Get Excited (and signed up) for NOAC 2020!
We are very excited to hear that you are interested in being a part of the Skyuka Lodge NOAC 2020 contingent! In attempt to make your job as easy as possible, we have compiled all the information that you need to know into this email so you do not have to search in a million places to find it. As this email contains a lot of useful information, we encourage you to read this email in its entirety.
For quick reference, NOAC can be overly simplified into:
What: National Order of the Arrow Conference
When: August 3-8, 2020
Where: Michigan State University
Why: To fellowship, celebrate, and announce service opportunities as well as grow upon leadership skills and knowledge of the Order of the Arrow, its programs, resources, and opportunities.
For a more in-depth approach, we have laid out some details to follow:
Cost – One of the most frequently asked and important questions. As the NOAC Committee, we try our best to make attending NOAC as affordable as possible so that we can allow as many people to experience it as possible. While we do fundraise, please understand that we are not able to cover every expense and due to the shortening of time between NOACs (from 2006-2018 NOAC was on a three year schedule, as of 2020, NOAC is on a two year schedule so as to not conflict with National or World Jamborees), we are placed with another challenge of less time to fundraise. So far, the NOAC Committee, with the Lodge Executive Committee’s approval, has released four fundraising flaps which were debuted at the 2019 Summer Ordeal and are still available for sell. We do have plans to conduct more fundraisers in the future, however, if you have any ideas of ways we can fundraise, please let us know!
Furthermore, we want to provide you with a better look at the estimated final cost and how it is broken down. The national conference fee, which you are responsible
for regardless of fundraising efforts, is $545.00, a $20.00 increase from NOAC 2018. In addition to the national conference fee, we anticipate and expect some additional fees for our contingent members. These fees will go toward items that will enhance your delegate experience such as custom Skyuka Lodge NOAC 2020 polos, t-shirts, hats, backpacks, and other neat items.
With this information you may be wondering, “What is the NOAC Committee and fundraised money going toward?” The funds produced from our fundraising efforts go toward the transportation to and from Michigan State University, your lodging (if necessary) to and/or from Michigan State University, and your meals (if necessary) to and/or from Michigan State University.
As we understand paying the full amount to attend NOAC
upfront may be a challenge, we have put into place a payment plan/schedule*.
September 15, 2019 – $100 Non-Refundable Deposit Due
February 1, 2020 – $250 Payment Due
May 15, 2020 – $250 Payment Due
July 1, 2020 – Final Payment Due (Based upon Fundraising)
*If you would like to pay your fee in full, we can accept the $600, however, we are not able to definitively state if this will be the final cost.
Should you decide that you would like to attend and pay your $100 deposit but find that you will not be able to attend NOAC, you will forfeit your $100 should a substitute not assume your place in our contingent. Additionally, if you must cancel (unable to attend with no substitute replacement) you may receive a refund in the amount
of $445 if cancelled prior to June 30, 2020. After June 30, 2020, you will forfeit your entire conference fee.
Travel – Another frequent question and concern is when we will leave and arrive. As Michigan State University is further away (11 hours from the Palmetto Council Service Center) compared to Indiana University (location of NOAC 2018, 8 hours from the Palmetto Council Service Center), our travel plans will be different from the last NOAC. At this time, we are still looking into which method of travel is the most cost efficient. Based on the method of travel, we could have to leave earlier than August 3 and arrive home after August 8, 2020.
For the aforementioned reason, we ask that you block your schedule for August 1 through August 10, 2020 to allow for travel to and from Michigan State University.
Attendees – As we mentioned in our meeting at Summer Ordeal, the National OA Committee has promised that there will be no quota on the number of delegates we are allowed to take to NOAC 2020. With this noted, we have recently been informed by the National NOAC Committee that there will be a strictly enforced youth to adult ratio of 1:1; essentially, for each adult delegate from our lodge, there must be an accompanying youth delegate. For the purpose of NOAC, youth is defined as any delegate who has not yet reached the age of 21. As we would like to allow anyone interested in attending the opportunity, we encourage that you please help us recruit youth delegates.
As an attendee, you are required to have a non-expired BSA Annual Health and Medical Review (AHMR); this meaning your AHMR must not expire prior to our return home no later than August 10, 2020. Unlike some previous NOACs, BSA AHMRs will not be collected by national electronically prior to the event, rather your BSA AHMR will be turned into our NOAC Committee prior to our departure.
Additional Information – For additional information regarding NOAC 2020 or what to expect from attending a NOAC, visit one or all of the resources below.
https://oa-bsa.org/article/what-expect-noac-2018
(information will be similar for 2020)
https://www.facebook.com/oanoac
https://www.instagram.com/oanoac/
We truly hope that you will be part of our contingent for NOAC 2020 and experience this great event with us!
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! Troop 108 can contact Doug Chambers, Skyuka Lodge’s OA NOAC Advisor, at dougchambers@comporium.net or by phone at 803-548-1912. Be sure to copy a parent or other leader on any email or have a parent with you when you contact by phone.