Elections

For more than 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives. This recognition provides encouragement for others to live these ideals as well. Arrowmen are known for maintaining camping traditions and spirit, promoting year-round and long-term resident camping, developing leaders, and providing cheerful service to others. OA service, activities, adventures, and training for youth and adults are models of quality leadership development and programming that enrich, support, and help to extend Scouting to America’s youth.

Being elected into the Order of the Arrow is a highlight of any Scout or Scouters Scouting journey.  The Callout and Ordeal are both experiences that they will remember for years to come.  To preserve the sacred nature of this honor, the Shawnee Lodge Executive Commitee (LEC) has developed the following guidelines governing the election process.

Please review the guidelines on this page and don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

From the Shawnee Lodge By-Laws

Youth Candidates are designated as those under 21 years of age.  Adult candidates are 21 or older at the time of election.

1. Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
2. Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. A member not with their Unit at long-term camp is eligible if they attend a full-term High Adventure base, a Jamboree, the Council’s National Youth Leadership Training, another week-long Scout camping program, or week-long Wood Badge in the same year prior to the Fall Reunion. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
3. At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, hold the Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery Award, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
4. Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirements may be selected following nomination to and approval by their Unit’s adult selection committee.
5. A scout may withdraw from the election upon their own request before or after the election.
6. The unit leader must certify each candidate as to their scouting spirit and participation. The Unit Leader must certify that each candidate meets the specified requirements by completing the citation. A signature or lack thereof (veto) on their citation indicates certification or veto appropriately.
7. Adult candidates are subject to the approval of the Scout Executive. The Scout Executive may choose to authorize a waiver for adults for long term camp to qualify for resident camping experience over the two-year period, upon individual written petition stating reason why six consecutive days of resident camp is unattainable. Only conditions related to job security or health is considered. No further interpretation or alternatives are to be considered. This must be done two weeks
   before the election at the unit Committee Meeting.

Information on the Ordeal Election Procedures of the Shawnee Lodge can be found in Section II.B of the Shawnee Lodge Bylaws

Units not registered for a camp at S bar F Scout Ranch will receive an email with a link to a form to schedule their election. If your unit leader did not receive an email, please contact your chapter advisor. Once that form is submitted, chapters will go in and confirm their election. Unit leaders will receive a confirmation email once the election has been scheduled. Units will receive reminder emails before their election and will be asked to provide their candidate info beforehand.

The Shawnee Lodge Executive Committee has arranged for unit elections to be conducted at the following Greater Saint Louis Area Council Summer Camps:

• Camp Famous Eagle at the S bar F Scout Ranch
• Camp Gamble at the S bar F Scout Ranch
• Swift High Adventure Base at the S bar F Scout Ranch

The elections at these camps will be conducted by a member of the camp staff following the qualifications and procedures outlined in the Shawnee Lodge Bylaws. You will receive a reminder email 3 weeks before your election, which will include sending candidate info before your election to your chapter chief and adviser.