Unit Position code

[Axeman]

It has taken me almost 3 years from registration on this forum to submit my first post. Here goes:

 

There are 22 unit position codes on a BSA Adult application.

 

Do all adult volunteers assume one of these positions? You must be SM, SA, MC, etc. I am interested in the MC position code, specifically.

 

The Chartering Organization "select(s) a unit committee of parents and members of the organization who will screen and select unit leaders..." If a unit's leadership positions are occupied (SM, SA, etc.) and a unit's committee positions are occupied (CC, secretary, treasurer, advancement, et al), then all other adults joining the unit are, by default, MC?

 

A hypothetical situation: a group of individuals (family group, fraternal organization, etc.) with a specific agenda fills out adult applications, pay $10USD each, and become (by default?) a voting bloc (of a unit committee). This voting bloc supports a specific agenda. The agenda is adopted by sheer weight of numbers. The voting bloc then disappears, having no further involvement in the unit.

 

I was asked this question and did not know how to answer. I have searched the archives of this forum.

 

Logically, the onus is on the CO to keep this sort of thing from happening. Realistically, the CO, with membership and relationships in mind, may unintentionally allow it to happen.

 

YIS(This message has been edited by DDibben)

[Crew21_Adv]

DD,

 

Greetings!

 

You offered a difficult hypothetical situation. WOW! While I have not seen this occur in Scouting, I have seen this same situation occur twice in a two separate community-based organizations. The outcomes were not enjoyable. But I have not seen this in Scouting. These are my views, and I am not speaking on behalf of the BSA.

 

I would reply by stating.

 

There are at least six adult positions within a Troop. IH, CR, SM, AS, CC and MC. If you are not invited to be a Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster, you would probably be invited to serve on the committee with the code MC.

 

All of the Committee Positions, Treasurer, Secretary, Equipment, Transportation, would carry this code of CM.

 

Individuals who desire to join a Boy Scouts of America unit, require three approvals. The Committee Chair, the Chartering Organization or Executive Head, and the Scout Executive of the respective council; these individuals are trusted to ensure that a potential adult applicant abides by the entire application process and is deemed worthy of acceptance as an adult leader.

 

It is not correct that an adult pays 10 dollars, and by default becomes an adult leader. There is no "rubber stamp" approval.

 

Payment is only one qualifying factor. Unlike some other community-based organizations whom I have been affiliated with, who accepts anyone with ten dollars in their hand. I would not want anyone who walks into our meeting carrying 10 dollars, to automatically become a member, without any interview or screening process.

 

There are additional requirements such as abiding by the purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, abiding by the Excerpt of Religious Declaration. The Leadership Requirements further state "The applicant must possess the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. The applicant must also be the correct age, and subscribe to the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle, and abide by the Scout Oath or Promise, and the Scout Law."

 

On occasion, there are some youth, whom desire to be in Scouting. Via various means such as the Scoutreach programs they can join. While on some occasions their parents do not possess the moral, educational, and emotional qualities to be an adult leaders.

 

I hope your Committee Chair, Chartering Organization and Scout Executive can select the best qualified leaders for your unit.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[Hunt]

If you are talking about a Boy Scout Troop, there are only four unit scouter positions: Scoutmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Chair, and Committee Member. Treasurer, Advancement, etc., are all just "MC" as far as BSA is concerned. So yes, I think it's the case that any unit scouter volunteers that are not SM, SA, or CC would be members of the committee. Could the committee be "packed" as you suggest? Well, each unit scouter must be approved by both the Committee Chair and the chartered organization head or representative. So if those two wanted to pack the committee, they could do it. Of course, the COR calls the shots anyway, ultimately. Could a group of adults secretly plot to take over the committee, with their plan unknown to the Committee Chair and the chartered organization rep? They could try to do this, but again, they couldn't ultimately do anything that the CO doesn't want them to do, and if their ideas are opposed by the Committee Chair and the SM, it's likely that the CO will defer to those leaders. It seems to me that if something like this is really brewing, it's more likely that there will be an open dispute--eventually, superior numbers may prevail, but it's likely to be the majority of the unit (including parents, whether they are on the committee or not), rather than a transient artificial majority of committee members, that will persuade the CO to support one view or the other.

[Hunt]

I think Crew21 and I were typing at the same time. I agree with most of his/her post(I suppose one would say that the IH and COR are unit scouters) except for this:

 

"It is not correct that an adult pays 10 dollars, and by default becomes an adult leader. There is no "rubber stamp" approval."

 

I suspect that in many units, there pretty much is a rubber stamp IF the adult is the parent of a scout in the unit, and if the position involved is MC.

[ScoutNut]

"A hypothetical situation: a group of individuals (family group, fraternal organization, etc.) with a specific agenda fills out adult applications, pay $10USD each, and become (by default?) a voting bloc (of a unit committee). This voting bloc supports a specific agenda. The agenda is adopted by sheer weight of numbers. The voting bloc then disappears, having no further involvement in the unit."

 

OK, First of all there is no such thing as a "voting bloc". The Committee should not be voting on things. The CC appoints Committee members to do specific jobs (even simply being an available BOR member). The Committee is there to support the SM & the Troop, & to that end the entire Unit's leadership (SM, SMA, CC, MC, etc) should work together.

 

If by some chance you do have a Troop with a Committee that votes on everything & your senerio happens, the CC & COR can simply say nope, it's not happening, & ignore the "vote". Or, they can wait until the "voting bloc" disapears and vote the changes out. Or, the CC & COR can see what the "voting bloc" is doing, recind their membership, & boot them out.

 

Little "Tin Dictatorships" can develop, but it is usually at the CC/COR level & with an uninvolved Charter Org.

[Trevorum]

In addition to the positions mentioned above, I believe unit scouters may also register as MB counselors.

[FScouter]

"This voting bloc supports a specific agenda. The agenda is adopted by sheer weight of numbers."

 

There is only one agenda, which is the BSA program. What kind of agenda are you concerned about?

[LongHaul]

Scoutnut,

I know of many Troop Committees that vote on things. If we have a boy that needs financial assistance to go to camp, if we have a fund raiser and a question comes up over possible amounts to credit the boys, when we set or alter troop policies. MY COR and CC dont act like Tin Dictators and issue edicts. Even I as SM have a vote at times. In a unit where two or three people, accepting that the SM gets to dictate program, call all the shots I think it may be difficult to find enough yes people to do most of the back ground work.

I would like to know more about the specific agenda DDibben refers to, particularly when these people are said to leave after the agenda is adopted. Ive had CCs that tied to dictate program but the word agenda prompts questions.

LongHaul

 

[scottteng]

"The voting bloc then disappears, having no further involvement in the unit."

Then at the next committee meeting like oh say tonight the committee reconsiders and votes whatever idiocy was perpetrated out. Nothing is binding about committee votes on future duly constituted committee they actually tend to do and redo until they find something that works. As always the first question should be: this serves the youth of our unit how?

[Axeman]

Thank you all for your input.

 

"There is only one agenda, which is the BSA program."

 

Until recently, I thought the same thing.

 

Thanks!