TO: Unit Leaders January 2, 2018 FROM: Order of the Arrow Lodge 387 SUBJECT: Annual Unit Elections and Ambassador Visit Thank you for your work as a Scout leader in the Pikes Peak Council. We appreciate your efforts to help offer the Scouting program to the youth of our communities. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting s National Honor Society, chartered by the BSA and, as such, is an integral part of the Scouting program. Its purposes are to recognize those Scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and, by such recognition, influence other Scouts to conduct themselves in such a manner as to warrant similar recognition, to promote Scout camping, and to crystallize the habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others. What does that mean? The OA is a part of the BSA program offering Scouts the opportunity to develop leadership skills, offer cheerful service to the community, and create a brotherhood and lifelong purpose of service to all. Along the way they learn, with devoted adult advisers, how to lead, how to function in leadership roles, and how to work with people to accomplish objectives. This includes camping, fun activities, an understanding of this nation s Native American culture, community and council service, fun, a further preparation for life, and, above all, fun. OA membership is an extra beyond the basic Scout unit that in no way should supersede the Scout s own unit activities. His unit comes first. There is plenty of room in the OA for interested adults to help teach and advise the boys, but above all, this is a boy-run operation. So, how does one get into the OA? Each Scout Troop or Varsity Team in the council with qualified Scouts is urged to hold an election, after January 1, 2018 and prior to April 30, 2018 to select candidates for the Order of the Arrow. We have trained and authorized Election teams, who will conduct your election at the place, date and time you select. We will make every effort to support the date you select. Elections held without an authorized team are not valid. If there are any schedule problems, please contact the Lodge Elections Adviser, Dave Headlee at elections_adviser@hakinskayaki.org or at 719-637-0320 or the Lodge Adviser at lodgeadviser@hakinskayaki.org to resolve the problems. Candidates elected will be invited to an Ordeal Weekend held at Camp Alexander in May or August to complete the induction process. Candidates have one year from the date of the election to attend the Ordeal. Please encourage elected candidates to participate in one of the two scheduled Ordeals. As each year in the scout s life passes, the opportunity to join OA decreases. There is greater opportunity for a youth to join OA than there is for an adult. If OA is not currently part of your unit operations and you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact the Lodge Adviser at lodgeadviser@hakinskayaki.org.
Youth Membership Qualification: 1. A Boy Scout or Varsity Scout who holds at least First Class rank, is under the age of 21, and is registered as an active member of his Troop or Team may, with the approval of his unit leader, be nominated for election. Prior to the annual election, the unit leader must certify the nominee s Scout spirit and membership qualifications. This includes male Assistant Scoutmasters under the age of 21 at the time of nomination, but female Assistant Scoutmasters must be at least 21 years old and follow the adult nomination process. 2. The Scout, while registered with a Troop or Team, must have experienced 15 days and nights of Boy Scout camping (Cub Scout, Webelos, and Family camping do not count) during the two-year period prior to election. The fifteen days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of 6 days 5 nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the BSA. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend or other short-term Scout camps. It is up to the individual unit as to whether or not to count indoor camping nights. There is nothing specific in OA literature that says unit camping nights must be outdoors. Voting for youth candidates should be based on their spirit of brotherhood, cheerfulness (no matter how tiresome their duties), and willingness to give unselfish and wholehearted service to others at all times. Adult Membership Qualifications Instead of being elected by the unit, adults 21 years of age or older are recommended to the lodge adult selection committee by the unit committee. If one to three youth is/are elected through a troop or team election, the unit committee may recommend one registered unit adult 21 years of age or older. Two adults may be recommended if the unit elects 4 to 6 candidates, and three adults may be recommended for 7 to 9 candidates elected etc. There is also a special nomination available for the currently registered Scoutmaster who has been in office for at least 1 year. He must also meet the camping requirements but would not count against the unit s adult quota. There is a special block on the form to indicate the scoutmaster exception. The lodge adult selection committee, with the approval of the Scout Executive, determines who will be candidates for induction into the OA once the following conditions are met. The adult nomination must be received 15 days prior to an Ordeal Weekend to allow for processing and approval. Note: on the adult nomination form, we have added a place for you to list his or her BSA Personal ID Number along with the person s personal email. 1. Selection of the adult is based on their ability to perform the necessary functions to help support the Order in the unit and to help fulfill its purposes. Adult selection is NOT for recognition of service, including current or prior achievements and positions.
Consult the person before nomination to be sure they are interested. Don t waste a nomination or time by nominating someone who does not want the additional position. 2. The individual will be an asset to the OA because of demonstrated abilities that fulfill the purposes of the OA. 3. The camping requirements set forth for youth candidates are fulfilled. 4. The adult leader s membership will provide a positive role model for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge. The Election Team will provide you with Adult Nomination Forms after the unit election. Please remember this form must be reviewed and approved before the adult becomes a candidate, so allow 30 days prior to Ordeal for this process. If the form is lost, it can be downloaded from our OA Lodge Website (http://oa.pikespeakbsa.org). If you have questions, please contact the lodge. After their application is approved, adult candidates will be notified by email or phone call so they can register for the Ordeal Weekend. Election procedure A member of the Lodge Election Team will contact you to schedule your unit election to be held at a regularly scheduled unit meeting. Every effort should be made to have 100% attendance of the youth at the meeting. Please complete the Candidate Information Form prior to the arrival of the Election Team. Please note the requirement for the BSA Personal ID number and date of birth (youth) on this form. The election team will use the form to announce candidates and to complete required forms. If additional pages are needed, please make copies of the blank form or contact the lodge. The election team will explain the election process and conduct the election. If a DVD player is available, the election process will include showing a DVD about the OA and election process. This DVD should help the Scouts in your unit better understand the OA and the election. We strongly urge you to let us show this DVD. The team will count the votes with your unit leader or his representative and complete all necessary forms, leaving a copy with the unit leader. You will be asked to provide information on the unit s plans for call out for any youth candidates at Camp Alexander or other summer camp locations. Candidate eligibility period is one year from the date of election. We encourage you to notify your OA Candidates as early as possible but no later than April 27, 2018. This will allow your scouts and their families the opportunity to choose which Ordeal Weekend they wish their son to attend.
There will be two Ordeal Weekends at Camp Alexander in 2018. The dates are Spring Weekend - May 18-20, 2018 Registration Deadline May11, 2018 Fall Weekend August 17-19, 2018 Registration Deadline August 10, 2018 IMPORTANT ADVISEMENT: It is the Unit Leader s responsibility to ensure that all candidates are aware of the Ordeal dates and to distribute the registration forms given to you by the election team. We recommend that you privately contact the parents of those elected to make them aware of the dates and to allow them to work it into their family plans. This year, with your approval, we would like for our Lodge Ambassadors to meet after the election, for 4 or 5 minutes, with your current OA members. We would like to share with them information about some of the activities that are up coming and to encourage those eligible for Brotherhood to attend one of the Brotherhood Ceremonies or weekends to seal their membership in the OA. Additionally, this team will be able to share some information about Camp Alexander or other summer camp opportunities for your troop. If your troop or team does not have any Scouts eligible for election, we would still be willing to visit with your OA members and share the Camp Alexander information. We will also have a representative of your troop or team complete a simple Non-Election form which will help insure that every unit that wants an election is given the opportunity. If you have not been contacted by February 15, 2018, or if you have any questions about this year s election process, please call Dave Headlee, Elections Adviser (719-637-0320) or email at headlee8@comcast.net and he will be able to answer your questions or solve any challenges. Respectfully yours, Andy McCreight, Lodge Adviser Dave Headlee, Elections Adviser 1 Attachment: Tips for a Successful Election
Tips for a Successful Election Electing candidates from medium to large size troops and teams can be a challenge. The basic problem is that many Scouts, especially the older ones, don't really know the younger Scouts and are reluctant to vote for them. This can be a significant problem especially with youth who are quiet and introverted. Noticing their low election results, a number of Scoutmasters have developed procedures to directly address this situation. It has produced significant improvements in the election results in these units. 1. Prepare a preprinted ballot with the eligible scout s name and picture with a box to check for each vote. In larger troops, the linking of the name and face dramatically improves the election results. 2. Introduce the candidates with the requirements for OA election 2 or 3 times at meetings before the night of the election. Again, this helps to link a name and face. 3. Make sure all of the scouts and scouters know what the Order of the Arrow is and what it does. 4. Ensure that the Candidate Information Form is filled out as completely as possible, the Troop/Team Rep form is filled out and that the unit is ready for an election (50% of active registered scouts present, etc) Some Scoutmasters announce the youth's rank, number of nights of camping, and service hours as the names are read. Others include similar information on the ballot of names. Regardless of the procedure used, the purpose of this is to help the unit members know something about the candidates before they vote. It works and produces much better election results. The Scoutmaster still decides which names will appear on the ballot, listing only those who have demonstrated Scout spirit and who meet the OA eligibility requirements. A Scout whose name is being withheld because of Scout spirit needs to be told why in advance. Also, some Scouts may not be interested in becoming OA members. The Scoutmaster should offer the eligible candidates the opportunity to "opt out" of being on the annual ballot prior to its printing. Most troops and teams have found that the results should be announced soon after the election (whether at a campout, a camporee, or a Court of Honor). The benefit is that the Scout does not have to stew over whether or not he was elected. If the call out is set more than a month after the election, the families of the scout should be notified as soon as possible so that plans can be made and the scout registered for his Ordeal weekend.