Roundtable Split Topics for 2016-17 have been added to the Roundtable Page.  Go here to see what's ahead and what you may have missed.

Unit College Scouter Reserve, Venturing College Scouter Reserve, and Unit Scouter Reserve

Does your troop or crew have a former Scout who has turned 18 and is away at college, on a mission, or in the service and wants to stay registered in your unit?

To help keep these young adults in Scouting and connected to your unit, two registration codes exist:  92U, Unit College Scouter Reserve (UCSR) and 92V, Venturing College Scouter Reserve (VCSR).  Only the appropriate Youth Protection Training is required.  All other adult registration application criteria and fees apply.

These positions are meant primarily for college students who want to occasionally help out as an adult leader when they are home on break, but who don’t have the time to take the training required for an Assistant Scoutmaster, Assistant Cubmaster, or Assistant Crew Advisor.

Young adults who serve regularly as an adult leader should register as an Assistant Scoutmaster, Assistant Cubmaster, or Assistant Crew Advisor and complete all the normal training requirements.

If you have adults who assist the leadership in your unit and are available to fill-in as a leader on an as-needed basis, they should use registration code 91U, Unit Scouter Reserve (USR).  Only the appropriate Youth Protection Training is required.  All other adult registration application criteria and fees apply.

An additional benefit of the 92U, 92V and 91U registrations is that they remove untrained Assistant Scoutmasters, Assistant Cubmasters, and Assistant Crew Advisors from your unit's registration.  This change will improve your unit's Journey to Excellence score.

Adult leaders registered as 92U, 92V or 91U are permitted to wear a uniform when appropriate, but there is no position patch.

Adult Application Registration Codes

• 92U (Unit College Scouter Reserve):  For troop & pack leaders 18 years and older away at college.
• 92V (Venturing College Scouter Reserve):  For crew leaders 21 years and older away at college.
• 91U (Unit Scouter Reserve):  For troop, pack & crew adults 21 years and older living at home.

In case you missed it...

The Seneca District 2015 Volunteer Recognition Night was held at the April Roundtable.  The following awards were presented:

Cubmaster of the Year:  Mark Millhoff, Pack 3556.
Den Leader of the Year:  Paul Stock, Pack 3254.

Scoutmaster of the Year:  Richard Bennett, Troop 556.
Assistant Scoutmaster of the Year:  Frank Collica, Troop 575.
Committee Chair of the Year:  Don Grand, Troop 259.

District Award of Merit:  Stephanie McLean and Chad Roberts.

Clyde Hazle Unit Award:  Pack 3233.

Pictures of the festivities can be found here.

Congratulations to the recipients and thanks to everyone who submitted nominations.

The requirements for the Hiking merit badge have been changed for 2016.  You can download the new requirements here (PDF).

As with all merit badge changes, if a Scout is just starting the Hiking merit badge, he must use the new requirements.  If a Scout started the badge using the old requirements, he may continue following the old requirements until he completes the badge.

Trying to figure out how the Cyber Chip Online Safety Award and rank advancement go together?

The March-April edition of Advancement News contains an article, "Cyber Chip and the Scout Rank," that explains the connection.  You can download the article here (PDF).

The requirements for the Lifesaving merit badge have been changed for 2016.  You can learn about the changes to this alternate required badge here.  You can download the new requirements here (PDF).

The requirements for the Cooking merit badge have been changed for 2016.  They have been simplified and duplications have been removed.  You can download the new requirements here (PDF).  If you want to learn more about the changes, Bryan on Scouting describes them here.

This is the second time since 2014 that the Cooking merit badge has changed.  The obvious question then is "Which requirements should a Scout use?"  A Scout just starting the badge must use the 2016 requirements.  A Scout who began the badge under old requirements may continue using them until he finishes or he may switch to the 2016 requirements.  While this rule applies to both the 2015 and the 2014 requirements, a merit badge counselor may decide that too much time has passed since the Scout last worked on the badge and that the 2016 requirements should be used.  This subject is covered in the Guide to Advancement, Section 7.0.4.3.

The good news is that the principle of "Once it's earned, it's earned." applies (Guide to Advancement, Section 7.0.4.6).  If a counselor decides that the 2016 requirements should be used, then any work completed and approved under the old requirements may be applied to the new requirements.  The counselor has the final say, however, and if the counselor decides the Scout would be better served by repeating a requirement or starting the badge over, the counselor can require it.

Recipes from the January Roundtable's Dutch Oven cooking demonstration are now available.  Just go to the "Roundtable" tab and follow the "Saddlebags" link.

You'll find recipes for Jambalaya, Roast Chicken - Italian Style, Pizza, Cinnamon Roll French Toast, and Baked Oatmeal. All were delicious and should be a big hit on your next campout.

2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements

The requirements for all Boy Scout ranks changed on 1 January 2016.

A Scout registered in a troop (team, crew or ship) prior to 1 January 2016 may begin using the new requirements immediately, or he may continue using the old requirements with the following restrictions:  1) A Scout working on Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class rank in 2016 may use the old requirements until he achieves First Class rank.  He must then switch to the new requirements for subsequent ranks.  2)  A Scout working on Star, Life or Eagle rank in 2016 may complete the rank he is working on using the old requirements.  He must then switch to the new requirements for subsequent ranks.

A Scout registering in a troop (team, crew or ship) for the first time on or after 1 January 2016 must use the new requirements.

Beginning on 1 January 2017, the new requirements must be used for all ranks.  If a Scout has not finished a rank by this date, he does not have to start over.  Following the principle of "Once it's earned, it's earned.", a completed and signed-off rank requirement can be transferred to the new requirements with the following restrictions:  1)  The wording of the requirement has not changed.  2)  The requirement was signed-off prior to 1 January 2017.

Some old requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks have been moved to become new requirements for a different rank.  If such a requirement has been signed-off, moving it to a different rank does not change the fact that it has been earned.  A Scout does not have to repeat it.

Rank Requirement Sign-Off Sheets

A new Boy Scout Handbook is being published, but a Scout does not have to buy it to use the new requirements.  He may continue to use the 2015 Handbook as a reference.  He does, however, need updated rank requirement sign-off sheets.

The National Council has produced two PDFs of the new sign-off sheets for a Scout to print out and use.

The first PDF, "2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements," is designed to print out one page per sheet of paper.  Printing this PDF on 8.5"x11" paper produces an easy to read copy, best suited for a three-ring binder.  The second PDF, "2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements - Printable Insert," is designed to be folded and stapled together to form a 5.5"x8.5" booklet, but requires double-sided printing.  This booklet fits inside a Handbook, but it can be difficult to print correctly.  Also, the staples must be centered on the fold, which is tricky to do with an average sized stapler.

A third PDF, "2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements - Simplified Insert," has been created as an alternative to the "Printable Insert" PDF.  This third PDF is designed to print two pages per sheet of paper.  The sheets are stapled together at one corner and can be folded in half to fit in a Handbook.  This "Simplified Insert" is recommended for most Scouts since it does not require double-sided printing and is easy to staple together.

DOWNLOADS:

1) 2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements (PDF)
2) 2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements - Printable Insert (PDF)
3) 2016 Boy Scout Rank Requirements - Simplified Insert (PDF) [Recommended]

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