Public Displays of Affection

NO PDA!

As one of my RA's notably put it (I later borrowed from him when I became an RA), "All clothing should remain in place. And it's no excuse if s/he shows up naked."

LAN: Brief hugging is acceptable, leading to the well-circulated joke "10 seconds and you're pregnant!" Three-second close-mouth kissing is also acceptable.

The rule is possibly the result of arguably over-the-top behavior at Lancaster in 1985, but may have evolved independently at multiple sites over time.

In 2001, a list of "Don'ts" featured "No guys on girl halls or girls on guy halls". Seizing on the double negative, students claimed that this rule would be violated if there was a guys hall that didn't have a girl on it or a girls hall that didn't have a guy on it. The wording of this rule was soon changed.

In 2004, RAs began a serious PDA crackdown, especially at the dances, repeatedly separating slow-dancers and grinders of any sex combination.

LOS: As of 2004, there was no intertwining of anyone's legs. Technically, that was breaking rules. Also - holding hands was okay. Pecks were okay. Pecks on the mouth could not last longer than half a second. No making out. Hands must stay in "appropriate" places (this includes not grabbing asses while dancing). Freaking was not okay. Same sex grinding was fine. I saw most of these rules broken in session 2.

Also, these rules were not so well enforced, considering most of the RAs proceeded to break them all themselves.

In LAN of 05.1, the MIND class girls were collectively busted for public PDA. [Cortese hall]

At Carsilse 05.1 It was enforced by half the RAs and the other half didnt care. They did allow making out during Stairways to Heaven.

As of CAR 05.2, nothing besides hand holding is accepted. NOTHING.

At KNE(Hawaii) 05.2, any slow dancing and most grinding is fine. No kissing, though most could pull off a 3-second closed mouth. Hand holding, arms around each other, etc, fine. Hickies, not, as was proved by one couple, who together ended up with 20-something. (and managed to convince some of the more gulible people that they were bruises from rocks they had gotten while bodyboarding. It was quite funny, actually. -TM)

LOU 04.1, the RA that was called the "makeout nazi" was duct taped to a lamp post after winning the privilege on casino night while couples lined up to make out in front of him. Same PDA rules as usual.

LOU 04.2~The "no PDA" rule was enforced pretty much all the time, except at dances, where nobody seemed to care if you were making out or grinding.

LOU 05.1,2~There was basically no grinding at dances. I think this was more because people didn't want to than that it was prohibited. Sadly grass orgies were prohibited. In fact, CTY'ers weren't even allowed to lie down seperatly on the grass. Enforcement varied from person to person.

LAN as of 06.1, there were new PDA rules and they were enforced. New rules included: No holding hands, no linking arms, no hugging for more than 3 seconds, no open mouth kissing, no grinding, no slow dancing less than half a foot apart, and "keeping hands above the equator". The more... absurd of the rules were not enforced as much, such as hand holding and linking arms- thus creating the chance of the "PDA Chain" as first formed on the first day of CTY by Charlotte's hall by holding hands and/or linking arms and forming a chain. However, half (or more) of the RAs didn't enforce these rules, and hand-holding was allowed again (although it was not announced to the students, and the staff didn't find out for quite a while either) after a call to JHU, made after one student petitioned (Molly Brean) the administration for the rule to be changed.

At Carlisle 06.1, the before the last dance it was announced that anycouple "inaproprietly or suggestivly" dancing would be put into time out, 5 minutes for the first hour, 15 for the second hour and the rest of the dance if after 10:00. This rule was never enforced.