Index:
1. What physical forms will be required for NOAC?
2. What are the chances to get the staff position you would like if you are a first time NOACer?
3. If I live near the conference site do I have to stay at the confrence or may I stay at home?
4. Which airport should we fly to for NOAC?
5. What is the cutoff age between youth and adult for NOAC?
6. Does a professional staff adviser count against our Lodge attendance quota for NOAC?
7. Do staff members traveling with our lodge contingent count against our attendance quota?
8. When will lodges know if they can bring more than the quota?
9. What will the patch trading rules be for NOAC this year? In particular, who can those of us who are 18-20 years old trade patches with?
10. Will all of the ceremony competitions be in the same format as the last NOAC, that is, a critique rather than a true competition?
11. Are the grading forms for the competitions available yet?
12. What is the conference theme for NOAC '98?
13. Can you send me the email address or phone number for xxxxxxx [a NOAC committee member]?
14. How does NOAC handle sleeping arrangements for married couples? And, if the women get split apart from their husbands will they be close to the lodge contingent?
15. What is the cost for early arrival at NOAC?
16. Where can I find a list of past NOAC themes?
17. I have applied to be on NOAC staff - when will I find out if I have been accepted and what day I am to report on?
18. Concerning the youth vs adult ratio: if we have an odd number of boys, do we round up or down? For example is 25 boys 12 or 13 adults?
19. Will the "pre-ordeal" or "ordeal" ceremony be performed for the Ordeal Ceremony Preformance Evaluations at the 1998 NOAC?
20. Has the official Order of the Arrow logo changed?
21. Will there be any sort of public transportation available from the airport in Des Moines to Ames on Saturday, April 1st or Sunday, April 2nd?
22. Will box lunches be provided for Arrowmen in ceremony competitions if there will not be enough time for them to return to the dorm for lunch?
23. Will the latest printing of the ceremonies be used in the ceremony competitions?
24. Where can I find descriptions of items listed on the trading post form?
25. Have the NOAC registration forms been sent to each lodge yet?
26. When and where is the 2000 NOAC?
27. Where will xxxxxxx [a NOAC activiity] be held?
28. Are the dorms at NOAC air-conditioned or not?
29. Where will the questions for the OA Jeopardy come from? Is there a certain book or pamphlet?
30. How do I make the large lodge flap for use in the opening show?
31. Will the "Odyssey of the Law" be a part of the 1998 NOAC?
32. How do I become a "Hometown News Correspondent" for the 1998 NOAC?
33. Is there a NOAC e-mail list?
34. Is there an official BSA policy on lodge websites and their content?
35. Will the Lied Athletic Center, Beyer Hall, or the PE Building going to be open and available to NOAC participants for recreation?
36. Is the Inductions and Ceremonial Events Committee still searching for evaluators for the 1998 NOAC?
37. I am a NOAC support staff member. How may I request an earlier arrival date than the one printed on my "Staff Appointment Letter"?
38. You said (in question #23) that the latest edition of the ceremony books will be used. What are the latest editions, how can I tell if I have them, and where can I get new ones if needed?
39. I was inducted around 1962 and then became a brotherhood member while in a Scout troop at [XXXXXX]. I am now interested in Scouting with my son, and would like to know how to verify my membership in the OA.
40. My son went through his ordeal in [state] in 1996, but he never got his membership card. We have since moved to different state, and I would like to know how to make sure he doesn't lose his OA membership
41. Is there a list of equipment that we should be bringing to NOAC?
42. Can any exceptions be made in the 2 to 1 ratio for special needs Scouts or their caregivers?
43. I have already sent in my Trading post order, but I wish to add items to my order at this time. Is there any way that items can be held for me for pick-up at NOAC?

"NOAC 1998 will require participants and staff to provide a standard BSA Class 3 Personal Health and Medical Record Form, No. 34412."
-Dr. Wayne Farnsworth, NOAC Health and Safety Lead Adviser

Copies of these forms will be provided as part of future registration materials sent to the lodges. They should also be available from your local council office.

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In almost all cases, NOAC support staff members must have previous NOAC experience. This is particularly true for adult staff members.

If someone has not been to a NOAC before, I would strongly suggest that they attend their first National Conference as a participant. Being at a NOAC for the first time is an amazing experience. There are many, many things to see, do, and learn, and there are not enough hours in a day or days in the week to do it all. As a participant, you are able to dive into whatever areas interest you, and see the parts of the conference you want to visit. (By contrast, a support staff member is expected to work basically full time in his or her designated area, and thus will miss out on many other parts of the conference. It's still fun, but a very different type of role.)

If you are interested in working on NOAC support staff, you need to request a staff application from the Lead Adviser of the conference committee on which you wish to work, get it filled out, signed off by your Lodge Adviser and Scout Executive, and return it to the Lead Adviser by February 1st. You can get more details at the "Staff Information" page.

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An answer from a member of the National OA Committee:
"Past policy is that all delegates and staff must live at the site."

Given the nature of a National OA Conference, this makes sense. The program runs from early in the morning until late at night, there are many things to do at many different times, and access to transportation off campus is limited. One of the main benefits of NOAC is sharing ideas, information, and fellowship with other Arrowmen from across the nation. (Which is hard to do if you are gone several hours a day.)

If part of your question was based on concern about the cost, you may want to talk to your lodge adviser. Many lodges do special fundraisers for their NOAC delegration, and some even have campership programs to help offset the fee.

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The Des Moines airport is the one you should plan to fly into.

NOAC transportation details are not completely settled yet, so we are not sure if after you arrive, you will be picked up, or need to take a shuttle to ISU at Ames. More information will be available when details are finalized later this year.

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For Order of the Arrow event participation, such as a NOAC, youth is anyone under age 21. Adults are 21 or older. This holds true for everything except housing status, which is based on 18 and older as adults (see more below).

Note that this does NOT change the BSA youth protection policies, which define Boy Scout youth as those under 18, and adults as those 18 or older. These policies still apply to OA activities.

So individuals at OA activities really fit into one of three categories:
- those under 18, who are youth for both OA events and BSA policies
- those 18 to 20, who are youth for OA events, but are adults for BSA policies
-those 21 and older, who are adults for both OA events and BSA policies.
This requires careful arrangements for housing, facilities, etc.

For the 1998 NOAC, the person's age on the last day of the Conference (August 6, 1998) is what will be used to determine his status.

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Yes, a lodge staff adviser does count as part of the lodge quota. All youth and adults registered by the lodge as part of their contingent count against the quota and the youth:adult ratio.

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Support staff members do not count against a lodge quota. How they travel does not matter. Be careful not to confuse the two registration categories, Support Staff and Lodge Participant.

Support staff members are those individuals who get a staff application from a Conference Committee Lead Adviser, get it filled out, returned, and approved, and then receive a 'Letter Of Assignment And Confirmation' of their selection. Support Staff members register and pay directly with the National Office. At NOAC, they are housed separately. (See the "Staff Information" page for more information on NOAC Staff)

Lodge participants are all Arrowmen who register and pay through their local lodge. They count against the lodge quota. It does not matter if they help in some way at NOAC (such as being a volleyball referee), they are still considered lodge participants. At NOAC they are housed with their lodge.

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Lodges have until March 1st, 1998 to send in their registration deposits for their assigned quota. All registrations in by that deadline will be processed, and then any unfilled quota slots will be released.

If a lodge has more interested Arrowmen than they have quota slots, the lodge may send in a $50 deposit for the additional people immediately, to put them on a waiting list. When quotas are released, any open positions will be filled from the waiting list. If there are not enough openings, the $50 deposit will be returned for any applicants that are not given a place.

Please note the 2:1 youth to adult ratio for lodge delegations will be enforced. Make sure any additional people you submit for the waiting list maintain a 2 youth to 1 adult ratio. (For example, if you submit 4 more youth, you may only submit 2 more adults.)

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The policy on patch trading (youth to youth, adult to adult) has not changed. This is national policy for all national events.

In the Order of the Arrow, anyone under 21 is considered a youth, except for Youth Protection, where the age break is 18. So, youth who are 18, 19 and 20 years of age may trade patches with other youth (under 21) at NOAC.

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The ceremony competition at NOAC is going to be done in the form of evaluations of the team as was done in 1996. Teams will be evaluated and awarded one of three categories. We will not select first, second, or third place teams, or individuals.

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The evaluation forms are not yet available. We plan to post one on the Official NOAC Web Site when they become available.

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The theme for the 1998 National Order of the Arrow Conference is: "Memories of the Past, A Vision for the Future"

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We can not help you with this question. It is official NOAC web site policy not to release any names, addresses, emails, or phone numbers that do not already appear in approved pages on the site.

You may be able to get an answer by contacting the BSA National Office or by writing to one of the National Conference Lead Advisers (their mailing addresses are on the "Staff Information" page).

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The general answer is that couples with contingents do not get separate housing but are treated as if they were not married -- men stay near boys; women have a separate dorm or floor. How near it is to the rest of the lodge depends on the campus. At this point we are not sure about how that will work out at ISU. The assumption is that most adults need to be as close as possible to their youth.

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The early arrival cost for Saturday, August 1, 1998 at NOAC is $40.00 per participant. All registration areas will be open Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. (or by appointment for later arrivals). The $40 per participant fee for the additional day at NOAC covers the additional housing and Saturday evening meal, as well as Sunday breakfast and lunch. The Activities group has arranged for various facilities to be open on the campus as well as showing a movie. Early Arrival Request forms will be included in a NOAC mailing to each lodge.

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The past National Conference and Trek themes are listed in the Order of the Arrow handbook (#34996). They are on p.80 (of the 1996 revision).

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The majority of staff members have had their appointments and arrival dates confirmed verbally by each NOAC lead adviser or CVC. The National Office staff are busy inputting the approved applications into the NOAC registration database. Once that is done, a Staff Confirmation will be generated and mailed to each of the staff members. Our target date for mailing confirmation forms to the staff is sometime in April.

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For an odd number of youth, round up. So if your lodge contingent has 25 youth, you are able to bring 13 adults.

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The Ordeal Ceremony Performance Evaluation at the 1998 NOAC is using the "pre-ordeal" ceremony.

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The official logo of the Order, although it will center upon some version of the arrowhead on the sash, has not been finally determined and, once it is, will not be revealed until NOAC.

The arrowhead being used in many national publications [and on the official NOAC web site] is of a temporary nature, reflecting the change to take place from the MGM logo to a new one.

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Special arrangements have been made for ground transportation from the Des Moines Airport to Iowa State University for NOAC lodge contingents. The round trip fare is $20.00 per person. Advance reservations are required.

A lodge contingent may request this transpoortation by checking the appropriate box on their "Travel Advisory" form, and enclosing a check for the necessary fees. A confirmation will be mailed back from the National Office to the requesting lodge.

The "Travel Advisory" form was sent out as part of the April NOAC mailing to the lodges. Your lodge NOAC Contingent Adviser should have the material.

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Box lunches will be provided when the schedule requires it.

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The latest edition of the ceremony book will be used.

[see also Question #38]

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A page giving detailed descriptions of the NOAC Trading Post items can be found here. The page describes the various items available, both on the mail-order form, and on the participant pre-order form, as well as some things only available at the conference.

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All of the lodges should have received their registration form packets by this time (they were sent in April), and should be distributing the appropriate forms to their contingent members.

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The exact dates and locations of future NOACs have not yet been confirmed. The National OA Committee has begun preliminary planning, including discussions with various universities, for the next several NOACs, but there are no official locations or dates yet established. In general, the National Conferences are held at a university in the central part of the country, in early August. Exact dates and locations will be announced as they are confirmed.

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We can not answer your question at this time. The exact locations of individual NOAC activities are set by the appropriate program committee, and are not confirmed until the just before the National Conference begins. Please check the information provided during registration at the conference for event locations. You can also ask at one of the Information Booths, look in the conference newspaper, or contact the appropriate committee office during the conference.

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Most of the dorms are not air conditioned. A few dorms (used for staff housing) are, but the majority of rooms are not.

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The information used in OA Jeopardy comes from the published literature of the Order of the Arrow permitted to be read by all members, and from related BSA materials.

This includes such publications as: The Order of the Arrow Handbook, Guide for Officers and Advisers, The Ceremony for the Ordeal, Administration Guide for the Ordeal, Field Operations Guide, The Brotherhood of Cheerful Service: A History of the OA, The Boy Scout Handbook, Fieldbook, and Insignia Guide.

The information also comes from various OA and BSA newletters and information packets, again able to be read by all members. They include such sources as: OA National Bulletin, Operation Update, Boy's Life, NOAC Today (the conference newspaper), and the NOAC registration and program packets, guides, and rule sheets.

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According to the "1998 Conference Shows" information sheet sent as part of the Lodge Contingent Leader packet, each lodge is asked to create a large lodge flap for use in the opening show. The flap is to be made of sturdy cardboard, plywood, or fiberboard. It should be 5 feet across the top of the "flap", with each side 1 foot tall, and the front slanted edges each 3 feet long.

The flap should have your lodge flap design painted on the front, and be mounted on a six foot pole for carrying.

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We have no knowledge of the "Odyssey of The Law" appearing at NOAC 1998.

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You need to fill out and send in a "NOAC '98 Hometown News Correspondent Application," signed by your lodge chief and adviser. (This form was included in the NOAC Lodge Contingent Leader mailing in April.)

Written permission from your hometown media needs to be provided on a NOAC Hometown News "Media Contact Card." Two media cards were sent to your lodge in the NOAC Lodge Contingent Leader mailing in April. (They were small, white postcards, about 3"x5").

You do not need to file a Media Contact Card to report for your Lodge or Council newsletter.

You should ask your NOAC Contingent Adviser or your lodge adviser for a copy of the application and media card.

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The Order of the Arrow does not have an official NOAC email list. The only official NOAC internet information is that which is posted on the Official 1998 NOAC Web Site.

Some interested Scouters have created an unofficial list to discuss the 1998 NOAC. You can get more information on the "noac98-l" list at "http://www.bowline.org/html/lists.html". Please note that this list is not sponsored by or officially affliated with the Order of the Arrow, BSA.

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The area of lodge web sites is still being defined, and different Scout Councils take different approaches towards what is considered appropriate material.

There are several items that are obviously not appropriate for a lodge web site (copyrighted material that you do not have permission to use, gambling material, etc.) Other inappropriate elements may be more subtle (unprotected ceremony information, etc.).

Then there is a group of items that some councils and lodges may be comfortable with, while others are not (the names of youth officers, for example.)

The current BSA policy on web sites is to leave the decison on what sort of web site to have, if any, to the local council. Some councils have chosen not to have a web site at all. Others publish hundreds of pages of information and resources. Most fall somewhere in between. Thus, your council decides what your lodge may place on a web site. Your council may even have an official policy on what is acceptable.

(This current BSA policy is spelled out in a document called "Local Councils and the Internet," published by the BSA Emerging Technologies Task Force, dated October 23, 1996. Your local Council Scout Executive should have a copy.)

Since this communication medium is still developing, most lodges are "feeling their way", and are taking a cautious approach. You may want to talk with your Lodge Web Site Adviser about your ideas. If your lodge does not have a web adviser, talk with your Lodge Adviser.

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Various recreational facilities at ISU will be available to NOAC participants. Swimming, bowling, basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, handball, table tennis, and racquetball will be offered as recreational sports. (Arrowmen wishing to play tennis are required to bring their own equipment.)

There will also be organized competitions in Basketball and Volleyball, a Swim Meet, and a 5k Run/Walk.

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The Inductions and Ceremonial Events Committee currently (7/9/98) has all of the evaluators that we need with present registration numbers. We will probably need more evaluators once at Conference.

Brothers who are interested in helping once at Conference should check with the Ceremonies Registration table at Check-in on Saturday and Sunday to see if more evaluators are needed. They will be considered Lodge Staff and will be used as predominantly as memory judges, though those recruited on Saturday may also be used as Lead Evaluators.

A description of the evaluation process and evaluator's role is available here.

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Arrival dates at NOAC are usually determined by the Lead Adviser and/or CVC of the various support staffs. These dates are labled your "Approved Arrival Date" and communicated to each staff member in a Staff Appointment letter signed by our National Director, Mr. Clyde Mayer.

Earlier arrivals can be accommodated, but this needs to be approved and there are additional charges for any number of days prior to the approved date. Charges for early arrival are $40 per day and cover food and lodging from the evening meal the day of your arrival through the noon meal the following day.

Approval of early arrival requests comes from the OA desk at the BSA National Office. It may take a while for the request to be evaluated and approved.

You should talk with your Lead Adviser if you have any arrival date questions.

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The most recent printing dates for the Ceremony books, and the ones that will be used as the base for the NOAC Ceremony Evaluation, are:
Pre-Ordeal: Ceremony for the Ordeal, BSA Number 34993, 1996 Printing
Brotherhood: Brotherhood Ceremony, BSA Number 34994, 1994 Printing
Vigil Honor: Vigil Honor Ceremony, BSA Number 34043, 1994 Printing
(The printing date is given on the inside of the cover page, usually on the bottom left corner.)

There was a typo in the "National Conference Inductions and Ceremonial Events" packet included in the April lodge NOAC mailings. It gave a 1994 printing for the Ceremony for the Ordeal book as the most recent, but the correct current printing is the 1996 version.

In general, the ceremonies do not change very often, so an older book may still have the correct text. (This is especially true for the Brotherhood and Vigil ceremonies.) You may want to get a copy of the curent book, and then compare it to what you have been using.

In general, you purchase these books in a similar fashion to other BSA publications. You may go through your local council, or buy them through a Scout Shop. You should check with your Lodge Adviser or Lodge Staff Adviser to see if they can help you with this.

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Unfortunately, there are no Order of the Arrow membership records maintained at the national level. There is also no national policy on how long local lodges and councils should maintain old membership records for the OA - some may have records that date back to 1962.

It would be worth checking with the council that services [XXXXXX] to see if they have any records of your membership. If not, your current council's lodge probably would accept an old OA membership card or certificate as proof of your induction.

If you don't have a card and can't get ahold of old records, try contacting your local council's lodge adviser. You will probably be able to establish membership based on the information you have and details you may remember of your Order of the Arrow experience as a youth.

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Once a Scout goes through his Ordeal, he is a member of the Order of the Arrow for the rest of his life (as long as he is registered with the BSA). As he moves to new councils, he needs to connect with the local OA lodge at each place he goes to continue his active membership.

There are no Order of the Arrow membership records maintained at the national level. Each local lodge maintains its own records.

You should contact your current council's OA Lodge Adviser. (If you do not know who that is, contact your concil service center and ask them for the name and number.) Explain the situation, and you will probably be able to establish your son's membership based on the information you two have and any other items (such as his OA sash, pocket flap, etc.) that he may have.

If necessary, you may have to contact your former Council in [state] to see if they have any records of your son's membership.

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A list of recommended personal equipment is given in the NOAC "1998 Lodge Contingent Leader Guide." The guide was sent out to the lodges in April, as part of the NOAC program materials mailing. The equipment and uniform list is on page 12 of the guide. Your lodge NOAC Contingent Adviser should have a copy of this guide.

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While Lodge contingents to the 1998 NOAC will be held to a 2 youth to 1 adult ratio, exceptions may be made for any contingent with special needs, such as necessary care givers for special needs Arrowmen, by contacting Clyde Mayer at the National Office.

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Sorry, but the only mechanism to hold items is the pre-order form, and the deadline for pre-orders has long since passed.

If you wish to get additional items now, you should plan to go to the Trading Post shortly after you arrive at the conference, and see if they have what you want still in stock.

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Revised 7/31/98