Ask the Chairman

Q. I have heard that if we send in a question to the Chairman of the Order of the Arrow, he will answer it. How do I do that?

A. You may contact the chairman, Ray Capp, at ray.capp@oa-bsa.org. Each week, he will select a question which hasn't been answered in our literature, and do his best to answer it. You may leave your name if you wish and he will credit your name as the one who submitted it, if you leave it for that purpose.

Questions Answered by the Chairman

National Events

• Q. How did the national committee decide on Michigan State University as the site of the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference?

National Committee

• Q. I heard that the National Committee has created a bunch of Task Forces. What do they do and how does that work?
• Q. I was talking with an Arrowman who had seen some seemingly real policy announcements posted on the Internet from the national Order of the Arrow committee. It turns out that they were intended to be April Fools jokes but were not clearly identified as such. Maybe you could address these in your Ask the Chairman forum?
• Q. What is a Key Volunteer in the Order of the Arrow national structure?
• Q. It seems like the members of the National Order of the Arrow Committee are a bunch of old men who are ceremonial, only. You know…holding honorary positions.

Membership

• Q. I am looking for historical records, where may I find these?
• Q. I have been away from Scouting for many years, how do I renew my membership in the Order?
• Q. Why are women allowed in the Order of the Arrow?
• Q. How many lodges may an Arrowman be a member of?

Vigil and Brotherhood

• Q. Can the letter written for Brotherhood be used in Vigil selection?
• Q. What is the proper procedure for Vigil induction for Arrowmen on active duty in the military?
• Q. Could you clarify the two years of Brotherhood requirement for the Vigil Honor?

Policy

• Q. What is the term length for the OA Troop/Team Representative?
• Q. The 2012 Journey to Excellence process caused confusion, what is the status of this program and the future process?
• Q. Should staff members attending national events be included in the Journey To Excellence counts?
• Q. Is the old sash my son was given by his godfather acceptable for his wear?
• Q. How do you become a section chief and then national chief or any other national positions?
• Q. I heard that the OA and the National Eagle Scout Association are merging. True?
• Q. When should the OA sash be worn?
• Q. What are the tour permit requirements for lodge events? What are the tour permit requirements for national events (NOAC, NLS/NLATS)?
• Q. Every so often we do see illegal lodge/chapter chief patches being worn. These have been manufactured locally and are not authorized by the BSA Uniform and Insignia Guide.

Elections

• Q. Can a Scoutmaster ask that a 20yr old Assistant Scoutmaster who had been a first class scout or higher with a current 15 days and nights of camping be placed on his units OA ballot?
• Q. Can a Venturing Crew member be a member of the OA?
• Q. A scout recently moved and join our troop. Where does he need to complete his Ordeal?
• Q. Do the camping requirements have to be fulfilled in the same unit?
• Q. Can unit elections be held out of council while at another council's summer camp?
• Q. How can an adult camp staffer be elected to the Order?
• Q. Is the local council summer camp the only sanctioned camp for call outs?
• Q. Our lodge is telling us we cannot do call outs in our district until the first of June. Is this a national policy?
• Q. Does a Scout have to be elected again if he is unable to attend the Ordeal? Does he have to be called-out before an Ordeal?
• Q. Does a Scout need to be present during the unit elections to have his name on the OA ballot, if he meets the other requirements?
• Q. How do you keep the elections from being a popularity contest? Some scouts who meet the requirements and definitely have the qualities of a true Boy Scout are not elected. They meet the qualifications year after year. Even the other Scouts are surprised certain Scouts are never elected.

History

• Q. Has the handclasp of the Order been the same over all these years, or has it changed?

Revised 3/24/2013