The Chapter Vigil Committee

1. The Chapter Vigil Committee will consist of a Chairman and at least four (4) additional Arrowmen. All of the above must be registered members of the BSA, registered members of the Order of the Arrow under the age of twenty one (21) years, and must not be eligible for the Vigil nomination. If one chooses to wave his eligibility for the Vigil Honor, he may be on the Committee.
2. The Chapter Vigil Committee Chairman (hereafter known as the Chapter Vigil Chief) will be appointed by the Chapter Chief with the concurrence of the Chapter Adviser.
3. The Chapter Committee members will be appointed by the Chapter Vigil Chief. These appointments must be made before the February Lodge Meeting. Their names, addresses and telephone numbers are due to the Lodge Vigil Chief at this time.
4. The Chapter Adviser shall appoint an adult Vigil Honor member as the Chapter Vigil Committee Adviser. His job shall be to counsel the Chapter Vigil Chief and his Committee in the Chapter Vigil selection process, assuring that Lodge rules and guidelines are adhered to. It is his duty to insure that all eligible Arrowmen are considered for the Chapter nomination, and that the Committee pursues accurate information on any eligible member not completely known to them. it is also his job to insure that the nomination forms are properly filled out the the Chapter Vigil Chief (under no circumstances shall the nominee fill out the Vigil Nomination Form ). The Brotherhood Information Form may be used to gather information on Brotherhood Members at the time they become Brotherhood or transfer into the Chapter.
5. The Chapter Vigil Chief becomes a member of the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee.
6. The Lodge Vigil Chief shall hold a Lodge Vigil Selection Committee Training Session. The Chapter Vigil Chief or his designated representative must attend this training. Chapter Vigil Committee meetings can occur only after the above mentioned training has bee attended by a Chapter representative.
7. The responsibilities of the Chapter Vigil Committee include the review of all eligible Brotherhood Honor members (those having served at least two (2) years as a Brotherhood Honor member) with dues paid to current in both the OA and the BSA and the selection of the most deserving members. Only the youth on the Chapter Vigil Committee may take part in the Chapter Vigil Honor nomination process, where all voting will be done by secret ballot. Other members of the Chapter may only write letters of recommendation to the Chapter Vigil Committee. All nomination forms are submitted to the Lodge Vigil Chief by the Chapter Vigil Chief. The forms are due by the April Lodge Executive Committee Meeting. No forms other than the standard Vigil Nomination Form will be accepted, and no exceptions will be made for late forms.
8. The Chapter Vigil Chief is responsible for appointing Chapter Vigil Honor members as Sponsors for their Candidates for the Vigil Honor Ceremony held at the Fall Pow Wow. The Sponsor should be a friend of the Candidate, someone the Candidate looks up to, and above all, should have a desire to make the Vigil Honor Ceremony experience a memorable one for the Candidate. Adults may sponsor youth, and vice-versa. In the event the Chapter cannot fill the requirement, they may solicit help from the other Chapters.
9. In the event a Chapter Vigil Committee member is unable to attend the required Committee meetings, it shall be the duty of the Chapter Vigil Chief to appoint another youth member, while adhering to guideline "C", to bring the Committee back to a minimum of five (5). The name, address, and telephone number are due to the Lodge Vigil Chief as soon as possible after the appointment.
10. The times and places of the Chapter Vigil Committee meetings are due in to the Lodge Vigil Chief as soon as they have been scheduled. The Lodge Vigil Chief may attend any of the Chapter Vigil Committee meetings at his discretion. Any changes in the meeting places or times must be relayed to the Lodge Vigil Chief as soon as possible.
11. It is the duty of the Chapter Chief to make sure that all of the about is adhered to.

The Lodge Vigil Selection Committee

1. The Lodge Vigil Honor Nomination Committee (hereafter referred to as "The Committee") will be appointed in the following manner: The Lodge Chief will consult with each Chapter Chief to agree on that Chapter's Representative. These, and the remaining members, will have the approval of the Lodge Adviser and the Scout Executive or Staff Adviser.
2. The Committee will consist of the Lodge Vigil Chief and his Adviser, one member from each Chapter (under twenty one (21) years of age) who will also serve as the Chapter Vigil Chief, and one member for each Chapter (over twenty one (21) years of age) who will also serve as the Chapter Vigil Adviser. The Lodge Staff Adviser, or his designee, shall serve as Secretary for these proceedings. Only the members under twenty one (21) years of age shall have a vote.
3. The Lodge Vigil Honor Chief and his Adviser shall be Vigil Honor members.
4. For the purpose of the Vigil Selection Process, a quorum will consist of fifty percent (50%) of the Chapters, plus two (2).

The Lodge Vigil Honor Chief is the Chairman of the Committee

1. The Lodge Chief will be responsible for:
   1. Assembling and maintaining an accurate file of all registered Vigil Honor members.
   2. Making available to all Chapters Vigil Nomination Forms .
   3. Written notice of all Lodge Vigil Meetings to the Chapter Vigil Chiefs and their Advisers.
   4. Timely notice to all Vigil Sponsors.
   5. Notice of any alterations or policy changes to the necessary members.
2. Three (3) copies of the Nomination Forms will be submitted by the Chapter Vigil Chief to the Lodge Vigil Chief no later than the April Lodge Executive Committee meeting. Chapter Vigil Committees must verify Order of the Arrow and BSA registration on all Candidates.
3. The Lodge Vigil Committee may nominate a maximum of two (2) qualified Youth Arrowmen and/or one (1) qualified Adult Arrowman that have not been nominated by the Chapters. This rule is intended to cover Council or District Scouters that ordinarily wouldn't be nominated by the Chapter or in extreme cases then a Chapter did not meet it's commitment to the Vigil and didn't nominate during the current year. This rule is not intended to add extra nominees for a Chapter. The Lodge Vigil Chief will appoint a responsible person to obtain any data required.
4. Within two (2) weeks after the "turn-in date", the Lodge Vigil Chief and his Adviser will review all Nomination Forms to insure their completeness and readability. Notations will be placed on those forms requiring rework with an explanation of their deficiencies. A copy of the deficient form(s) will be returned to the Chapter for correction. Within then (10) days or a pre-agreed date, each Chapter must submit (25) twenty five (double-sided preferred) copies of their final nomination forms to the Lodge Vigil Chief.
5. The Committee, with a quorum present, will meet as soon as possible after the final forms' due date. The purpose of the first meeting will be to carefully review and discuss the qualifications of each Youth Candidate. Any youth Lodge member may attend this meeting to speak, for a maximum of two (2) minutes , on any Nominee. Non-committee members may only stay for the time that their presence is pertinent to the procession of the meeting. No more than one (1) individual may speak for a single Nominee. No voting shall take place at this meeting.
6. The Nomination Forms of the Candidates are to be taken home by the Chapter Vigil Chiefs and carefully studied. confidentiality is of the utmost importance at this, and all stages of the Vigil Process, and members of the Lodge Vigil Committee are cautioned not to disclose or discuss the material in their charge with non-committee members.
7. The second Committee meeting will take place within two (2) weeks of the first meeting. A quorum must be present. The purpose of this meeting is to carefully review and discuss the qualifications of each Adult Candidate. Any Lodge Member may attend this meeting to speak, for a maximum of two (2) minutes on any Nominee. Non-committee members may only stay for the time that their presence is pertinent to the procession of the meeting. No more than one (1) individual may speak for a single Nominee. The Nomination Forms of the Candidates are to be taken home by the Chapter Vigil Chiefs and carefully studied. At the option of the Lodge Vigil Chief, preliminary voting may take place on the Youth and Adult Candidates at this second meeting. All voting must be done by secret ballot, and no more than one-third (1/30 of the candidates may be eliminated.
8. The final Committee meeting shall take place in the month of June, so it may be after the last Ordeal two (2) years previous to the current year. A quorum must be present. At this final meeting and prior to the voting, the Lodge Vigil Chief will read through the names of the Candidates, and will seek to have specific questions about the Candidates resolved. Questions may be asked in general about any Candidate, or directed to a specific Committeeman. Any Committeeman may question and/or answer. Any Committeeman may make a general comment about any Candidate they feel warrants additional clarification. All such single comments will be limited to two (2) minutes each.)
9. The voting process shall be as follows:

   The Lodge Vigil Chief will provide each voting Committeeman with two (2) ballots, upon which will have been listed all Candidates, those under twenty one (21) years on one and those over twenty one (21) on the other. The youth discussions and balloting will take place first. Each Committeeman, including the Lodge Vigil Chief, shall vote for each listed Candidate by placing an "X" in the block in the ballot for YES or leaving it blank for NO . The completed ballots will be turned in to the Lodge Vigil Adviser. That ballots will be counted and recorded on a Master Ballot (identical to the one used in the vote) by at least three (3) Vigil Members in attendance, including the Lodge Vigil Adviser, and signed in the spaces provided. The Committee members can vote yes on as many Nominees as the Lodge is allowed for than year (i.e. 24). To be elected, a Nominee must receive at least fifty percent (50%) of the vote.

10. The above procedure is repeated using the Adult ballots.
11. Should it be necessary to further reduce the number because of the a National Order of the Arrow ceiling level, extra ballots may be taken as required in accordance with the above paragraphs, in the form of a "fun-off". If a deadlock persists, the Candidate(s) with the least number of votes will be eliminated. The youth/adult ratio must be satisfied. (This ration requires that a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the total Lodge Nominees be Youth Members.
12. If a quorum is not present at any of the meetings, those Chapters attending and those Chapters absent will be officially recorded in the minutes of the next Lodge Meeting. Conflicts and problems about dates will be resolved. The Lodge Vigil Chief and his Adviser will notify the Chapter (Chief and Adviser) of the time and location of the next Committee meeting.
13. If a quorum is not present at this subsequent meeting, the Chiefs' Council will be informed in writing by the Lodge Vigil Chief, with the additional signature of the Lodge Vigil Adviser, that there will be no Vigil Honor Nominees selected by the Lodge for that year. It will be officially recorded in the minutes of the next Lodge Meeting, along with the names of those Chapters present and absent at this final meeting.

1. To recognize a commitment to altruistic leadership in service. The member serves because it is what's right, not because he/she want to become a Vigil Honor Member.
2. For substantial and/or distinguished contributions, beyond the immediate responsibilities of any positions held. The contribution should be of exceptional service, involving substantial personal effort with no selfish interest.
3. For significant contributions to one or more of the following: Camp, The Lodge, Scouting, The Order of the Arrow.
4. Exceptional and continued service and support in the home unit.

1. Length of membership in the Order (i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20 years or is about to leave).
2. Relation to someone important.
3. Reward for holding a particular position.
4. "A nice person".

Related forms:
1. Vigil Nomination Form
2. Brotherhood Information Form