Baltimore

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The Baltimore site is located at 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 is stricter than other campuses as JHU is an open campus in the middle of Baltimore and CTY is terrified that students will be kidnapped or murdered. It has few persistent traditions as the administration tends to resist tradition. Baltimore is notorious among CTYers 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 AMR 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, the dorms, or the dining hall, though in recent years, this has become limited to the dorms and the Gentle Slope.

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 (this was changed in 2018 because the building is so far from the dorms), and most Humanities classes are held in Gilman Hall, directly across the Gentle Slope from AMR I. Many classes are now located near the Glass Pavilion. As of 2019, there is a whole-site meeting every Sunday before night class.

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

AMR I and AMR II

The girls' and boys' dorms are known as AMR I and AMR II, respectively. The two dorms are perpendicular and adjacent to each other on the northeastern corner of the campus (and of the Gentle Slope). They are both C-shaped and both contain a courtyard. Three sides are part of the building, while the fourth 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 still 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 (on rare occasions, it is dysfunctional), two desks (with built-in lamps), two windows, two chairs, two wastebaskets, two recycling bins, and no phone or sink. There are two beds with adjustable heights. It is advisable to bring a power strip as power outlets tend to be inconveniently placed. All dorms have either rugs or tiles.

Dorms are usually doubles, but 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.

A storm in 18.2 caused parts of multiple ceilings in rooms within AMR I to collapse. Excessive amounts of empty alcohol bottles were found stashed in the ceiling of a room in AMR I during the same session.

Buildings A and B

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 Foods 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 crawled out of nowhere and hid in the showers. They were disgusting and probably poisonous.

McCoy Hall

In 2013, McCoy Hall housed 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 consists 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, 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 store that you buy a crap-load of junk food, soda, 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 the Upper Quad (the 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.

The Fresh Food Cafe

The entrance to the Fresh Foods Cafe

All CTYers share the Fresh Food Cafe, also known as the FFC. The food is either excellent, bad, or occasionally edible, depending on one's point of view. It can get repetitive, especially for CTYers staying for six weeks. There is always a sandwich bar and a salad bar.

During lunch, there is always some cooked potato product (usually fries), grilled cheese, pasta, a few types of pizza, hamburgers, desserts, fruit, and a vegan dish. The macaroni and cheese is sometimes good. The fries and grilled cheese are always good, though greasy. Breakfast usually has fresh fruit, meat products, potato products, sausages, pancakes, cereal, bread and bagels, and pastries. The scrambled eggs are not real scrambled eggs, but rather egg powder mixed with milk. There's water ice (or Italian ice if that's what you want to call it) during all meals.

There is a large assortment of drinks available - various sodas, milk, soy milk, coffee, tea, hot water, and juice. There will occasionally be a chocolate sauce dispenser for making chocolate milk. The water from the soda machines can be sketchy though and the juice machines may be out of order for extended periods of time.

There is also stuff for lactose intolerant people in a special fridge and a separate section for gluten-free people. Vegetarian and kosher meals are available. Although the dining hall is friendly to many dietary needs, be prepared to bring your own food and eat in the dorms, for the options are not very tasty nor are they diverse.

When you're done eating, you put your plate on a small conveyor belt beside the drink machines. It can get crowded quickly, so get in and out as fast as you can to avoid making a huge line.

Service is friendly: on one occasion, after hearing a CTYer say she was going to cry due to a lack of Lucky Charms, a staff member asked if she needed the dispenser to be refilled. There used to be one especially kind lunch lady named Montoya Jackson. She collects Trollies.

One issue with the cafeteria is that lines are often extremely long, even though the lunch schedule is staggered and everyone has an hour for lunch. The long-line problem is compounded by the fact that the cafeteria is weirdly shaped and that it is shared with other programs on campus, usually Precollege, a medical program, and lacrosse camps. CTYers often avoid long lines by first taking food that is in short lines, then coming back for more, or having dessert first, but most simply endure the lines as they are.

In 13.1, food services were redesigned by a company called Bon Appetit. The food is still great, it's just fresher/healthier. The onion rings are addicting. Montoya is the best. It is recommended that you stay away from the omelets whenever possible.

In 14.1, the sweet potato fries were a hit. There was also a more-than-average variety of vegan food, although most of it was spicy and it 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 17.1 and 18.2, the FFC offered popcorn, fresh pretzels, and even had a cotton candy machine during Tuesday lunches. The mac 'n cheese was nauseating, especially the vegan kind (which tasted like grass and was a scary shade of orange) but the grilled cheese sandwiches were good (though greasy). The vegan hamburger patties verge on inedible, but the normal ones are fine. Since the hamburger buns aren't good, most people just take a patty. The brownies are amazing. Note that you can't actually taste the Oreo in the Oreo brownies, but they tend to be bigger and taste better than the regular ones. If you don't like your brownie to be able to glue your mouth shut, however, it is recommended that you steer clear from any and all of the FFC brownies.

In 19.1, it was discovered that braiding hair is not allowed in the cafeteria.

Meet Market

Meet Market is after 9:00 and lasts for 30-0 minutes (usually 45). It's social time on the Gentle Slope and supervised by RAs who are there to prevent and discourage "risque activities." People talk outside or throw Frisbees or footballs, and some teach others to rave. Impromptu dances are occasionally held due to the presence of a giant speaker on wheels and an RA who can connect to their phone to it via Bluetooth. In the last two years, however, it's gotten stricter and everyone has to stay in the same part of the Gentle Slope (near AMR I).

During 11.1, while the girls were staying in buildings A & B, the grass above the Fresh Food Cafe was open during Meet Market. There was only one RA on duty and both boys and girls were allowed in the area. This grass is much softer than 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.

In 18.1, the sprinklers were known to turn on during Meet Market, which would ruin the mood.

Note to Couples: RAs and SRAs set up a perimeter without loopholes. They will always be within eyesight 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
This is no longer 100% accurate but the staff are still strict about PDA rules. Be careful.

Off-Campus Locations

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. These trips usually qualify as hall bonding. Halls of the day tend to go off-campus as their reward. In recent years, however, halls have only been allowed to go to the bookstore.

All of these locations can be found on Google Maps.

Current Off-Campus Locations

The exterior of the Barnes and Noble.
The interior of the Barnes and Noble.
  • Barnes and Noble: This is the university bookstore. There are regular activities to visit the bookstore, which is connected to a Starbucks. The bookstore is where all the JHU sweatshirts and other attire are sold. There are also CTY hoodies, hats, and water bottles. The Starbucks inside is decent, but lines on weekends may be long during popular visiting times.
  • Starbucks: Sometimes trips to the local Starbucks are allowed by the less strict RAs. However, as there is already a Starbucks in the Barnes&Noble, this almost never happens.
  • Insomnia Cookies: 24/7 cookies, but soon was unable to receive deliveries due to allergy concerns. RAs sometimes bring cookies back to their halls to eat, but it is now only visited by halls who have more laid-back RAs and who do not have students with nut allergies.
  • CVS: classic convenience store, never has ramen in stock. A place for CTYers to buy things they may have forgotten to bring. Has a lot of junk food. The CVS is only visited by halls who have less strict RAs.

There are several grocery stores. RAs know where they are. It is advised that on the first day, CTYers 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.

Former Off-Campus Locations

  • 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. Nobody went there in 2018.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Subway: This is located across the street from the Barnes and Nobles, but again, starting from 10.1 no one ever went there.
  • Chipotle: A burrito and taco restaurant. Somewhat expensive.
  • 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. However, in recent years, it has been rarely visited.
  • The Rotunda: A tiny movie theater that plays only two movies. Most of the stores are closed. The concessions are insanely expensive.
  • Coldstone: ice cream.

History

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. Previously, shopping trips to Hampden were permitted, but this year, extremely early notice was required for that to happen. According to an RA, you had to give "at least 2 weeks of prior notice so that the office can approve the activity."

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 that went to Coldstone because they were "married" on Casino night. No shopping trips were allowed despite pestering from 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 DRL Nick except for those to the bookstore. However, some halls still went to CVS and Insomnia Cookies.

Student Life

While JHU follows the same basic feel of campus life at any CTY site, its environment varies among different years. In general, it is 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 its 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, 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 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 then reinstated in 2018). 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). Color War returned in 18.1, but due to rain, it did not occur in 18.2 and was replaced with a dance.

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. SRA 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, Casino Night, the Talent Show, and Color Wars. 18.2 got, in no particular order, a block party, Movie Day, Casino Night, the Talent Show, and likely a few others.

In 19.1, weekend activities included the usual Casino Night, Movie Night and Talent Show as well as Color Wars, the Amazing Race, and the brand new Self-Care Saturday.

Strictness

While it's false that the RAs are generally strict, SRAs may be strict. However, depending on the year, they either don't come out much or are seen hanging around in random places.

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 or if they become so addicting that CTYers no longer pay attention to staff. Some RAs may force CTYers to get off their phones and socialize (one event went to the extent of bribing their hall with take-out on the last night), but this rarely occurs.

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 out three people on the second day and put many more people on probation during the days after. Let it be known that this is WAR. User:Digiflex This year, Scheduled Presence was implemented. It involved RAs 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.

12.2 saw the return of the notorious Andrea Administration. Scheduled presence was still in place and tighter than ever. Visits to Coldstone were a rare privilege, and so were the opportunities to order out from Chipotle. For some halls, visits to Niwana and PaperMoon Diner were no longer existent, as was ordering Chinese takeout due to the 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 were no longer allowed to leave for and from breakfast, dinner and lunch by themselves. Dinner and Breakfast shifts were implemented. Because of impending thunderstorms, a day of study hall was canceled and instead replaced two daily activities the following week.

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

14.1 had an abundance of strict RAs, 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. RAs 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 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 its 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 RAs 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 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 students could not walk anywhere alone, even if it was a few paces ahead of the hall. That was really the only annoying rule. Many RAs 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 that 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 Stairway to Heaven meant it was time to prepare for American Pie. The SRAs, Deans, and Site Director were all nice, but no one really knew who the Dean and Site Director were as they pretty much never interacted with students. SRAs were chill and most used to be RAs, so they knew how to interact with teens (wow, gasp!).

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 common 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 broken on the second week.

19.1 had strict rules on sleepovers, but some RAs gave up on caring by the second week. The basic rules were to be asleep by 11:00 PM, only to have them on Saturday nights and no more than 4 to a room, which led to many ISOs. On the final night, students were not allowed to have sleepovers. Obviously, this rule was not followed. Off-campus trips were allowed only to the bookstore and Starbucks once a weekend and for Hall of the Day. This was awarded for good behavior, but was suspected to just be an excuse for SRAs to tell halls what they were doing wrong. Technically, Cards Against Humanity wasn't allowed but even the strictest of Was gave up on that rule quickly. BLAMMO, yet again, was banned at the site, because it "disrupted the other programs". RAs, TAs and teachers were not allowed to participate in any shape or form in spirit days. The SRAs, in general, were pretty relaxed, but the strictness of RAs varied greatly. Halls were required to stay together at all times and stick to their RAs like glue at risk of being kidnapped or assaulted. One student was kicked out in the second week due to rumored violence.

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 at the dances tends to be pop. The dances usually take place in the Glass Pavilion but are sometimes 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). This tradition, however, may have been forgotten.

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. Several dances were in front of either AMR I or AMR II.

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

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

In 10.1, Forever Young 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, Forever Young, 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, Forever Young, 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, Forever Young, 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 Forever Young, 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 there are additions to the JHU canon - Wobble Baby is played at every dance and is greatly enjoyed by 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 Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were played at all the dances, along with Wobble Baby, 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 RAs were strict, monitoring couples very closely and walking around the masses of people during the dances, prying couples apart. Some RAs 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, 17.1, and 17.2, Forever Young, American Pie, and Stairway to Heaven were all played.

In 18.1, Sandstorm, Tunak Tunak Tun, Wobble, Everytime We Touch, Fireflies, Mr. Brightside, Forever Young, Stairway to Heaven, and American Pie were 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 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. For the actual canon played, everything was played according to the Book of Love. (High holy played every dance, most of high canon, fair amount of middle and low canon.) Additionally, many of the forevermore RAs played additional canon that they felt was special. RA Alexis (Carlisle Empress 14.1) was the DJ for the last dance and was unfortunately told by another RA to remove some of the canon on the playlist as there was "too much."

In 19.1, Tunak Tunak Tun, Everytime We Touch, Low, Wobble Baby, Cupid Shuffle, Forever Young, Stairway to Heaven, and American Pie were played at the dances. Cotton Eye Joe was played at the first dance, but none of the others. The fill-in empress took it upon herself to revive the rave circle by teaching at an activity and handing out glowsticks, so there were twelve ravers at the last dance who could do at least two-beat. Sandstorm was played at the last two dances for ravers. Slow dancing was actually allowed and RAs tended to not care as much about PDA rules. There was a few students who messed up American Pie at the second dance by running in too early, but it all ended up fine. There was no Afterdance, but the Traditions Committee revived the chant through the tunnel. It rained at the first and last dance, and because of the "you get struck by lightning if you go outside during a storm" rule, many halls were late to the dances.

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, angering 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. Inter-suite sleepovers 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 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 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 it.

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 although limited to four people per room.

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. There was an instance where a group of girls were caught having a sleepover at 1:00 am by patrolling RAs but were let off for doing 20 jumping jacks in the hall instead.

19.1 had strict rules on sleepovers, but some RAs gave up on caring by the second week. The basic rules were to be asleep by 11:00 PM, only to have them on Saturday nights and no more than 4 to a room, which led to many ISOs. On the final night, students were not allowed to have sleepovers. Obviously, this rule was not followed.

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

Traditions

Nature of JHU Traditions

The Baltimore campus is not one that easily maintains tradition. As Hopkins' open campus is in a larger city than most other CTY sites, a measure of increased strictness is expected. However, the vast majority of difficulty arises from the abundance of administrators inspecting and coordinating the site. The combination of unyielding restrictions and lack of administration desire to maintain traditions results in many roadblocks.

Baltimore-Specific Help
Anyone looking to further traditions at Baltimore is always welcome and appreciated. Given the difficulties, it is often best for Baltimoreans to seek help from previous royalty or traditions leaders who have dealt with the administration and regulations in the past.

The following is a list of Baltimoreans who are open to questions:
- If you've been involved in Baltimore traditions in the past and want to help out future generations, feel free to add your name! -

  • Amelia Orwant - 5 sessions at Baltimore over 4 years. 18.2 Princess, 19.2 Empress

The Traditions Committee

In 10.2, a student, Rachel, and her friends, along with the Empress of the Passionfruit Trinity, established the Traditions Committee. The purpose of this Committee was, and is, to a) preserve what little tradition JHU has, b) expose the staggering number of first-time CTYers to such traditions, and c) to discuss matters such as adopting new 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.

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

No Traditions Committee was in place during 11.2, but Karl, along with many others, created a tight-knit community that formed 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 or not 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 to 13.1.

During the Passionfruit of 12.2, Joe C, the "self-appointed" God of BLAMMO, crowned Indie Page Goddess of BLAMMO. Molly, a flying squirrel from LOS and CAR, crowned Amanda S. 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 list of Canon.

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

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 squirrels.

Though the traditions committee has not been truly student-run in a while, in 18.2, it failed to meet. As Cody was no longer the DRL, there was no official traditions meeting. Instead, the Empress, Lynne, discussed tradition with SRA Cindy.

During 19.1, the traditions committee met once. They revived one tradition: the tunnel chant. They also finalized a Spirit Day schedule.

The Book of Love

The Book of Love is a book filled with all the Baltimore traditions that is passed down from Empress to Empress and Emperor to Emperor. Originally it was just the Empress, but a second copy was made. The first copy was made by Empress Amanda Sin and has been passed down to this day. In 2017, the Emperor's copy was lost in the mail, and a new copy was made by 18.2 monarch Lynne Kim. The Empress' copy has been the same since its creation. Each Empress has added their own entry to the book and it details the history of tradition at Baltimore as well as what CTY has meant to each monarch.

The De Amore Libri

This book was created in 19.1 and is similar to The Book of Love that is used in session two. The title "De Amore Libri" is "Book of Love" in Latin (courtesy of our unreliable Lord and Savior, Google Translate). Empress Claire wrote the book in order to help the next Empress, who, going against tradition, was a squirrel. It is a complete guide on everything one needs to know to be Empress and details JHU traditions. The book is intended to be handed down from Empress to Empress and will hopefully help to continue and grow traditions.

The Tarot Cards

The Tarot Cards are handed down from Empress to Empress at the Passionfruit each year at Baltimore session 2. It is traditional for the Empress to read students' fortunes at Casino Night.

The Afterdance

18.2 Empress Lynne Kim and Princess of the Blood Amelia Orwant decided that this was a good tradition to bring in from the many other sites which participate. After each dance, while going through the tunnel from the Glass Pavilion towards the dorms, students chant the following as loud as they can: 

CTY has a nice butt
CTY we love you
Give us your souls 
Give us your souls
CTY we love you

There was a lot of participation and it is hoped that this tradition is continued.

Spirit Days

Clothing Swap Day

In 07.1, Drag Day was virtually nonexistent. Only five or six kids participated (one of them on the wrong 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. It was impromptu and organized wholly by the students. Many students participated in this spectacular event. Fake 'marriages' happened throughout the day and many hearts were broken as "boys" dumped "girls" and other confusions happened.

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 and was held on Second Wednesday. RAs were still forbidden to "encourage OR discourage it." Only about 1 in every 10 kids dragged. Paul's hall was forbidden from participating "because it might be insulting." Most other halls were not expressly forbidden.

In 09.2, Drag Day was not endorsed by the administration, but was allowed to happen, with a turnout of about one third of the students.

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

In 11.1, Drag Day occurred on the second Monday, and most of the student body participated. Students spread the word almost a week in advance and the exchange of clothing happened up until that Monday. RAs pretended not to know about the event and neither endorsed nor discouraged it. Boys were seen in skirts and dresses, some in heels and a bra, though the exchange of underclothes has been forbidden in the past years. Many more girls participated than boys and some were mistaken for actual boys (which they were delighted about). This was the birthday of "swag walks" and "bro food."

In 11.2, Drag Day proceeded as per the norm and occurred on the second Tuesday. RAs pretended to know nothing about it but the instructional staff did say some things, especially the LAWP class as they were about to discuss gay rights. There was a lot more participation compared to 10.2. A couple Lax Bros were surprised by the sight of nevermore Jaime in a halter-neck Mexican dress, nevermore Kyle in jeggings and a tight T-shirt, and jaw-dropping looks by many other courageous men.

In 12.1, a few returning CTYers participated, but many squirrel-y 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.

In 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 RAs 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 have consequences.

In 17.1, Drag Day was celebrated by most of the camp as a part of spirit week. It was created to appreciate the LGBTQ+ community. Anyone who wore anything offensive and/or discriminating was forced to change, but the RAs 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, the day was celebrated with much debate over what to call it. 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. The majority of students and RAs called this spirit day "drag day" or "gender bender day." It was also pointed out that "drag day" might have some problems since what CTY was doing was not actually drag, or that "gender bender day" might imply the clothes were part of the gender. Overall, RAs and students agreed that "Cross-Dress Day" would be an offensive name while either of the other two names only had smaller issues in interpretation. However, the administration persisted in calling it "Cross-Dress Day" and even used the problematic phrase "opposite gender" multiple times in hall meeting announcements.

In 19.1, Gender Bender Day was on the last Wednesday. Crops tops and midriffs were not allowed on guys, and RAs repeatedly stated that the day was for solidarity for the student in the 90s and was not a joke. Approx. 40% of the students participated. The LAX Bros tried to start a fight with a few male Engineering students and complained to the Head of Site. Their complaint was ignored.

Goth Day

Goth Day, alternatively known as Goth/Emo/Punk Day at Baltimore, is celebrated the same as at any other campus. However, it is not tradition to write "Forevermore '09" as it is at Carlisle.

Love Tape Day

Love Tape Day at Baltimore has had varying levels of participation depending on the year. RAs in the past consistently provided tape to the many squirrels at Baltimore, but many no longer do or are allowed to.

In 17.2, masking tape was provided to all students by their RAs

In 18.2, it was announced that RAs would be handing out masking tape, but not all did. Many people heard all staff were banned from participating. The Princess of the Blood and the Empress also brought extra duct tape to hand out.

In 19.1 many students were under the impression that RAs would be supplying them with tape. They did not have said tape, but luckily the Empress brought extra to share with people. As in, almost seventy mini rolls that she made herself. In the end, between the tape from the Empress and some people bringing their own, lots of students were able to participate and it was an overall success.

Towel Day

Towel Day at Baltimore is held only on the final Thursday of camp. It is tradition to blast or sing It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. on this day as well as to carry around your towel with you in proper Towel Day fashion.

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 or themselves. One RA bribed their hall to be more social with the promise of chicken wings on the last night. (This did in fact occur and the Buffalo Wild Wings were eaten in a room whose door did not open directly into the main hallway.) 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 (including "going on a slight detour" to the shop while on a trip to the bookstore). In addition to RAs and instructors buying some for their halls, during official trips to the bookstore for Hall of the Day and buying / returning textbooks, students were brought to Insomnia Cookies.

In 19.1 this tradition was still banned.

Passionfruit

Passionfruit at JHU

Passionfruit doesn't happen consistently--it always occurs, but the various sub-traditions associated with it change depending on the RAs running it. 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 Passionfruit 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.

In 18.1 and 18.2, the passionfruit juice was pretty much tasteless warm red Kool-Aid. The blue cooler that contained the juice was too large to fit in a sink, so RAs had to fill it with water from a shower in an AMR 1 storage room (hence the warm temperature).

Actual photo of the making of Passionfruit juice in 2018

In 19.1, Passionfruit was held at 5:30 on the quad outside of AMR 1. The juice was SRA Emily's fruit punch recipe. It was cold and held in two coolers. Nobody sat down because the grass was wet, but there were many excellent toasts. The tradition is for Nevermores and Nomores to make toasts, but other students also toasted. Many people cried. Every toast ended with "I love CTY and I love the Passionfruit". Some students, after drinking too much fruit punch, discovered it made your mouth incredibly dry.

Emperors and Empresses

Much like at other sites, the Empresses and Emperors help run spirit days, Passionfruit, as well as advocate for canon and other tradition. At the Baltimore site especially, they fight to bring back lost traditions and to maintain those that are already there. At Baltimore, there is theoretically always one Empress and one Emperor. Though the titles themselves are gendered, the positions are not; A student of any gender can be Empress or Emperor.

During 09.2, 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 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 to 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 the 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 was also Emperor of the Passionfruit. BLAMMO was reinstated around Second Sunday. Only about 30-45 people attended Passionfruit, which 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 Nazli and Aliza Empresses 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. In response to this, Cat Brown, the 16.2 Goddess of BLAMMO, decided not to crown a successor. She instead chose Tea, the Empress of the Passionfruit, to crown two successors. Tea crowned Jessica Shannon and Neal Krishna as Empress and Emperor. To equally divide her artifacts, Tea copied down the entire Book of Love and gave that copy to Neal.

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 return 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.

That same year, Joshua Kim was appointed BLAMMO God, yet he again could not return to CTY 17.1 due to an unforeseen age restriction. He was Neal's roommate during 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 in Massachusetts, and having played on the 14.2, 15.1, and 15.2 SAR staff games. Unfortunately, there was no staff game at JHU in either 16.1 or 16.2. He hopes to pass the Book of Love down to a trusted friend when they are old enough.

To keep the traditions going, Jess mailed the book to Shelby, whom she and Tea had dormed with in 16.2. Shelby went to JHU.

At 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. Lynne and Neal were in the same Logic class at 15.2 SAR, so Neal promised to send her the Book of Love through the 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), and Aleni (Non-Denominational Spiritual Figure). Unfortunately Bella, Ben, and Aleni did not return.

During the 18.2 Passionfruit, Empress/Emperor, Lynne Kim, appointed Amelia Orwant and Brian Jung as Empress and Emperor, respectively. Brian, however, did not return to Baltimore for 19.2.

In 19.1, only Emperor Harper Goldstein returned. Claire Edmonds filled the role of Empress by confirmation of the Emperor and Empress Amelia (19.2). At Passionfruit, Harper appointed Eric Arujo as Emperor and Claire appointed Taylor Sweet as Empress.

In 19.2, Amelia returned as Empress along with three monarchy members. Amanda Chen was BLAMMO Goddess, the first attempt to reinstate the game since 16.1. Amelia also appointed Sebastian Altomare and Lena Parnassa as Prince and Princess of the Blood, respectively. The larger royalty group was appointed without care for nevermore status in the hopes that they could bring back some of the lost traditions to JHU, especially given past difficulty with the administration. During the 19.2 Passionfruit, Amelia appointed Natalie Faillace as Empress, Victoria Lam as Games Goddess, and Izzy as Rave Monarch.

Prince/Princess of the Blood

The Prince, Princess, or Monarch of the Blood is appointed by an Emperor or Empress at any time to help with advocating for traditions and spreading CTY culture throughout the campus. How much responsibility the Monarch of the Blood chooses to take on is usually up to them. In recent years, as it has become more and more difficult to take part in the essential CTY traditions at Baltimore, Monarchs of the Blood have been a way to expand the cast of royalty at Baltimore in the hopes of creating a more vibrant culture of CTY tradition at the site. Traditionally, each Empress and Emperor appoints one Monarch of the Blood, but this is not strictly adhered to. The Monarch of the Blood does not have to be a nevermore or nomore, and is the only Baltimore royalty position for which this is true. For a couple years, Baltimore lost the tradition of their Monarch of the Blood, but the title was carried down through the Book of Love and reinstated when Empress Kathlyn appointed Princess Amelia for 18.2.

In 13.2, Amanda Sin was Princess of the Blood, and later became 14.2 Empress of the Passionfruit as well as began the Book of Love, a tradition that has endured to this day.

In 14.2, no Monarch of the Blood is known.

In 15.2, Tea was the Princess of the Blood and later became 16.2 Empress of the Passionfruit.

In 16.2, there was no Monarch of the Blood.

In 17.2, there was no Monarch of the Blood.

In 18.2, Amelia Orwant was Princess of the Blood and later became 19.2 Empress of the Passionfruit.

In 19.2, Lena Parnassa was Princess of the Blood and Sebastian Altomare was Prince of the Blood.

BLAMMO

BLAMMO was brought to Baltimore in 2009 by two flying squirrels from Lancaster. They dueled for the title of God of BLAMMO: It was a fearsome battle between Sam, who wielded a trident of plastic spoons taped together, and his opponent with a sword created in a similar fashion. Sam won and became the first Baltimore God of BLAMMO.

BLAMMO was banned at Baltimore in 16.2, but the pre-session appointment of the 19.2 BLAMMO Goddess Amanda Chen marked hopes to reinstate the tradition in any way possible. While both regular BLAMMO and undercover BLAMMO were banned by site admin in 19.2, Empress Amelia Orwant appointed Victoria Lam the 20.2 Games Goddess. (The Games Goddess is a CTYer responsible for running a student-run site-wide game (not similar to BLAMMO) during session.)

19.2 Reforms

In an effort to rehabilitate traditions at JHU, the 19.2 Empress, Amelia Orwant, initiated a number of reforms:

Monarchy
It was determined that the maintenance of rules surrounding monarchy appointments would come second to creating a full royalty team. The Empress, a few months prior to the session, appointed Amanda Chen, Lena Parnassa, and Sebastian Altomare as royalty. Amanda Chen was BLAMMO Goddess despite being a one-more while Lena (nevermore) and Sebastian (two-more) were both Monarchs of the Blood.

Nevermore Clothing
This is actually an 18.2 reform, but 19.2 will be the first repeat year at JHU. The Empress Lynne sold T shirts and Hoodies for Nevermores following the example of many other CTY sites in 18.2. A New design will be sold by Empress Amelia in 19.2. Any nevermore or nomore who wishes to have something specially designed for their final year of CTY is welcome to purchase any items. The monarchy hopes that this will create a stronger sense of CTY community at the Baltimore site.

Traditions Calendars
This tradition began in 18.2 with Amelia as Princess handing out a few hundred traditions calendars. These calendars established which days corresponded to which spirit days or traditions throughout the session. The updated 19.2 calendars will do the same while also including important royalty contact information on the back. In addition to the individual calendars, 19.2 hopes to bring hall traditions calendars for each RA group with more detailed explanations of the spirit days. The explanations may also serve in place of administration explanations which have been problematic in the past.

New Activities

  • CTY Traditions: Run by all Monarchy. This activity will explain in detail Spirit Days, Passionfruit, Monarchy, and any other relevant traditions. Traditional Canon/Dances will be explained and practiced!
  • Learn to Rave: Run by Empress Amelia in 19.2. (For future CTYers, the Rave Monarch and/or anyone who can glowstick/spin poi should feel free to initiate the activity.) Glowsticks will be provided (Empress Amelia brought pairs from home and will request more as activity supplies from the administration.) All levels welcome! The group can bring unbroken glowsticks to Social Time to break them together and light up the Gentle Slope!
  • Acting Improv : Run by Empress Amelia. This tradition, borrowed from the LAN jester, was imported with the hope of bringing the JHU CTY community closer together. Everyone is welcome to come enjoy some improv games!

Help for Future Monarchs
Given the work the 19.2 monarchy has put in and the forward momentum of these changes, the hope is that they will be maintained and fought for in the years to come. It will not be easy, given the nature of the site, but communication will make it easiest. All materials (BLAMMO rules and slip templates, traditions calendars, etc), information, and social media accounts can be passed on to the next generation of royalty. For those seeking this information please contact Amelia or follow relevant instructions in the Book of Love.

Other Programs

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. They had bad table manners.

The Field Hockey Girls shared the cafeteria in 08.1. They would leave out their bags and sticks everywhere. They returned in 18.2, leaving impressive piles of stuff in the lobby of the FFC.

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 fives as they went by.

Precollege and Discover Hopkins: JHU hosts a pre-college 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[1] 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: In 10.2, they took the place of the Lacrosse Guys.

Lead America made an appearance in 13.1. 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. The LaxBros ate extreme amounts of pizza and pasta and everything (something like 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 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. Lax Bros have also been known to dare each other to talk to CTYers, which ends in extreme awkwardness. There may or may not have been Lax Chicks too, but CTY meal times always coincided with the bros.

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 CTYers who have attended Baltimore. Please add only the years you have attended, not those you hope to go to.

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