How the Lodge Operates

Eswau Huppeday Lodge operates at many different levels. First of all are the Lodge officers. These consist of the Lodge Chief, Vice Chief of Programs, Vice Chief of Administration, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each of these has his own adult adviser. The Lodge itself also has advisers. There is a professional adviser, who is a paid Piedmont Council professional Scouter, and the lay adviser and the assistant advisers, who are all volunteer Scouters. Their names and addresses can be found in this guide under the Executive Committee Roster.

The next level is the Lodge Executive Committee, which meets and conducts the business of the Lodge between the general lodge meetings. It is made up of the chapter chiefs, the chairmen of the standing committees, and the lodge officers. Only youth members are allowed to vote at the meetings, but any Brother is welcome to attend or speak at these meetings. The ultimate power in the lodge is the total youth membership, as adults are not allowed to vote or hold office in the Order of the Arrow. Meetings normally take place at functions of the lodge, and proposals are brought to a vote at these meetings, in addition to Lodge elections and other major decisions.

The vital home link in our lodge is the chapter. The Executive Committee determines the number of chapters needed. There is usually one chapter to each district in the council. The chapter should meet periodically in order to effectively continue the work of the Lodge during the times when the Lodge does not meet, as well as to carry out its own program of service, Brotherhood enrichment, hold unit elections, etc. It is the chapter’s effectiveness which determines the effectiveness of the lodge! A strong, active chapter is what our lodge seeks to have.

The Lodge functions with various committees, which are of two types--the standing (permanent) committees and the special committees, which are appointed for specific duration and to meet specific needs. The standing committees are divided into two groups, Program and Administrative, and each of these divisions is supervised by its respective Vice-Chief.

Each committee has a youth chairman and an adult adviser. It also consists of youth Arrowmen who are willing to assist. This is one of the best ways for you to get active in the Lodge. The committees under the Vice-Chief of Program are the Activities, Ceremonies, Cook Team, Dance Team, Drum Team, and Service committees. The committees under the Vice-Chief of Administration are the Communications, Membership Development, Unit Elections, Camp Promotions, and Training committees. Each of these committees may have subgroups, depending upon the job they are doing.