Baltimore

The Baltimore site uses the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University. Although it houses the main administration for CTY, it was not made into an actual site until relatively recently. It can be considered stricter than some other campuses, but it depends on your perspective. It has few persistent traditions, due to it being a new site. Baltimore is infamous among CTYers at other sites for passing down controversial new rules, though this is mostly because it houses CTY Administration, and in reality has little to do with the site itself.

Site and Campus Overview

The Homewood campus, where CTY is hosted, is 20 minutes from Baltimore/Washington International Airport and 10 minutes south of Penn Station.

While the campus is relatively small, CTY only uses the northern half of it. This consists of the two dorm buildings, a number of grassy areas, somewhat nearby classroom buildings (usually within a 10-minute walk), and other buildings and quads in the southern third that are used only rarely (i.e. talent show, dances, opening and closing ceremonies, and casino night). During meet market/ other free time, students are to be in either the quad, their dorms, or the dining hall. Anywhere beyond the quad is known as the Twilight Zone.

There are a large number of trees, benches, scenic walkways, and squirrels that crave muffins.

Classes are held in a number of different buildings, as opposed to all sharing one or two buildings. However, almost all science classes are held in the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy, and most Humanities classes are held in Gilman Hall, directly across the Gentle Slope from AMR I.

A map of the campus can be found at http://webapps.jhu.edu/jhuniverse/information_about_hopkins/visitor_information/how_to_get_here/homewood_campus/pdf/campus_map_0907.pdf

Dorms

The girls' and boys' dorm buildings are known as AMR I and AMR II, respectively. These two dorm buildings are perpendicular and adjacent to each other, on the Northeastern corner of the campus (and of the Gentle Slope). They are "C"-shaped, and contain a courtyard. Three sides are part of the building, while the fourth side is a gate and turnstile. Both quads have relatively tight security, and are guarded at all times. To enter either dorm building, one must first pass through a guarded turnstile which is activated by an RFID card. However, it is possible to enter either building (after going through the turnstile) without using a keycard by going through a roundabout pathway, although the keycard is required to enter halls from the courtyard. There is a labyrinth of tunnels and hallways underneath the two buildings (and the rest of the campus) and a secret passageway between the two. More information about the buildings can be found at Baltimore/places

All dorm rooms have one air conditioner (although, on rare occasions, it is dysfunctional), two desks (with built-in lamps), two windows, two chairs, two wastebaskets, two recycling bins, and no phone. There are two beds with adjustable heights. It is advisable to bring a power strip, as power outlets are inconveniently placed. All dorms have either rugs or tiles.

Dorms are usually doubles, although sometimes people are lucky/unlucky enough to get a single or a triple. The singles may come with fireplaces, although it is not advisable that one tries to light a fire. RAs in corner dorms may have huge rooms.

The doors of halls are decorated by RAs. These may range from printed images to drawings to xkcd comics. Halls are physically separated by either stairwell passages or doorway frames.

Bathrooms vary in quality and size depending on location. They range in the number of stalls, sinks, and showers. A hall may share a bathroom with another hall, but this depends on the location of the two.

In 2011, the girls were not in AMR I due to construction. Instead, they were housed in Buildings A and B right above the Fresh Fruits Cafe, and were living in suites. There was one bathroom per suite. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were VERY dirty. There were a lot of centipedes, especially in the bathroom at 310. They just crawled out of nowhere and hid in the showers. They were disgusting and probably poisonous. The boys stayed in AMRII.

In 2012, dorms were once again AMRI and AMRII.

In 2013, McCoy Hall was used as the dorms, for both boys and girls. Boys were on the 1st, 5th, and 6th floors while girls were on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The floor is divided up into east and west, and each side gets 3 halls. Each suite contains of 3 rooms (with a few exceptions) (1 double, 2 single). Inside the suite, separate from the rooms is the "kitchen", where there are cupboards and a sink, a fridge, and a stove. You are allowed to use everything except for the stove. It is advised that when your hall goes to University Market or any other market, that you buy a crap-load of junk food and sodas and cups and store them in your kitchen, as nighttime snacks are hard to find (vending machines empty out in a day or two). Every suite's layout is different, but the insides are more or less the same.

You need to walk a mile a day (no joke) from McCoy to the Fresh Foods Cafe, then to upper quad (gentle slope was barely used during 13.1), then to class, then to the FFC for lunch, back, from class to upper quad, to daily activities and back, then to weekly activities then back, then to the FFC and back, and then to class and back, and finally to McCoy.

In 2015, dorms were once again AMRI and AMRII. This was again the case in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

A storm in 18.2 caused multiple ceilings in rooms within AMRI. Additionally, excessive amounts of alcohol bottles were found stashed in the ceiling of an AMRI room during 18.2.

Food

The entrance to the Fresh Foods Cafe

The food is excellent or bad, depending on one's point of view. There is always a sandwich bar and a salad bar. During lunch, there is always some cooked potato product (usually fries), pasta, a few types of pizza, hamburgers, cake or other sugary desserts, fruits, and a vegan dish. The macaroni and cheese is sometimes good. The scrambled eggs are not real scrambled eggs, but rather egg powder mixed with milk. Breakfast usually has good omelets cooked on the spot (which results in lines of at least 10 people long), fresh fruit, meat products, potato products, sausages/pancakes, cereals, breads, bagels, and sugary pastries. There's also a person who serves ice cream during lunch and dinner. There is a large assortment of drinks available--various sodas, milk, soymilk, coffee, tea, hot water, and juices. There is also stuff for lactose intolerant people in a special little fridge. Vegetarian and kosher meals are available. Also, the fries are orgasmic. After you're done eating, you put your plate on a conveyer belt beside the pop machine. Food can get repetitive, especially for CTYers staying for six weeks. Service is generally very friendly in the dining halls- there is one especially kind lunch lady named Montoya Jackson. She collects Trollies.

In 13.1, food services were redesigned by a company called Bon Appetit. The food is still great and follows the summary above--just now it is fresher/healthier--and the onion rings are addicting. Montoya is the best.

In 14.1, the sweet potato fries were a huge hit. There was also a more-than-average variety of vegan food, although most of it was spicy and they all tasted the same. The fruit assortment was also only switched out every three days or so, leaving students with sweet but mushy (and every once in a while, moldy) fruit.

In 16.1, CTYers especially favored Ms. Jackson, one of the lunch ladies.

In 17.1 and 18.2, the FFC also offered popcorn, fresh pretzels, and even had a cotton candy machine during Tuesday lunches. The mac 'n cheese was nauseating, but the grilled cheese sandwiches were pretty good (although they were also very greasy) and the brownies were amazing.

All CTYers share the Fresh Foods Cafe at lunch time, all CTYers walk with their class to the cafeteria. One issue with the cafeteria is that lines tend to be long. The lunch schedule is staggered into 3 groups (11:40, 12:00, and 12:20) and everyone has an hour for lunch. The long-line problem is compounded by the fact that the cafeteria is shared with other programs on the campus--usually Precollege, although LeadAmerica shared the cafeteria in 07 lacrosse girls shared in 08 and lacrosse guys and volleyball girls shared in 10. CTYers often avoid long lines by first taking food that is in short lines, then coming back for more, or having dessert first. The lines for the cafeteria were insanely long due to sharing campus with both LeadAmerica (who had very bad table manners) and especially the LaxBros who ate extreme amounts of pizza and pasta and everything.

Off-Campus Locations

The exterior of the Barnes and Noble.

The interior of the Barnes and Noble.

Each weekend, and on some activity days, CTYers can go off-campus on a short walk with their hall or Activity group into the local town. In addition, on Saturdays, RA groups may go into the Inner Harbor. Note: All of these locations can be found through Google Maps.

• Barnes and Noble: This is the bookstore. There are regular activities to visit the bookstore, which is connected to a Starbucks. All textbooks are purchased here on the first day at ridiculously high prices. The bookstore is where all the JHU sweatshirts and other attire are sold.
• Chipotle: A burrito and taco restaurant. Somewhat expensive.
• Tamber's: An Indian food and diner food restaurant. This is somewhat far away, but was an auction prize. Note: auctions did not take place 11.2.
• Coldstone: ice cream.
• Dominion Ice Cream: This has both regular ice cream and specialty ice cream (e.g. vegetable ice cream). Very delicious. Students were not allowed to go there after 9.2 for some reason. Not open on Sundays.
• Subway: This is located across the street from the Barnes and Nobles, but again, starting from 10.1 no one ever went there.
• Niwana: This is right across the street from the campus, near the Beach. It has expensive Japanese and Korean food. It was an auction prize in the years of the auction.
• Paper Moon: An eclectic restaurant with lots of knickknacks decorating every wall. The best chocolate cakes (order The Dark Side of the Moon) and friendly service. Bring a camera; take lots of photos, and make sure you go to the bathroom to see the dolls on the toilet. Not accessible to students in 10-present.
• There are several grocery stores. RAs know where they are. (Advice: First day, go to Eddie's Market or University Store to buy junk food. Directions: Keep walking down past B&N, turn right at the first traffic light and look for the stores).
• Cloud 9: A clothing shop; bans CTY students from going due to past "bad experiences".
• Inner Harbor: There are a number of stores and sites of interest here, including a Barnes and Nobles, Forever 21, Wet Seal, etc. and a number of malls and restaurants and other food vendors, and some museums (especially the National Aquarium in Baltimore). Starting from 10.1, students were not allowed to go to the inner harbor because it was too dangerous
• The Baltimore Museum of Art: This museum is almost on campus, and is a short walk away. Admission is free; the exhibits are worth a look.
• The Rotunda: A tiny movie theater that usually plays only two movies. Most of the stores are closed. The concessions are insanely expensive.
• Starbucks: Sometimes trips to the local Starbucks are allowed by the less strict RAs.

However, in 11.2, as a result of the Andrea Administration, off-campus trips were limited to going to the Movie Theatre, Barnes and Nobles, Coldstone, and the University Market. In the previous year, shopping trips to Hampden were permitted. But this year, extremely early notice was required for that to happen. In any case, you can't ask your RA to bring you boutique shopping there a week ahead. According to an RA, you have to give "at least 2 weeks of prior notice so that the office can approve the activity."

• Insomnia Cookies: 24/7 cookies, but soon was unable to recieve delivery due to allergy concerns, except RA's would sometimes bring cookies back to their halls to eat.
• CVS: classic convience store, would never have ramen in stock and also a place for CTYer's to buy things they may have forgotten to bring.

In 12.1, the only known off-campus trips were limited to Barnes&Nobles, the museum, and the University Store, with the exception of one hall which got to go to Coldstone because they each got "married" on Casino night. No shopping trips were allowed despite the pestering of several CTYers. In 13.1, trips to Chipotle, Barnes&Noble, and Coldstone were made, as well as a VERY long walk to see Monsters University or Man of Steel. 1n 14.1, trips to Chipotle, Barnes&Noble, Coldstone and the University Market were made. The second Saturday also had the option to go to the Rotunda to see How to Train Your Dragon or Transformers. In 15.1, trips to Cold Stone, Barnes&Noble, Chipotle, and University Market were made. The second Saturday also had the option to walk to the Rotunda to see Inside Out or Jurassic World. In 16.1, trips to Chipotle, Barnes&Noble, Subway, University Market, Starbucks, Pizza Studio, Cold Stone, and the Homewood House were made, though these trips were rare. The reason provided was that legal ratios prohibited large groups from going out. In 18.1 and 18.2, off-campus trips were banned by Nick the DRL. Trips to the bookstore were allowed.

Student Life

While JHU follows the same basic feel of campus life at any CTY site, its environment varies among different years. It is, in general far stricter than other campuses. Part of this is due to it being an open campus in the city, but the majority is due to the vast numbers of administrators present at/around the site. The administration is known not only for its simple strictness, but for suppressing traditions, and inability to handle situations in anything resembling a fair manner. Notably, in 18.2 the administration failed spectacularly at dealing with sexual harassment. It got to the point where students were feeling so unsafe in their classroom that they left, and despite multiple students coming forward, the accused was not removed from camp activities.

Disregarding the administration and strictness, however, Baltimore has the same welcoming and quirky community as any other CTY site. In fact, the community often overcompensates for the situation with administration in a manner which results in a unique and heartwarming CTY experience. In many instances, the RAs and students are brought closer together than at any other site, and students support each other throughout the entire CTY experience forming a beautiful CTY community.

Activities

Each weekday has two activity periods. Depending on the session, activities are organized differently. Often, many activities are available for one day, while other activities are available for one-week-blocks (this was abolished in 2016). Students are sometimes allowed to switch into or out of activities. Before the second week, lists are posted allowing students to write suggestions for next week, and many are taken into consideration with the exception of "shopping trip!" Cloud-watching is generally one of the most popular.

There are also weekend activities. In the past, these have included Casino Night (which always occurs), Music Night, Movie/Red-Carpet Affair, the "Olympics", a Medieval Fair, and the Talent Show. 12.1 saw a Color War which was somewhat confusing because around half of the CTY population did not have the necessary color of clothing. Color War reappeared in 13.1, along with Humans vs. Zombies(which sucked beyond all compare) In 16.1, the weekend activities included the (loosely interpreted) Olympics, Casino Night, World's Fair, Block Party and Movie Night, which absolutely sucked.. There was also hall of the day, which went to the bookstore for one activity period. Cody started an activity called hiding in obvious places, which you should definitely sign up for. 18.1's weekend activities were Movie Day, The First Inaugural CTY Arts Festival, and Color Wars.

Strictness

While it's false that the RAs are generally very strict, SRAs may be strict. However, they don't really come out much.

In 07.2, flashlights and sleepovers were banned, although with a bit of sneaking around and hiding you could manage to get into each others' rooms.

The ban against sleepovers has been removed as of 08.1.

In 13.1, sleepovers were once again banned due to fire hazards, but because of the new hall layout, this was very easy to bypass. Neighboring dorm rooms could also tap messages with Morse Code through the wall. Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, and Ibuprofen were all confiscated by RA's, but it's handy to stash a few in your pillow or wardrobe just in case. However, there is a vending machine with such medications.

In 11.1, the only strict person on site was the site director, who was never seen.

In 11.2, Site Director and Counselor kicked off 3 people on the second day and put many more people on probation during the days after. Let it be know that this is WAR. User:Digiflex This year, Scheduled Presence was implemented. it involved RA's standing/sitting at set locations. No one was allowed outside when there wasn't Scheduled Presence without the accompaniment of a staff member. Going down to do your laundry during the weekends was not allowed unless there was Scheduled Presence. Neither was going past the turnstiles one minute before 7:30 to go to breakfast.

The Academic Counselor, Gabby Coranza, was a key issue. 2011 was Gabby's first year working for CTY and on the first day, she had already made herself unpopular. She tried to interfere with student life, as perhaps she thought that a tight-knit community meant a totally closed and exclusive group. She asked prying questions, like whether two sisters involved others in their fights, often provoking outraged responses.

Cell phones are technically not allowed outside of dorms, but most of the staff does not enforce this rule. Generally, it only matters if they are used in class.

12.2 saw the return of the notorious Andrea Administration. Scheduled presence was still in place and even tighter than ever. Coldstone's visits were a rare privilege, and so were the opportunities to order out from Chipotle. For some halls, visits to Niwana and PaperMoon Diner are no longer existent, as is ordering Chinese takeout (peanut allergy policy). However, other halls were given permission to go to any shops in the surrounding neighborhood including Niwana, Coldstone, Chipotle, and Dominion Ice Cream. Students are no longer allowed to leave for and from breakfast, dinner and lunch by themselves. Dinner and Breakfast shifts have been implemented. Because of impending thunderstorms, a day of study hall was canceled and instead replaced two daily activities the following week, allowing time to make up the missed session.

In 13.1 strictness from previous sessions was somewhat lessened, although scheduling was very tight due to the fact that we weren't allowed to go back to the dorms during the day because they were about a mile away through construction. A few trips were made to Coldstone, Chipotle, and the bookstore.

14.1 had an abundance of strict RA's, and the contrast between having a strict and not-so-strict RA was huge. This included physically parting couples (and not-couples) during slow-dances, leaving room for Jesus and all of his apostles, as well as jeopardizing sleepover privileges as common consequences, and getting in trouble for minor swear words. Everything depended on your RA, but other attributes of strictness included making girls in crop tops and high-waisted shorts change, not letting students visit other (not-neighboring) halls during free time, and cutting back on weekend outings. RA's who were strict outnumbered those who were a bit more, well, understanding of teenagers, and thus, it was a terrible year for making friends out of your class/hall. Students would be reprimanded for having cell phones out during free time/activities, PDA of any sort (dances and not, ranging from holding hands and hugging, to platonic cheek kissing, to tongue kissing) were all banned. An RA had to be within, oh, I don't know, about ten feet of you at all times. The breakfast and dinner schedules are the worst act to be implemented at CTY, possibly ever, as it inhibits the ability for interpersonal interactions and the blossoming of new friendships (which used to be a focal point for CTY, along with it's primary focus of the pursuing of academic talent.) Dress code was strict, girls would be made to change if skirts/shorts were viewed to be 'too short', you would be made to change, crop tops (or anything showing midriff) were prohibited and there were some RA"s who had problems with spaghetti straps. Activities were also banned should it be viewed as 'too hot', or if there were an impending storm (that would be quite obvious to anyone who looked that wouldn't come until at least after activities). Because of this, 40% of activities were banned and students had to stay in their halls - a nuisance, because, as mentioned before, cross-hall visits were not allowed.

16.1 had the best RAs, and none of them were strict. However, site manager Lesa handed down some tough regulations, making it very difficult for them to give students freedom. PDA was generally reprimanded by the annoying first years, but some intervention was done by the RAs. Swear words and "friendly but offensive banter" was common, and cell-phone use was completely unregulated. There was very little cross-hall connection, as sleepovers or movement into other halls was forbidden. A lot of people actually preferred rain days over activities, a testament to how boring some of them were. Notably kind RAs included Trent, Patty, Paul, Beth, Sarah and Holy Emperor Jeff. The SRAs, Deans and Site Director were also extremely nice, with the admin participating in some activities such as Random Acts of Senseless Dabbing, led by Markus.

17.1 was full of very chill and laid back RA's, but rules like "you must always be in eyeshot or earshot of an RA/TA" meant that students could not walk anywhere alone, even if it was walking a few paces ahead of the hall. That was really the only annoying rule, and many RA's would allow you to join other halls for a bit as long as there was a RA there. No takeout was allowed, and the only restaurants/shops students were allowed to go to were Chipotle, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and CVS. Also, there were a lot of newbies this year, which led to some confusion about tradition, one being that during Stairway to Heaven no one slow danced but instead created an outer circle because people thought that Stairway to Heaven meant it was time to prepare for American Pie. The SRAs, Deans, and Site Director were all very nice, but no one really knew who the Dean and Site Director actually were as they usually never interacted with students. SRAs were very chill and most used to be RAs, so they knew how to interact with teens (wow, gasp!)

17.2 seems to be super lazy because nobody has written anything yet but I just want to say that Srijan (the RA) was chill as fuck and he literally didn't care about anything. Give the man a medal, please.

On Casino Night, each RA was supposed to get $20 per student, but Srijan was a legend and while the dean was turned away, he literally stole an armload of money and brought it back to us. We ended up having to close the doors to the other halls while Justice and Niko sorted the money out. With 18 people in our hall, and $20 per person, our hall should have started with $360, and because most of the hall didn't actually make any money (Justice blew most of his money on getting married twice), the exception being Oliver, who won like $500 in one round of poker, our hall didn't really have much of a net gain. On the other hand, Srijan's robbery totally boosted us - we ended Casino Night with almost $5000, which has got to be some sort of record. We lost all of our money in the horse race though - Srijan told us to bet it all on a guy who ended up losing. He said we could pie him in the face for that, but we never did. Noah actually called Srijan a bad RA and reported him for stealing the money in his end-of-session evaluation. I could roast him, but I feel like I shouldn't, so...

18.1 had sleepovers and off-campus trips banned, to the frustration of all. The sleepover ban was lifted for the final night of the session, but many halls were able to get away with ISOs provided they were not so loud that their RA could no longer ignore it.

18.2, to put it mildly, had a lot of problems. The Baltimore site has always had problems with the administration following the letter of the law regarding rules, but in 18.2 this was taken to an entirely new level. Beyond the standard tightening of already strict regulations (sleepovers were not allowed except for the last night and students were not allowed to set foot off campus), the administration targeted students, in particular the Princess of the Blood, and failed to properly deal with bullying, unsafe classroom environments, and sexual harassment.

The standard rules and regulations were present and stronger than any other year: Sleepovers were banned every day except the last, although there were RAs that allowed sleepovers as long as their students were quiet. Off-campus trips to everywhere except for the bookstore were banned, however, it was not uncommon to see halls in the CVS when they won hall of the day. Most RAs did not follow every little rule to a t, but SRAs were extremely strict. One SRA told a hall of girls that they couldn't play Cards Against Humanity, for example, but this rule was promptly broken on the second week.

Dances

Dances have specific themes (e.g. The 80's, Beach Party, Black-and-White, Rubik's cube, Summer Semi-Formal, Jungle Safari, Hollywood, etc.). However, this usually does not have a significant effect on the music played (one exception was The 80's Dance, in which a larger amount of older songs was played). Music played by the dances tends to be popular music. The dances usually take place in the Glass Pavilion, but sometimes take place at the Gentle Slope.

Students should bring a polo shirt (or anything more formal), as more than half the camp somewhat dresses up.

The last dance is usually formal. Here, the CTY Prince and Princess (CTYers) are announced, along with the CTY King and Queen (RAs).

In 09.1, "Stairway to Heaven" was not played. This is because almost all RAs were new and had not been former CTYers.

Rules about dances are enforced, but sometimes not strictly. At 08.1 and 08.2, there was grinding at impromptu dances, but people would crowd around them to make them hard to detect. However, in 09.1, couples were watched/monitored by RAs.

In 09.2, an Afterdance was started by a group of Lancaster squirrels.

In 10.1, Young Forever and Birdhouse In Your Soul were played in addition to American Pie and Stairway to Heaven at the last dance. Both American Pie and Stairway to heaven were played at all 3 dances although Stairway to Heaven was played as the 3rd or 4th to last song at the first dance. The Afterdance was not continued from the previous year.

In 10.2, Young Forever, American Pie and Stairway to Heaven were played at all the dances, thus making Forever Young a new tradition for Baltimore. Afterdances were continued by Empress of Passionfruit Trinity (her name, not an affiliation with Lancaster's Trinity) and a fifth of the students attended. As such, the Empress and the newly established JHU Traditions Committee (see below) formalized traditions such as BLAMMO, Love-Tape Day, and left the song Tunak-Tunak-Tun open for possible cannonization in the coming year.

In 11.1, Young Forever, American Pie and Stairway to Heaven were played at all the dances. There was some grinding, but the RAs didn't notice.

In 11.2, Young Forever, American Pie and Stairway to Heaven were played at all dances. However there was a surprising lack of canon compared to last year's dance. The only canon that were played at the dances were Young Forever, American Pie, Stairway to Heaven, and Everytime We Touch. Much dance music was played, like Cali Swag District's Teach Me How to Dougie, Jerk, and L.M.F.A.O's Party Rock Anthem. Due to the abnormal amount of couples, RAs were assigned couples to watch, but there was grinding, kissing, and other activities happening regardless. Note to couples: anything more than a kiss should be done in the corner of the movie theater downstairs from the Glass Pavilion or the broom closet next to the bathrooms.

In 12.2, Forever Young, American Pie, Stairway to Heaven were played at all dances. Everytime We Touch was also played. It should be noted that JHU has additions to the canon - Wobble Baby is played at every dance and is greatly enjoyed by the CTYers.

In 13.1, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were played at all the dances along with Wobble Baby, Low, Cupid Shuffle, and Everytime we Touch and I'll Make a Man Out of You at the last two. Students were DJs at the second and third dances.
In 13.2, Forever, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were played at all the dances, along with Wobble Baby, the Cupid Shuffle, and Tunak Tunak Tun. So was King of Africa, opening it up as a potential canon song.

In 14.1, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were all played. Wobble Baby, Low, Cotton Eye Joe and Fancy were played at every dance as well. The RA's were strict, monitoring couples very closely and walking around the masses of people during the dances, prying couples apart. Some RA's even went as far as to stop the traditional slow dance method of girls' hands on guys' shoulders and guys' hands on girls' waist and made the guys put their hands much higher.

In 15.2, Corey was notorious for walking through the couples and groups of dancers in order to prevent PDA. According to the skit at the start of the session, PDA could potentially make others feel uncomfortable/queasy/like vomiting. Corey and another RA demonstrated this in a skit at the start of the session. Lots of Canon was played, as well as the famous Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, a popular American song.

In 16.1, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were all played.

In 17.1, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were all played.

In 17.2, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were all played.

In 18.1, Sandstorm, Tunak Tunak Tun, Wobble Baby, Everytime We Touch, Fireflies, Mr. Brightside, Forever Young, Stairway to Heaven, and American Pie were all played at every dance.

In 18.2 several students at the last dance changed the words of "Good Riddance" by Green Day from "It's something unpredictable but in the end is right" to "It's something predictable but in the end is wrong" and screamed "consent first" rather than "right foot first" in American Pie due to events that were occurring at the time. Mr. Brightside, Forever Young, Stairway to Heaven, and American Pie were all played. Iris was played at all but the first dance.

Sleepovers

In 07.2, sleepovers were banned. This was due to a conflict in rules--CTY administration did not allow sleepovers without transportation of mattresses, while JHU housing did not allow transportation of mattresses due to its classification as a fire hazard. However, in 08.1 and 08.2, this was resolved--CTYers could sleep over on weekends if they moved their sheets/blankets, but not their mattresses. Depending on your RA, it is possible to have discreet sleepovers on non-legal nights. Unfortunately, sleepovers on the last night of 08.2 were banned, causing anger to many nevermores. In 09.1, RAs were told that site admin would be patrolling the hallways between 12:00 and 3:00 AM, but this never happened. As a result of this deception, sleepovers happened without disturbances. In 11.1, sleepovers were allowed. On the last night, it technically wasn't, but all RAs looked the other way. In 11.2, sleepovers were allowed on weekends. However, illegal sleepovers during the week were extremely easy to have in the girls dorms where there were suites. Intersuite sleepovers were extremely common and happened nearly every night without notice by the RAs. In 13.1, sleepovers were deemed illegal but this rule was not all that strictly upheld on the weekends. In 13.2, some campers were told that they could have sleepovers on the weekends if they traded roommates with other people in the hall. This was done many times, but illegal sleepovers on weeknights were also carried out very easily, as the RAs only checked to see if your was room was dark by the lights-out time by looking at the door cracks, instead of actually entering the room and accounting for all of the people who were supposed to be in the room. In 16.1, sleepovers were allowed on the weekends. In 18.1, sleepovers were technically banned for the session until the ban was lifted for the last night of the session. In 18.2, sleepovers were expected and allowed only on the last night, but banned for the rest of the session. Many RAs, however, allowed sleepovers each weekend and sometimes even during the week regardless.

The following article is currently obsolete. However, it may become useful if sleepovers become banned again (and also on the last Thursday). How to Survive an Illegal Sleepover

Notable Halls and their Memories

Srijan's Hall: 17.2

This man was a legend. At our first hall meeting, he said, and I quote, "honestly, I don't care if you guys curse or whatever...fuck it." He let me have sleepovers whenever and Mario would send me random ass videos of Srijan screwing around in the hallway at like midnight. Also, his beard was cute.

There was a guy in our hall named Christian. Now, he would do the most random ass shit every once in a while. He spent a few days yelling "Girls poop!" every few minutes, "titties," and the now-famous "MORNIN'" (even when it wasn't even morning). Every day after meals, Christian would take a banana from the FFC and bring it back to the hall with him while pretending it was a phone and "calling" people. Srijan would get pissed and would always yell something along the lines of "Boy?!?! What are you doing??" It ended up being a sort of theme quote for the hall.

There was also a kid named Chen: this kid was from China and he literally wore the same shorts every single day. He also really enjoyed playing Monkey in the Middle and would insist on being the monkey. Eventually, we just called it Chen in the Middle, and when Christian started joining him in the middle, we called the game Chris-Chen in the Middle. Chen would ask Srijan questions, so many questions, and they would piss off Srijan, who would repeatedly roast Chen. One particularly memorable incident involved Chen missing a hall meeting while hanging around another hall, which led to Srijan making Chen do pushups.

Once, we were playing Frisbee in the hallway, and Ari from Mario's hall next to us joined us. Ari threw the Frisbee and hit the light, which literally fell down from the ceiling. Ren eventually crammed it back in the ceiling, only for it to fall down again multiple times over the next few days, and Srijan ended up fixing it for us because he's a legend.

On the day of the Talent Show, Srijan was part of the committee, and he needed Rey, his co-RA, to take us to the Talent Show. But since Rey is a dingus, he forgot to take us. Srijan's hall was reduced to a bunch of idiots trying to figure out why were the only people left in the dorms, without even any RAs around. I sent a picture of us to Mario, who screenshotted it because he has no compassion. Srijan eventually texted Rey about us, who realized he'd forgotten us and came back to get us.

Alexis' Hall: 18.2

This woman was a legend. She not only was hands down a next level RA who knew how to keep her kids both safe and allowed them to have fun, she spent the final Thursday with her hall all day despite it being the RAs day off. In rough situations, she was able to be more helpful than the entire administration as a whole and was overwhelmingly the best RA that has ever been hired.

On the last night, she brought many of the girls in her hall 2012, 2015, and 2018 lanyards for them all to keep. She also allowed her hall to have intense input on how the final dance playlist should go.

Traditions

Aside from a meager Canon, JHU has been void of traditions in previous years. However, with the establishment of the JHU Traditions Committee in 10.2 by the Empress of Passionfruit, it seems that this may change.

Drag Day

In 07.2, students were forbidden from participating in drag day.

In 08.1, students organized a drag day. However, RAs were forbidden from participating, and the administration did not officially organize it.

In 08.2, it was less concerted and organized.

In 09.1, drag day happened with a somewhat small (less than half the camp) turnout.

In 09.2, drag day was not endorsed by the administration, but was allowed to happen, with a turn out of one third of the students.

In 10.2, Drag Day was neither endorsed nor prohibited by the educational administration [1], although it had a single restriction on attire: no bra-stuffing for males. The turnout was about one-third of the student body.

In 11.1, Drag Day occurred, and most of the student body participated.

In 11.2 Drag Day proceeded as per the norm.

In 12.1, a few of the returning CTYers participated, and many squirrely CTYers must've forgotten, and moved it to another day (for them), which confused many. It was a sort of impromptu drag day created via texting after hours.

In 12.2, Drag Day had the lowest turnout since 09.2.

In 13.1, many were discouraged from participating in Drag Day because SRAs felt it was disrespectful, but this was generally ignored.

1n 14.1, all students had to go through a hall meeting regarding 'rules and regulations' about drag day, and there was a general air of the event being discouraged. Most students participated, except RA's were ridiculous and took away from the well-known purpose of entertainment, making guys change if they had bras showing or if what they were wearing was deemed inappropriate.

In 16.1, drag day was implemented, but there was a notice beforehand that the purpose was not to entertain but to show solidarity, and thus any "jokes made" would be punished.

In 17.1, Drag Day was celebrated by most of the camp as a part of "Spirit Week". It was created to appreciate the LBTQIA community and those who are trans, gender fluid, pansexual, and more. Anyone that wore anything offensive and discriminating was forced to change, but the RA's didn't really enforce that rule as no one was forced to change. Overall a really fun day where shy boys were skirts and headbands :))

In 18.1, Gender Bender day was celebrated on the Second Thursday. Love Tape Day was also celebrated during the second week.

In 18.2 This day was celebrated, with much debate over what to call it. The name "Drag Day" was both banned and not banned simultaneously, due to the DRL telling students that Drag Day/Cross Dress Day was a fine name, but many of the RAs not allowing it. Gender Bender day also seemed to be an incorrect term by other RAs given that the point is to show that clothes don't have genders. The administration tried to enforce the name "cross dress day" despite many students and RAs voicing worries about the implications of a binary gender system associated with that name, but the majority of students and RAs called this spirit day "drag day" or "gender bender day".

The Rape Buttons

The "rape buttons" are emergency buttons that are attached to poles with a blue ball light above and when hit, lights up, sirens sound, and campus security arrives. The name comes from the idea that a sexual assault victim might use the button to summon help.

Post-Meal Activites

After breakfast, lunch, and dinner, students will often be outside playing Ultimate Frisbee, playing football, or just hanging out on the Gentle Slope. In 13.1 and 13.2, with the relocation of the students to McCoy Hall, post-meal activities often took place on the Upper Quad instead of the Gentle Slope, leading to very little time on the Slope.

Meet Market

Meet market is after 9:00 and lasts for an hour and is basically social hour on the Gentle Slope. It is supervised by RAs who are there to prevent and discourage "risque activities." In 08.1 and 08.2, there were several dances in front of either AMR I or AMR II.

The lawn used for Meet Market and outdoor activities is known as the Gentle Slope. It borders AMR I, AMR II, some classroom buildings, and the cafeteria, and is surrounded by a brick walkway and park benches.

During 11.1, while the girls were staying in buildings A & B, the grass above the Fresh Foods Cafe was open during Meet Market. There is only one RA on duty and both boys and girls are allowed in the area. This grass is much softer than the stuff on the Gentle Slope and there are many darker spots in the area...

In 13.1 and 13.2, Meet Market was relocated to the Upper Quad. RA security became much more lax, to the joy of many couples.

Note to Couples RA's and SRA's set up a perimeter without loopholes. They will always be in visual contact of couples and have walkie talkies to prevent risque activities. Take this from experience: Make a lot of RA friends, they will be invaluable should you explore your romantic side during your session! Kevin Lee

Chinese Take-out

It is a tradition for the older halls to order Chinese take-out food on Friday and Saturday nights. Some RAs will allow you to order in Chipotle, in which case he/she will have to pick it up with a few students. In 12.1, despite the abundance of take-out menus around campus, no hall succeeded in ordering Chinese due to precautionary measures against "severe peanut allergies". This was heavily protested although some halls such as Peter's hall ordered in Japanese food. In 13.1, Chinese take-out/Chipotle/pizza was very popular on the last night of camp, when everyone was too busy packing and getting ready for the last dance to be bothered to go to Fresh Foods. In 16.1 and 16.2, this tradition was nonexistent. As of 18.2, ordering takeout is officially not allowed at Baltimore. In protest, RAs ordered pizza and insomnia cookies for their halls under the guise of ordering it for the staff. Additionally, since during all of 18.1 and 18.2, students were not allowed off campus, insomnia cookies were acquired in a number of creative ways with help from the staff. In addition to RAs and instructors buying some for their halls, during official trips to the bookstore for hall of the day and returning textbooks, students were brought to insomnia cookies.

Passionfruit

Passionfruit at JHU

This doesn't happen consistently--it always occurs, but the various sub-traditions associated with it change when the RAs that run it change. However, it always involves passionfruit juice. Nevermores/RAs from other sites may bring in traditions for a certain session (e.g. election of an Emperor/Empress or writing out "CTY <insert year here>" with empty cups after Passionfruit). Students who have not attended Passionfruits before may or may not end their speeches with "I love CTY and I love the Passionfruit", even though they should. In 13.1, Passionfruit was held indoors due to rain. In 16.1, Cody revealed to the Traditions Committee that the "passionfruit juice" was merely a combination of various punches. In the Main Office during 16.2, however, only one type of punch was seen.

Emperors/Empresses

During 9.2, Trinity King was appointed as both Empress of Passionfruit and Goddess of Blammo.

During 10.2, Chris Yi was appointed as Emperor of Passionfruit and Karl Heinlein was appointed as God of Blammo. Chris announced that he would not be attending 11.2, so Karl was elected to both positions.

During 11.2, There was a scarcity of elders. Those who actually did have seniority, were not attending the next year. Ryan Muggleton was appointed both positions. Ryan, after consulting the other two members of The Triumvirate, Ryan Dixon and Matthew Ribel, decided to resign due to their prior obligation to attend Carlisle next year. Karl is currently in possession of the Emperor's Hat, the Emperor's New Shoes, the Duct Tape Tie, the Holy Triton, and the Tome of Blammo. (The second and third articles mentioned in the previous sentence were donated courtesy of the Ryans' Hollander Haberdashery.) A search committee is out to find a replacement. Please contact Karl Heinlein on Facebook or at karlheinlein@yahoo.com with any inquiries.

During 12.2, Joe Chartouni was the "self-appointed" BLAMMO God and also Passionfruit Emperor. BLAMMO was reinstated around Second Sunday. Only about 30-45 people attended Passionfruit. Passionfruit was conducted in a makeshift Carlislean manner, with the inner circle of Nevermores and Nomores leading the ceremony. However, Molly, a flying squirrel from LOS and CAR, was given the chance to lead Passionfruit instead. Having taken up the powers of the Passionfruit, she decided to crown Amanda Sin as the new Empress of Passionfruit. In 13.1 previous emperors Mina and Brian crowned empresses Nazli and Aliza for 14.1.

In 13.2, previous Empress Amanda Sin crowned Michael Todd as both Emperor and BLAMMO god.

In 15.1, Empress Josie and Emperor David had a lot of trouble finding someone who wasn't a squirrel, wasn't a nomore or nevermore, and was planning to return, so the new Emperor/Empress will be crowned by the people, for the people, in 16.1. In 15.2 the Emperor/ God Milo crowned Tea as the Empress of Passionfruit and he also crowned a God of Blammo.

In 16.1, BLAMMO was outlawed by the Site Manager. Since BLAMMO was outlawed by the site manager, Cat Brown, who was the Goddess of Blammo in 16.2, decided not to crown a successor. She instead chose Tea, who was the Empress of the Passionfruit, to crown two successors. Tea crowned Jessica Shannon and Neal as empress and emperor. In order to divide her artifacts equally, Tea copied down the entire Book of Love and gave that copy to Neal Krishna.

Neal was a flying squirrel, having spent his first two years at Saratoga, 3 sessions. He double-sessioned at JHU the year he was appointed Emperor (his 3rd year). He was unable to go back to JHU 17.1 or 17.2, instead having to go to Lancaster and Carlisle respectively. He still possesses the Book of Love. Jess was also unable to return to JHU.

This same year, Joshua Kim was appointed BLAMMO God, yet he again could not return to CTY 17.1, due to an unforseen age restriction. He was Neal's roommate 15.2 at Saratoga (maybe 15.1?) Neal was also appointed Frisbee God at JHU 17.2, being on a varsity team in his hometown (Boston), and having played on the 14.2 SAR, 15.1/2 SAR staff games. Unfortunately, there was no staff game at JHU either 16.1 or 16.2.

He hopes to pass the Book of Love down to a trusted friend when they are old enough. In order to keep the traditions going, Jess passed mailed the book to Shelby, whom she and Tea had dormed with in 16.2. Shelby went to JHU. Neal, Tea, or Jess can be contacted at equinox145111@gmail.com.

In Passionfruit 17.2, Shelby, the only royal appointed Lynne Kim as emperor and Kathlyn Archibald-Drew as empress. Because she only had one book of love, it was given to Kathlyn. Because Lynne and Neal were in the same Logic class 15.2 SAR, Neal promised to send the Book of Love to Lynne through mail. But it got lost in the mail. May it rest in peace. After the session ended, Kathlyn appointed Amelia Orwant as her Princess of the Blood. Unfortunately, Kathlyn was unable to come back to CTY 18.2, but Lynne and Amelia returned.

At the end of Passionfruit 18.1, a royal court was crowned by three CTYers-turned-RAs. May the following four continue to fight the good fight and keep the spirit of CTY alive: Harper (Emperor), Bella (Empress), Ben (Poetry Goddess), Aleni (Non-Denominational Spiritual Figure).

In Passionfruit, Amelia Orwant and Brian Jung were appointed Empress and Emperor respectively. Brian may not be able to return to CTY, it is yet unknown. Amelia has already appointed Penny Orwant, her sister, as her Princess of the Blood and may be appointing more. There are currently plans to add more royalty to the Baltimore campus in the hopes of maintaining and regaining many of the traditions.

**Establishment of the Traditions Committee**

As most seasoned CTYers will say, JHU is very much devoid of traditions, aside from Canon, which it barely has.

In 10.2, a student Rachel and her friends, along with the Empress of Passionfruit Trinity, established the Traditions Committee. The purpose of this Committee was, and is, to a) preserve what little tradition JHU has and b) expose the staggering number of first time CTYers to such traditions and c) to discuss matters such as adopting traditions, etc. Although student-run, two RAs attended all meetings for supervision and administrative help. The Traditions Committee is led by the reigning Emperor/Empress of Passionfruit. It is advised that anyone going to JHU join this committee in 11.2 (to be led by Karl Heinlein, Empress Trinity's successor) and anyone going to 11.1 fight to have the committee established in that session as well.

[Update] A Traditions Committee was not set up 11.1 due to the amazingly large amount of squirrels. Also, while no RAs would endorse it, most veteran Admins (ie, Admin Patrick) completely support and endorse the Traditions Committee.

[Update] No Traditions Committee was in place during 11.2, but Karl, along with many others, created a tight-knit community that formed into 3 successful rounds of Blammo, 2 afterdances, and a Passionfruit. Next year's JHU Session 2 Emperor AND God is Ryan Muggleton(there is debate whether he will be able to fulfill this roll).

During 12.1, several nevermores decided that the lack of tradition had to be stopped. Zoe, head of the nevermores elected an emperor and empress to bring tradition during 13.1

[Update] During the Passionfruit of 12.2, Joe C, the "self-appointed" God of BLAMMO, crowned Indie Page as the new Goddess of BLAMMO. Molly, a flying squirrel from LOS and CAR, crowned Amanda S. as the Empress of the Passionfruit. While all artifacts are still in 11.2 Emperor/God, Karl's possession, there is much determination to restore tradition to JHU. Plans are underway to bring back Love Tape day, Goth Day, and finalize a Canon list.

[Update] The lost artifacts have been recovered by the Goddess of BLAMMO. All hail. Spoon.

[Update] The Traditions Committee was governed and regulated by Cody, the Dean of Residential Life, in 16.1. The committee didn't do much other than complain, and had an abundance of sperm.

Instagram Account

An Instagram account for the site has been established in 16.1 by two CTYers (Sophia R. And Alison C.). The username is baltimorecty and the password is americanpie. All are welcome to post on the account.

There is the possibility that the account no longer exists.

There is also a CTYmemes account made in 18.2 that originated at Baltimore. Though it is not an official site instagram account, it has many memes posted exclusively about CTY and the CTY experience. It is not site specific, so it has followers from all over CTY.

Neighbors

CTY has shared the campus with various other programs.

• Summer JHU Campus Tours can frequently be seen. Groups of people will walk around following a guide who explains the campus. Usually, there is no interaction beyond CTYers looking at the groups and vice versa. Some tour guides will explain that JHU hosts summer camps.
• LeadAmerica also shares the campus. In 07, they also shared the cafeteria and had an intrusive presence. In 08, they were on different parts of the campus, so there were only a few chance encounters, and interaction level was very low.
• The Field Hockey Girls shared the cafeteria in 08.1. They would leave out their bags and sticks everywhere.
• The Lacrosse Guys passed through the campus in a huge march in 07.2. In 08, they sometimes walked near CTYers (and also had a huge march), but had no further contact. They inhabited a modern building across the street from the campus, adjacent to the Barnes and Noble, the upper floor of which was used in 08.2 for Casino Night). In 09, they had several large migrations near the Gentle Slope. There was very little contact between the CTYers and the Lacrosse Guys. In 12.2, they passed by in a huge march and some girls made it a daily thing to ask them for high five's as they went by.
• Precollege and Discover Hopkins: JHU hosts a precollege program. In 08.1, they occupied part of AMR II. They did activities on their own, but often were near the Gentle Slope. They also shared the cafeteria.

In 10.2 they were seen at various times in the dining hall and on the twisty pathways.

• Hopkins Engineering Innovation: they share the cafeteria. Little is known about them.
• Center Scholars[2] share the cafeteria. They are part of the CTY program, mostly post-nevermores. All of them were former Baltimore CTYers. There was little interaction between most CTYers and them (with the exception of all Genomics classes), even though they don't bite. They are somewhat harder to distinguish from Precollege and Discover Hopkins. They may show up for some CTY dances.
• Volleyball Girls At 10.2 They took the place of the lacrosse guys.

13.1

• Lead America - a leadership conference that loves taking group pictures, wearing suits, and looking really attractive at all hours. They were often found being really rude, leaving their dishes on the FFC tables, shaking their double ring binders at people, not moving when you said excuse me, and hooking up. One RA christened them "Prom Night Camp" thanks to their habit of wearing suits and fancy dresses when it was 30-something degrees Celsius out.
• Lax Bros (STIX) - hide your food, hide your cafeteria tables, STIX is here. They ate 42 tons of food at each meal and were known for being extremely preppy, blond, and stereotypical. At the peak of the invasion, the lines for food were at least 30 people long, leaving CTYers with the options of spending forever in line and surviving on rice/carrots. One tried to pick up a CTYer by awkwardly commenting "You're hot" and then stumbling around in front of Fresh Foods. There may or may not have been Lax Chicks too, but CTY meal times always coincided with the bros. There was an incident in which both a CTY class and a group of Lax Bros made fun of each other while there was a man filming the STIX for unknown purposes.

16.2

• Envision- a career exploration type camp. Envision participants wore fancy clothes even through the ninety degree weather and created huge lines at Fresh Foods, often leaving halls no place to sit. It is inconclusive as to whether or not Envision people were college or high school students. However, it is believed that they were at JHU for an Advanced Medicine course and were high schoolers.

CTYers

This is an alphabetical list of all RealCTYers who have attended Baltimore:

• Addye
• Aimee Johnston
• Alex Johnson (Arlex)
• Allison Liao
• Amy Xue
• Anouk Clendenning
• AJ
• Eileen Tchao
• Ananth Josyula 15.1]]
• [[User:A.nxhm| Anna
• Asia Chen
• Anu
• Harry Brennan
• Amanda Sin
• Benjamin Huh 17.2, 18.1
• Brian Li
• Kevin Lee
• Casey Hoffman 11.1
• Mary Wan<3
• Derek Jang
• Grace Lee
• Beanz
• Cam Richards
• Chen
• Christinecatastrophe
• Christopher Kang: ALE (Baby CTY) 12.2, 13.2, 14.2, 15.2, JHU 16.1, LAN 17.2
• Deanna Daly
• Rachel(: 11.1, 12.1
• Danielle
• Danna Shen
• Ducttape
• El Hackador
• Eliseeyoh
• Eugenius
• Erin Wang
• Emma Z
• Bob Zhou
• Fafnirical
• Falalalice
• Fini52
• Gareth Chen
• Hedgehogman
• Ho Ching Leung
• Indie Page
• Jake Wartenberg
• Jessica Jiang 12.1, (13.1)
• Jessie Kanacharoen
• JLou31894
• Joshiek1990
• Justice Yoo
• Karl2007-2011
• Kaley
• Kungpowbarton
• Kavin Sanghavi
• Kelvin Zhu
• Kevin Lin
• Lee
• Lee 12.1
• LGCLUV
• Lightman
• Lietk12
• Ibleedpurple
• usnsccjbid
• Martina Tan
• Miacrow
• Mila
• Molly Srour
• Musicluver9154
• MutantPassionfruitofJHU
• Natalies
• Natan
• Noah Fine
• Norman Xiong
• Oliver Grayson
• Rajitha Narreddy
• Reflectia
• Rhnathans12
• Matt Ribel
• Rosalie
• Shamelessp
• Sharpshooter1321
• Swangster93
• Supertakoyaki
• Thenose
• Thisismactan
• TKDAlex
• Tonarg14
• Trinity Duffield-Pugsley
• Urkle
• [3]
• Wendyl
• Wendeth
• Whitneybitme
• Wu
• Zakk
• Ingridw
• Dannyp
• cindyjiang
• Mshtrakh
• Kalika
• Gloriaho
• lalalucy46
• BakersDozen
• bli
• Hannah Lee
• Hannah Gong
• User:David 18.1

Emily Dickson 10.1, 10.2

External Links

• Site Information Packet