24 July 2009
Closeout on 2008 Eagle Application
Posted by admin under: policies .
According to ScoutingNews.org and written up in various other locations the current printing of the Eagle Scout application will be the only one accepted beginning August 1st. This shouldn’t be too big a deal because most young men will grab a copy of the application from the council and they will have the 2009 edition anyway.
My biggest question was, “how is the 2009 version different from the 2008 version”? I couldn’t find an old one nor a list of changes so I’m not sure, but it looks mainly like a whole section on the right/top of the application which asks for dates and participation in other Boy Scouts programs like Cub Scouts and Varsity teams.
Every so often I look around at all the great resources on the internet for finding Boy Scout information and I think that keeping up this blog is just superfluous. However, in the process of writing things up for these posts I often will do more digging than I would have if I just read through my list of preferred sites.
For instance, when checking out the advancement requirements for Eagle over at the US Scouting Service Project website I came across this statement that I had never heard before. Shouldn’t someone have told me this directly since I’m the committee chair for the troop and also since I’ve taken both Scoutmaster and committee training?
NOTE: The Application Form and the Service Project Workbook do NOT have to be completed and/or signed prior to the candidate’s 18th birthday, only the REQUIREMENTS need to be done. The top of the application form contains the following statement:
“This application is to be completed after you have completed all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank….When you have completed this application, sign it and submit it to your unit leader”
By the Scout’s signature, it says:
“On my honor as a Scout/Venturer, all statements on this application are true and correct. All requirements were completed prior to my 18th birthday.”
In “The 12 Steps from Life to Eagle” on the last page of the workbook, it says:
“3. It is imperative that all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank be completed prior to the candidate’s 18th birthday. When all requirements except the board of review for the rank of Eagle, including the leadership service project, have been completed, the enclosed Eagle Scout Rank Application must be completed and sent to the council service center promptly.”
Everything says REQUIREMENTS must be completed before the deadline, and the application be completed and submitted AFTER the requirements are complete.
The unit leader DOES have to sign and date the application, and the project workbook, but that date does NOT have to be before the deadline, so long as all the dates listing when the requirements were completed is listed. The date that the Unit Leader’s Conference was held is a separate entry from the leader’s signature date. The signature dates in the workbook are separate from the entry for the date the project was completed.
Do you know how many frantic late-night arrangements have been made trying to secure signatures in order to get the completed Eagle application turned in to the council? Of course, we don’t want the young men to procrastinate, but I think relationships between adults and boys as well as council personnel could be eased if everyone was on the same page regarding this requirement. Thank goodness I was searching around for a list of changes to the 2009 Eagle application so I saw this information. Now, I just have to make sure that our district which is trying to encourage the boys to do their best doesn’t reject applications based on faulty data.
- Digital Boy Scout Handbook
- Clarifying President Obama’s Policy Regarding Boy Scouts of America
- New Boy Scout Rank Requirements
- BSA’s Advancement Path
- Bridge to Ambassador Patch
4 Comments so far...
JC Says:
24 July 2009 at 1:45 pm.
Yes, but do you want to take the chance that some bonehead is going to deny the rank on a technicality? I can see the arguement that finishing the application is a requirement in and of itself.
admin Says:
25 July 2009 at 1:58 pm.
As I type this my son is trying to get his book done before his 18th birthday. Do you think I mentioned this “extension” to him? No sir. Good to know about it, though, just in case.
Bill Says:
26 August 2009 at 11:57 am.
It always seemed self evident that you complete the requirements before turning 18, not necessarily the paperwork. I have run into this issue with several folks and I believe that there is a misconception that completing the application is a requirement but it is not.
