<p>How big a deal is getting nominated for the Boy Scout Honor Society, Order of the Arrow? Is the ordeal difficult? The little I know of it makes it sound like hazing. I looked around online, but found little information outside of the official BSA channels.</p>
<p>The OA Ordeal is supposed to be a secret - like initiation into a fraternity or sorority. It IS the only honor society in scouting and being elected by one’s peers is an honor. Congratulations.</p>
<p>My son, and many of his friends, have gone through the ordeal. They all say “Boy, I wouldn’t want to do that again!” and also that they are so glad they did! </p>
<p>Is it like hazing? I guess that depends on how sensitive you are to those kinds of things. From what I’ve heard about it, I would describe it as more ceremonial. </p>
<p>I do know that the boys were separated from one another and had a vow of silence for a certain period of time. They also had to make a shelter and sleep outdoors (which is a pretty common theme in scouting!). They finished the weekend with a big service project. </p>
<p>My son’s major scars were the awful chiggar bites from working in the woods and not wearing long pants. His friend - a very picky eater - was ‘scarred’ by the lack of food that he was willing to eat. </p>
<p>Again, congrats on the honor. If you trust your brothers in scouting you will be completely comfortable at your ordeal.</p>
<p>Thanks, MamaKiwi. It’s my son who has been tapped. The order members in his troop speak very little about the OA, so we’re quite in the dark. I saw a blurb on the BSA site about the ordeal, and it made me a bit uncomfortable. Silence is ok, camping ok, but hard labor and little food? That part rubs me the wrong way. </p>
<p>Congrats to your son, and thank you for the info!</p>
<p>Hard labor - what community service isn’t? They do things like clear trails in state parks or pick up garbage in a wetland area. However, each OA Chapter is different in how they do the ordeal. The food bothered one kid because all he eats are PBJ and chicken fingers. </p>
<p>I’d recommend you speak with either the scoutmaster OR an adult advisor to the OA Chapter where your son was tapped. Share your concerns. I have found that in scouting they are truly concerned about the safety and welfare of the boys and I do not think they would do anything that would put them at risk. </p>
<p>Plus, once you are in OA and get to go on the OA specific campouts it is a lot of fun. Often the ADULTS do all the cooking for the boys - a kind of role reversal. All the boys love the OA campout more than the regular troop ones in our area.</p>
<p>DH is laughing at me for worrying about this. I guess I’ll try to relax.</p>
<p>Like mamakiwi says.</p>
<p>I was second ordeal in OA in the 70s. For college admission it is not as valuable as being an Eagle Scout (which is the only award of high school men that has been correlated to success as an adult). Every adcom I have ever served on (University and Medical) has given it extra points (more so than any other award, and equal to top grades) and the military gives automatic promotion to kids with it (again, the only award to have that honor).</p>
<p>For those who know what the OA is, however, they also award points for it is an honor selected by his peers.</p>
<p>The ordeal is not bad - I thought it was kind of fun (but probably forgot bad things). The hazing is no more than secret hand shakes and rituals, etc. However, not all that get tapped out “pass” the ordeal.</p>
<p>So, chill and give your son kudos. Make sure he finishes his Eagle.</p>
<p>As an aside, I doubt he is in a boarding school and that is one of the advantages of a PHS.</p>
<p>Thanks, PD. He is committed to making Eagle, and we have already contacted troops he might join if he goes to BS.</p>