Clarification of the Camping
Requirement for OA Membership

     In response to concerns about the possible misinterpretation of the current camping requirement for OA membership, the National Order of the Arrow Committee approved a clarification to the existing camping requirement at their December 27, 1998 meeting.  The requirement appears on page 20 of the 1995 printing of the Guide for Officers and Advisers and was subsequently modified by Operations Update 96-11. The clarification is as follows (changes are shown in bold):

After registration with a troop or team, have experienced fifteen days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The fifteen days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.

     This revised wording will appear in the new edition of the Guide for Officers and Advisers which is scheduled to be available in April 1999. This information has been posted at this time to provide a clear understanding of the requirement as lodges and chapters begin their 1999 unit election campaigns.

This page revised 12/28/98.