User:Thebartonc

When I am asked what CTY means to me, it means the world to me. It's where I met my favorite people in the world, it's where I met people who literally saved my life, in fact, it is the place that showed me I should stay. It is at CTY that I met people who shared my interests, and showed me that being a nerd is pretty damn cool.

15.1

Ah, yes. My first year at CTY. The year where I was a wide-eyed rookie CTYer. It was here when I fell in love with CTY and what it stands for. I fell in love with the fact that the average CTYer is about a thousand and a half times more interesting than the average person at my school. Thinking back I was pretty anti-social, I didn't have many friends. However, I ended learning American Pie (lyrics, callbacks, the whole thing). I knew I was coming back even before the session ended.

16.2

I took one of the most unorthodox courses at CTY, Whales and Estuary systems. About half the session is spent onboard the Lady Maryland and we learned how to sail and we studied the ocean and whales. Sans shower. Class was cool and all but someone from the same floor as me the year prior, Rohan, happened to be in my class! I ended up meeting many cool people, especially, Isabel DeMarco and Carolina Pachetti. This session led to my first ever CTY reunion, albeit a rather small-scale one, when I got together with Isabel and Carolina over winter break.

17.2

"Sometimes, we take way too much for granted." -Sunny

Maybe one of the best sessions ever, and not just because I'm back at Easton. From 16.2 to 17.2, it felt like an eternity and I have no idea why. I took Anatomy and Physiology B and ended up turning the whole class against me because of how terrible my puns were. You can go out on a limb and say my anatomy puns were bad ;). About halfway through the session, a fun-loving TA and a friend of mine, Jeffery, passed away. It devastated the whole ANPY.B class. As Austin Szatrowski and I were the ones with the most CTY experiences, I felt like it was an obligation to take a leadership role (reading Teammates by David Ross really helped). I will never forget the long Skype video calls Sunny (check out Jenny From the Block on Memories:EST) and I had at 1-3AM. I will never forget my lab partner Austin Szatrowski probably wanting to dismember me with a scalpel for all my terrible (read: state of the art) jokes. He never said it but I bet you any amount of money that he thought about it (*frantically Googles if killing a CTYer is considered CTYI*).

I had a gut feeling that this session was going to be great after I saw Sebastian "Not John" Reardon, who was in my hall in 15.1 and Fernando Martinez who shared a floor with my hall in 16.2. When we first saw each other we literally enacted the meme with two Spidermen pointing at each other, not gonna lie.

Outside of class, I got to know many other amazing human beings, courtesy of Austin and Sunny, many of whom I would keep in touch with for a long while after camp, including but not limited to, Carly Berglas, Isabel Yang, Aubrey Grayson Young, Hannah Gallagher (Orioles suck), Ahir Verma, and Ella Junge.

I had an amazing hall (cult) led by an amazing RA (cult leader), Jim (We get it, you go to Yale). Austin Szatrowski, Robert Lee, Allan Potts, Justin Baumann, Fernando Martinez, Jonathan, Zared, Andy, Pony, thank you for being great hallmates.

I actually had a good time at the dances, it's kind of a big change from 15.1

Similar to last year, I had a couple get-togethers over winter break, with Nikki Belenkiy in New Jersey, with Sunny in Irvine, California.

This was the first year where I had major, and I mean MAJOR, PCTYD.

Easton is starting to become my second home.

Notable Quotes:

"Can't you see Austin is cockblocking you?" -Syd

"So what do you think about Sunny?" -Octavia

"One more pun and you're outta here." -Austin and Bill

"Only two sane guys" -Austin, in the bathroom after a dissection and ALL the other guys got yelled at for waving scalpels around

"The veteran, the friend" -Justin

18.1

There really isn't much to say, save for that this would be my last session at Easton. I took too much for granted, the people, the prevalence of traditions, the proximity to Wawa, the beautiful campus, and everything in between. As Easton closes down, I don't know what my CTY future holds. Here are the possibilities:

1. This is it for me.
Easton is the best site, it's now defunct. Enough said. However, I would ideally want a "final year" and to be a nevermore. I want to speak at Passionfruit as the nevermore and walk out the gates as a forevermore. I am also applying to TASS, a highly competitive writing summer program. If I'm accepted, I will not be able to come to CTY in the summer of '19. Quoth the raven, forevermore. All in all, not the most likely option.

2. Carlisle
A solid option in all regards. From the people I had talked to, including the Empress Herself, Carlisle has been described as a site that values traditions and consists of a tight-knit community. I've heard nothing but good things about this site and if I do decide to return, Carlisle would be a front-runner. It is a site that has a consistently good reputation.

3. Allentown
Not too likely, but the proximity to the great town of Easton is definitely a plus. The fact that it is a new site raises from red flags for me. New sites, generally speaking, are devoid of traditions, a big no-no for me. Never mind the classes, traditions are what makes CTY great. Don't get me wrong, I love the Lehigh Valley area, not to mention that Allentown itself is insanely close to the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. 2019 is my last year, and I would personally go for a more well-established site. However, it should be intriguing to see how this site develops. I picture it should be a low-floor, high-ceiling site. The newer CTYers are less well-versed in traditions, putting it in jeopardy. However, many sites that replaced a site also have extensive prevalence of traditions, I'm optimistic for Allentown.

4. Baltimore
Honestly, 18.2 was a shitshow. There's no other way to spin it. Yes, I met some amazing people but the delinquency of the administration is appalling. It really soured my first year in Baltimore. Seeing their willingness for attacking students for speaking out was scary. Knowing that a friend of mine is a member of the Royalty next year, I could potentially return to back her up and support her endeavors for my last year. However, seeing how many of my friends were treated by the administration was devastating, I have my doubts about returning there.

BACK TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. *Ahem*

As many of you may or may not know, I'm bi and CTY has played a significant role in telling me that it's okay to be who I am. My life was great at the time and I didn't want that to potentially derail that. I was petrified of change and I despised it. At first, I just convinced myself that I'm actually not and it's just a phase but affirming and declaring your identity to the world is intimidating, regardless of religion, race, sexuality, or culture. The world can be a mean place sometimes, and we often do whatever we can to keep the out-group out. I could not have asked for meeting more loving and supportive friends. It made everything less harrowing or impossible. It is them that convinced me that I do indeed deserve good things, even when I was putting myself down. They showed me the light at the end of the tunnel (no, not a train). And as so many people have shown me that no matter how much I put myself down, I deserve love. It would be all the more special had I had someone to share that with. Lucas, I may not know right now how you feel about me or we may still have a ways to go but you're witty, kind, and thoughtful. Your smile and personality can brighten up an entire room and you may not even know it. No pressure for you to say yes, but if you do, my year and years to come will be made. Because you, Lucas, deserve a great love story too.

18.2

18.2 was an *interesting* and eventful session, to say the least. I reunited with many CTYers from the year prior, including my hallmate Robert Lee, classmate and close friend Carly Berglas, and you wouldn't believe this, Isa DeMarco. I knew Robbie and Carly were going to be there but seeing Isa there was a complete surprise. We had fallen out of touch and this shows how sometimes, life just figures itself out. It was really amazing seeing all of them again. Then there's you, Bradley (KIDDING I LOVE YOU!). There was a surprising (or should I say, alarming?) amount of SAS Pudong folks (Puxi is better). I got to know some really cool people this session, especially the Astrophysics girl gang, Maddy Miller, Amber JoneLIT (not gonna let it die), Abby Geiger and Mel Brigham, also the Beuroscience folks, Amelia Orwant, Jordan Harrow, Ari Solomon, Ronoy Sarkar, Davis Muller, Evan Abramov, Kris, and many more. The site administration, to put it kindly, was delinquent and incompetent at best. And that's putting it kindly. You may read for yourself what happened here. Knowing that something like that happens is horrible on its own, it gets worse when the victim is someone that I know and I'm close to. As the admins failed to respond appropriately, I saw the reason I came back to CTY after 15.1 from other CTYers, especially the aformentioned individuals. They stood up for what was just and what was the right thing to do courageously and protected [victim] and her friends. People who come to CTY are CTYers, but those and only those who stand up for the things we believe in and are dedicated to CTY is a CTYer. They were CTYers.

Here's something that I wrote about the ripple effect caused by the inaction of the administration:

The night of August 1st, 2018 and the wee hours of August 2nd, 2018 was perhaps the most frightening night of my CTY career. And it shouldn’t have been. It was well past lights out, and as bell tower strikes midnight, my phone buzzed with many text messages from [victim’s friend] and [victim] about an incident that happened in her class. First, I naïvely assumed that this had something to do with the empty bottles of alcohol that were somehow lodged in the ceiling. Me not being much of an early sleeper, and neither was my roommate, I stayed up thinking about all the possibilities, but for me there were few, and one that immediately popped into my head was one about sexual harassment. There was a case of sexual harassment over text during 2017 Session 2 in Easton and another case of it in Session 1 of the same site where one camper inappropriately touched another camper. After a grueling few hours and conversations that I will spare you of reading, what it ultimately boils down to is sexual harassment, and it didn’t just happen to any person. It happened to one of my closest friends at the site. That hit me like a pile of bricks and I struggled to grasp what had happened even when I was able to weave the bits and pieces into a coherent story after much effort. No CTYer, and no human being for that matter, should have to lean against the bathroom wall and contemplate how to handle a traumatic and potentially life-threatening situation that they are anything but qualified to handle."

"You don’t have to believe me, and at least I know the administration will try not to because apparently Center For Talented Youth Johns Hopkins site (shortened to CTY JHU, not to be mistaken for Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth administration, or JHU CTY administration) 18.2 admins upholds the Honor Code by not believing campers and those affected by sexual harassment and are scared of students having any tangible or intangible forms of power, but I will give my two cents as a close friend. Although I was not sexually harassed, my very first reaction was to stand by [victim] and do whatever I can to support her. It is my obligation not only as a friend, but as a human being, to treat someone who is having a rough go at life with all the support they need. To say that she was distressed and vulnerable is an understatement. I was scared for her, and in hindsight rightfully so, considering that CTY JHU administration completely mishandled the entire situation and things could have turned out much, much worse than it has been. Throw in the morbid fact that sexual harassment victims often commit suicide after substantial amounts of self-blame, admins, you may not know it, but life was literally hell. Things only took a turn for the worse at the Final Dance when the [harasser], was allowed to be back at the dance. The RAs had to band together and define a line which he must not cross. Neuroscience B students were willing to defend against the harasser, doing whatever it takes. This is not something RAs or CTYers should have to shoulder. The fact they did showed major delinquency on the part of the administration. Although he was allegedly not allowed on the dance floor, he still allegedly groped another student. What did the administrators think was going to happen when they allowed an individual who has done sexual harassment to attend the dance? This was a problem that could have been prevented by removing him from the program altogether. In fact, had everything been handled correctly, I wouldn’t need to write this. The thinking behind that decision is beyond me. We need answers. And not some generic “After reviewing the situation holistically…” answer. This is not something that needs to be reviewed “holistically.” Instead, it is something that needs to be reviewed on a case by case basis, carefully dissected and investigated. We need genuine and real answers. We’re talking about lives being at stake here. Privacy is not a valid reason to keep information concealed when someone’s life is at risk. It almost seems like the administration had their priorities gravely distorted. In what universe is the wellbeing of a random metal chain more important than the physical and mental wellbeing of a living human being? In what universe is the utterance of an explicit word more serious than the life of a person? The site administrators may have an unhealthy fetish of making sure the chains are not touched but when it’s all said and done, a person’s body and dignity is more important. Broken chains can be replaced, bruised butts can heal. But nothing can remove and repair a traumatic experience completely. The twisted ideology behind the thought process of the CTY JHU administration is utterly incomprehensible. I love [victim] and [victim’s friend] and the rest of Girl Gang more than basically everything else in this world. I don’t need an excuse to hang out with them. But at the last dance, [victim’s RA] told me to go on the dance floor because “there should be a guy with them.” That’s sad. Your response or rather, the lack thereof, reaches a level of pathetic previously unobserved by humanity, JHU site admins. I shouldn’t have to worry about their safety, especially at a place like CTY. In each and every CTY session I have been a part of, the phrase “It’s never too late to get kicked out” is said time and again, especially as the session draws to a close. As the events unfolded, I speculated on if the reason behind Tony’s lenient treatment was because it was so late in the session. This should not have been an issue. Thomas was kicked out of the session because of his violent outburst, causing him to be a risk to the safety of others. By extension, shouldn’t [harasser] consequences been at least equal to [violent student’s]? I heavily doubt what real power the administrators have, other than telling students off from touching the chains. Why is it that [victim’s RA] did more than admins, even though the admins are supposed to have more power? Administrators, how dare you say that you have done your job? How dare you say that everything was okay during the closing ceremony? Administrators, how can you sleep at night knowing that you failed her and all those around her, including me? How do you have the audacity to tell her that everything was handled correctly even though you know damn well it isn't? I know exactly how, because you don’t care at all."

"Life is tough enough already without incapable site administrators failing to do their jobs. I should be worried about schoolwork, not the mental health of [victim]. I should be figuring out the logistics for a reunion with the rest of the Girl Gang, not figuring out who we can really look to if there’s a real issue on campus. CTY is a safe space and you would assume that in a safe space, rape culture would not be perpetrated. But here we are, with site administration doing nothing in the face of clear evidence of sexual harassment. A quote from Desmond Tutu perfectly sums up the situation, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Site administrators, your inaction has convinced me and many other campers that you are on the side of the perpetrators."

"I regret the high marks I gave to the session on the evaluation. I despise myself for giving CTY the grotesquely false impression that this session was okay and that everything was normal. [Victim] said something at the last dance that absolutely broke my heart, “I’m probably not the last one.” Sad, but probably the truth if events like this are continuously downplayed and improperly dealt with. This is how rape culture is perpetrated. All this before we get to the fact the admins targeted a student for standing up for traditions and expressing her opinion. Traditions are what makes CTY special and what distinguished a site from others. Admins don’t get a say in it unless it’s completely inappropriate. Take drag day, for example, it is a day to celebrate the fact that CTYers had the courage to stand up against the discrimination of site administration. To ban it from happening is a grave violation of the Honor Code, and the administration is not above it."

"It should be worth noting that I usually have nothing against site administration. When sites are administered with common sense and reason, they help weave together the fabric we know as CTY, as I have personally witnessed at my three sessions at Easton and one at Bristol. However, the appalling inaction of site administration is distressing. What had happened has happened. We can’t go back and change the outcomes. What I hope to accomplish with this is to show that sexual harassment and the poor decisions of the administration not only affects the victim. The ripple effect of it means that people who are close to her, for example me, will also be impacted. I hope that this time is the last time such a terrible thing will be allowed to happen to anyone. I do hope that CTY, as an institution, can learn and grow from its mistakes. CTYers, I have just one thing to ask of you. When you see something, say something. It is wayyyyy better to have a false alarm than to have something like this go unnoticed."

"It’s something so predictable, but in the end it’s wrong // I hope you had the time of your life."

-Barton Yenhan Chen (Easton 15.1/17.2/18.1, Bristol 16.2, Baltimore 18.2)