Los Angeles

Location

The LMU site is located, as one may guess, at Loyola Marymount University in western Los Angeles. It is about three miles from LAX International Airport; the conning tower is barely visible from some parts of the campus.

Overview

First off. It's Los Angeles. The weather is always wonderful [but it does get cold in the mornings and at night], there's a Jamba Juice onsite, and wisps of Radiohead's "Kid A" flutter around the campus at all possible hours. What more could you want from a camp for nerds?

LMU has always been a kind of black sheep with traditions, not keeping many (to the dismay of easterners), until a great kid named Michael Sherwood brought an incredible passion and zeal in the summer of '01. In that summer, and through no easy means, he imported REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)', 'Stairway', Gay Dad (I do believe LMU "started" this tradition), and Radiohead to the camp. Suddenly, there was light and energy. The abysmal food tasted better, the sky was bluer, the girls were wearing less clothing.

• Tidbit: "It's the End of the World as We Know It" was a staple at the LA venues in the early 1990s (LMU and, before that, the University of Redlands). Apparently, it died out sometime in the 1990s.

It should be noted that the playing of the canon and establishment of many of the eastern traditions in '01 was actually due to a former Lancaster student turned instructor in the young students program DJing the dances. He brought REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)' and the associated dance tradition and helped to bring Passionfruit to Los Angeles. And Forever Young was not only on said instructor's computer, it was played at the proper time during each of the unfortunately small number of dances that summer.

There are three dances per session, all held on Fridays. There is always a Casino Night, some form of Water Day, Drag Day, and a talent show. Students observe Passionfruit early on the last morning of the session. On the last day of every second session, someone manages to dump something into Doheny Fountain, such as Jello powder, Tang, or liquid soap.

Dorms

• Huesman Hall: has urinals, no mirror or sink in room.
• Doheny Hall: no urinals, mirror and sink in room.
• Desmond Hall (undergoing renovations in 2006)
• Rosecrans Hall
• Whelan Hall: mirror but no sink in room

RAs

LMU is home to the legendary Boring Brothers and, of course, Tom Ryan.

Activities

The afternoon activities are the most interesting part of the camp. 'Enmity Bracelets', made of chains and spiky metal objects, decorated the ankles and wrists of many '04 LMU-ers. 'How to be a Central American Dictator' led raids on other afternoon groups such as 'Guerilla Warfare', wearing stylish red headbands and wielding water balloons. 'Down With the Man' started protests against every other activity held that day. In 06.1, a 'CTY Protest' activity, led by the instructor and TA of the International Politics class, protested several activities, such as quidditch, paper flower making, and themselves, with one student shouting "up with facism!" into a bullhorn. 'Robot Wars', and 'Robot Wars II' were two duels between RAs Tom and Geoff. Encased in cardboard armor, they clashed together in apocalyptic combat to the heavy beat of Rammstein.

Wet and Wild Day usually takes place on the first Saturday. Usually there is a "Dry Side" for the wusses who go play in the bounce house, read magazine, or play cards. RAs can be seen roaming about the "Wet Side" with heavy-duty water guns. Students usually have to make do with flimsy plastic cups that they fill up with water. The first Saturday is ended with a Movie Night.

On the second Saturday, the Talent Show takes place. People with super-cool skits or not-very-great skills perform. Casino Night takes place after that. Some people play card games for 'money' while others run around doing weird and crazy deeds the RAs tell them to do for 'money'. A couple of people get 'married' (until marriages got cancelled they said it was 'CTY inappropriate' ). At the end every hall uses the money they have to bid for prizes like In-And-Out burgers or duct taping an RA of their choice to a tree. (In 2006 there was no bidding. Halls just got called up one at a time, starting with first place and working there way down, and each hall got to choose form the list of prizes.)

Sunday is usually a day of 'non-mandatory fun', although it is mandatory for you to go, you can read or sit around. It's usually like the daily and weekly activities that take place from Monday to Friday. Sunday is concluded with a [groan] two-hour study hall.

• In 06.2 the order of weekend activities was:

First Saturday: Quiz Bowl & Movie Night First Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun with a Carnival theme Second Saturday: Talent Show & Casino Night Second Sunday: Wet & Wild Water Day

Dances

Dances take place on Fridays and the last Thursday of each session. During 2005, they took place at the Rosecrans Courtyard. Dances at CTY typically take a couple of hours before many people are really dancing, but eventually most people do dance. However, many boys can be seen sitting at the edge of the dance floor. During 2006, they were sitting on or even behind the walls around Sullivan Academic Center and RAs like JZ and Jason and Mike had to run around making them dance.

As of 2006, LMU does play "American Pie", "It's the End of the World As We Know It", "Istanbul", and "Stairway to Heaven" at every dance. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was semi-canon during session 2, where people formed a conga line that went in a spiral. Chants of "HARDER HARDER HARDER HARDER!" and sometimes "FASTER FASTER FASTER FASTER!" could be heard after the usual "die die die die live live live live sex sex sex sex more more more more!" during session one. People have pointed fingers at the Biomedical people, or Chemistry session 2 for this.

• Never add anything to the end of American Pie chants, only Lancaster people are allowed to do that

Courses

There are a multitude of courses offered, but not many advanced courses, i.e. Advanced Chem.