as of last April has has no training other than YP, was a SM atleast 12 years ago and has been on the committee ever since.  I had been on the committee for 3 years before I even knew who he was.  He also sat on the "deferred" board and the first thing he did was hand the scout a rope and told him to tie a knot.  He backed the old CC every step of the way that he knows what and Life scout looks like "bla, bla, bla"  He cant describe it or explain it to anyone, he just knows.  New committee chair was of course approved by the CO because he was recommended by the old CC, no one on the committee even knew he was leaving until he announced the new cc.

 

Sorry ... There is what BSA teaches and there is what many troops do.  It can be drastically different.  

[qwazse]

Our EBORs usually get scheduled within 4-6 weeks of turning in the application. So the delay that you feel is par for the course here.

[RememberSchiff]

"on-demand", "instant recognition" ...God forbid we teach patience as we once did. Not how things transpire in the real world, well except maybe getting pulled over instantly for speeding. Safety and disciplinary issues are handled in that manner in our unit. Our BOR's tend to be monthly and not flexible as the committee members have other commitments.