Hall

A hall is a set of dorm rooms under the direction of an RA. The dorms are normally positioned such that there is a hallway to access them... which is very sensible. Sometimes, a single hallway is shared by two separate halls.

In CTY a hall is single-sex only. Sometimes the single-sex-ness is for just a hall, an entire floor (Both male and female halls on a single floor is a posibility), or even an entire building.

Hall Meeting

Every hall at CTY has a mandatory hall meeting around 9:50, after Quad Time or Meet Market, but before Lights Out. The RAs will go over administrative announcements and, sometimes, news headlines. Some RAs will ask the students about their day. After Hall Meeting the kids sign up for activities. The length of a hall meeting varies, but they can be finished very quickly, if everyone pays attention. Hall problems and activites such as Hall Bonding may also be discussed.

Additional meetings are held on the first day of camp and before Hall Bonding.

Hall Bonding

Hall Bonding is referred to normally as "Hall Bondage," because "it's bound to be fun 'cause it's fun to be bound."

Hall Bondage is a Sunday activity that typically occurs during the afternoon. During Hall Bondage, students go along with their RAs for some quality hall fun. Activities include watching movies, going to the local market/convenience store/Turkey Hill, going into town, water balloon fights, even absolutely nothing if that's what the hall wants. It is possible for two halls to come together and perform any of the above events together with proper planning.

Hall Bondage at Lancaster is infamous for its substitute dinners, in which pizza and snacks come from the cafeteria and students are asked not to go to dinner. Fewer workers are on duty on Sundays, so this helps to reduce the influx of students into the cafeteria. Some students choose to go back in, anyway. With the most recent renovation of the dining room, however, this style of Hall Bondage appears to be a thing of the past.

Sleepovers

Sleepovers can occur on Friday and Saturday nights, at the discretion of RAs. Basically, everybody in a hall piles their fans and mattresses into one (or two) room(s). At some sites, students are permitted to have a sleep over in their lounge, possibly allowing them to sleep with other halls. Students are required to have a mattress to themselves at sleepover, so taking advantage of the modular furniture is sometimes necessary. Sleepover furniture-moving must be accomplished before lights out, as with any other pre-bed preparation.

Sometimes, sleepovers only occur on one night because the RA has night patrol duties. RAs are also known to prohibit sleepovers if they get too loud. All normal lights out rules must be followed.

Illegal Sleepovers

Sleepovers that occur on non-Friday/Saturday nights are illegal. They may result in punitive measures if the RA finds out, such as earlier lights out, no more sleepovers, sending people to the main office, missing a dance, etc. An illegal sleepover's difficultly really just depends on the RA you have. Some RAs patrol the halls and actually knock on doors to check for illegal sleepovers, while others might not care at all. Illegal sleepovers are made easier when an RA is on campus night patrol. In contrast, some RAs who are more lax may permit illegal sleepovers; however, these are still technically disallowed and may still result in punishment if the students (or the RA) catch the attention of higher admin.

Technically, on the last calendar Thursday of the session, sleepovers are illegal. However, on this day, many RAs put on headphones and listen to loud music for an hour without checking the hall. Basically, it depends on the RA, although not officially. Occasionally, sleepovers on the last day are officially condoned.

Hall Hopping

Hall hopping involves having a sleepover in another hall. This is very illegal, and will definitely call for strict punishments.

In Skidmore this is allowed on the last night, and even cross floor sleepovers are sometimes allowed. In KNE.05 and JHU.04, this was allowed all sleepover nights, cross floor sleepovers included. This was made difficult in JHU due to the "one person per matress" rule, which forced sleepover participants to drag matresses up and down flights of stairs. Occasionally, arrangement with the administration can allow for a condoned cross-hall sleepover.

At LOS, this is usually legal as long as all the parties are in the same building and have permission from all their RAs. Since there's no "one person per mattress" rule people will sometimes sleep on the floor.

Sleepover Rules

A number of different rules have been instated at a number of different sites dealing with sleepovers. Those outlined above are common to almost all sites. However, some sites have a number of additional rules. Some ban sleepovers altogether; some prohibit sleepovers of numbers too great. Some prohibit sleepovers of numbers too small (Lancaster: two-person sleepovers prohibited), and some ban the moving of mattresses (JHU). Sleepover rules tend to fluctuate even within a single session.

How to Survive an Illegal Sleepover

An experienced veteran's account of how not to get caught.

1. Set it up wisely:

   Make sure you know who you're going to be rooming with; don't bring too many people in, otherwise the noise will attract RAs on patrol. Bring only the bare essentials; never bring mattresses! Make sure there is a closet or space underneath the bed or the desk where people can hide if necessary. Messy rooms are the best; two students during 07.2 pretended to be a stash of clothes underneath the bed and remained undetected by the SRA.

   • At JHU, although cross-hall sleepovers can be difficult (ahem, Joe D.) attempt only if you know that one of the two RAs is lenient.

2. How to sneak in:

   Some RAs are rather lenient about sleepovers; a common policy is don't ask, don't tell. If your RA "allows" covert sleepovers, getting into buddies' room before lights out won't be a problem. Or if it's after lights out, pretend to go to the bathroom, but sneak into your friend's room.

   • One really important note: if there is no one in the room, make sure all lights are out! If the lights in your empty room are on, suspicions will be aroused when an RA sees light coming through the peephole and knocks on the door. This is a recipe for disaster. Bring a desk lamp that you can turn on for some light.

   So, if your RA is strict about following the sleepover rule, sneaking out after lights out isn't very difficult either. Around 11:30, open the door a crack, check for RAs, then call your friend to tell him to come (or to tell him your coming). Be quick and absolutely soundless. Nowadays, you can just text them. Leave the door a crack open to minimize noise.

3. Behavior during sleepover:

   No loud music, no loud talking, no yelling or screaming of any kind, no loud laughing, and always use common sense. If lights are on, put a towel over the crack beneath the door and block up the peephole. Talk quietly and always be on edge for signs of RA patrols.

4. If an RA knocks:

   Be worried, but don't panic. Remember, silence is key. If the RA hears noise, he or she will start demanding the door to be opened immediately. Those not supposed to be in the room should immediately scramble into the predetermined hiding place (see tip number one). Open the door and remain nonchalant as the RA scans his eyes over the room. Keep your fingers crossed.

5. If you do get caught:

   As with any punitive action doled out at CTY, endure it with grace and poise. Only if the punishment is entirely unjust may you raise any sort of complaint reasonably, but if the punishment is merely severe, boring, or tedious, remain silent, do not be any trouble, and no harm will come of it. Be polite and respectful; by complying, the sooner you'll be out of there.

   • Punishment at 07.2 for illegal sleepovers was not as bad as expected. The seven or eight people involved missed one activity period on a weekday. They were taken to the administrative office and told to sit there silently for an hour. Arbitrary rules meant to make the punishment harsh were created, such as no laughing, talking, whispering, gesturing, reading, listening to iPods, drumming, humming, or whistling. Then, each student was given pen and paper and had to write a page in which they apologized and described their motives and mindset prior to the sleepover. Students were made to help with tedious office chores. This included folding very large plastic tarps, sorting board games' pieces into their respective boxes, testing markers to throw away the ones that didn't work, and sorting a pile of playing cards from a dozen incomplete card decks.
   • Punishment at 09.1 for five girls wasn't that bad either. They missed only the first hour of a dance, and stayed in the Senior RA's office quietly and silently. Consider it a good time to take a nap before the dance.
   • In 10.1 5 girls were caught for an illegal sleepover and the punishment was to lose the final sleepover. After an appeal, the punishment (or "funishment") was reduced to writing letters of apology to the DRL and cleaning up trash in the dining hall for thirty minutes. When getting punished, be respectful, remorseful, and persuasive - the administration may listen.
   • Concerning one instance of getting caught in a girls' hall in 08.1, the RA knew of the sleepovers and said a friendly "hello" to the girl who sneaked into the other hall every night after lights out. This girl slept in the same room on the other hall every night during the last week under the knowledge of the RA without getting into any trouble at all.
   • On a boys' hall, they had one cross-hall sleepover and were busted immediately. Their punishment was only a simple talking-to.

Hall History

Students, more commonly new students, tend to bond most closely with their halls. Many halls are the source of strong friendships and some CTYers spend most of session with their hall. Returning students often spend more time with friends from previous years; however, some still find unity with their current hall. The following subsections of this article comprise a space for halls to record their history and stories if they so choose:

• Lancastrian Halls
• Carlislian Halls
• LOSer Halls
• Saratogan Halls
• Sienan Halls
• Baltimorean Halls
• Hawaiian Halls
• Princetonian Halls