|
Recently Posted
Q. "I was active in the Order of the Arrow several years ago. I have since
moved and now I would like to become active again. How do I find my old membership
records and/or transfer my membership to a new lodge?"
A. Since the region- or national-level organizations do not manage lodge membership
records, you should contact the local council service center for the area where
you were last active as an Arrowman to obtain any membership-related records.
The best way to do this is to visit the Boy Scouts of America National Council
website and click the "local councils" link to locate your previous
council. You can then find the necessary contact information to get a hold of
someone locally. Likewise, you can locate the council to which you are now a
member via the same website and contact someone regarding getting involved with
your new lodge. Remember, you can only be a registered member of a lodge that
serves the council in which you are a registered member. Good luck, and we wish
you well as you continue in service to your new lodge and council.
Q. "The last two NOAC's have been at Iowa and Indiana. Why does it seem that there is a three year rotation of NOAC locations between Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan? Why not search for a university on the West coast or the Southern portion of the United States?"
A. It is true that NOACs have been located in the Midwest for a long time. There have been many suggestions for different locations both in the east and the western parts of the United States. Unfortunately, most colleges can't handle 7,000-plus arrowmen at one time. Either there are not enough classrooms, beds, arenas for shows, or summer school interferes. The details on a NOAC is in a document about 2 inches thick on all of the logistical things we need to hold that type of conference. In 2006, we will be holding NOAC at Michigan State University, in Lansing Michigan.
Q. "The time and effort put into this excellent website is testimony to
the critical importance of the web in communications within the OA. The same
is true at the lodge and chapter levels. Will the National OA establish a formal
position of webmaster that can be designated at the lodge level with a corresponding
round webmaster officer patch for the position?"
A. The Order of the Arrow was created as an organization within the Boy Scouts of America to give service back to the Scouting community. It has been national policy for all members of the Order to be registered and active with a home unit, as the primary responsibility of any Arrowman is to his home unit. As such, the official uniform of an Arrowman must correspond to his primary registration within the BSA and local council. Because of this, the Order of the Arrow only has one official position and corresponding patch that may be worn on the uniform by Arrowmen serving their home units, which is the Troop/Team Representative. No lodge or chapter position should take precedence over service to the unit; as such, no official patches are created for titles that Arrowmen may have as they continue in service to Scouting.
Q. "A number of Scouts don't see the benefits of becoming a Brotherhood
member. The Brotherhood sash that they receive is never seen by everyday members
of the troop, because it would normally only be worn durning Court of Honor
programs, when they would be wearing their merit badge sash instead. Could a
recognition patch be created to be worn at the top of the merit badge sash,
possibly a miniature version of the Brotherhood sash?"
A. The Order of the Arrow was created as an organization meant to give service back to the Scouting community. Membership in the Order does not constitute recognition, but rather, should be considered an honor. All members have gone through an election process in which their peers selected them for their leadership traits and ability to live the Scout Oath and Law in their everyday lives. To be selected among peers to be members of an organization with ideas such as Brotherhood, Cheerfulness, and Service should be regarded with high honor and should by no means warrant recognition for past service, but indicate dedication to the organization and for continued servant leadership in the future. The sash, in addition to the lodge pocket flap patch or universal arrow ribbon or other arrow ribbon award, is the only prescribed addition to the uniform by the National OA Committee based on the above idea of servant leadership.
Q. "I would like to order a copy of the FOG and can't find ordering information
such as an address, catalog number (if any) or amount. Must it be ordered through
the Lodge Adviser?"
A. The Field Operations Guide no longer must be purchased, but is now available online at the National OA website. You can download this and several other publications by following this link. Also available at this site are publication numbers for other national publications that must be puchased, such as the ceremonial handbooks, the Guide for Officers and Advisers, and the OA Handbook. Those publications that must be purchased are available from the BSA National Supply Division, and must be ordered through your local council.
Q. "When and where are the next NOACs?"
A. The dates and locations of the next several National Order of the Arrow Conferences are as follows:
2004: July 31 - August 5, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
2006: July 29 - August 2, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
2009: August 1-5, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Submit a Burning Issue
Burning Issue Archive
|
