Lanyard

Lanyards are loose, thin cloth bands to be worn around the necks (or on the person) of CTYers at all times. Lanyards hold various things such as room keys, student IDs, debit cards, fobs, or key cards. They are printed with the term JHU-CTY and the URL of the CTY website. Lanyards are given out by staff to campers on the first day. New CTYers please note that swinging your lanyard is not allowed (found out during a personal experiance).

Fashion Advice

You are allowed to wear your lanyards in many ways. The first of which is you are allowed to wear them in the traditional way (around your neck). You are also allowed to wear your lanyards around your wrist in anyway you find appropriable (ex: wrapping it around your wrist multiple times, using the butterfly stitch to shorten it etc.). The last appropriate way you are allowed to wear your lanyard is through your belt loop, and into your pocket. Oh, I forgot, you can also wear the lanyards as a headband. (I got this confirmed by an RA at Carlisle). Finally you can wear them reverse around your neck such as to keep it out of the way for frisbee, etc. It is also possible to wear it sash-like, around your neck and one arm.

You are not to wear them like a choker around your neck, and you are not allowed to wear them as a belt around your waist. Note: At LAN at least, wearing it any way you desire, including the aforementioned rule violations is fine. Other sites, please confirm. At Carlisle, the aforementioned ways are not allowed.

At LOS it is required to wear lanyards around one's neck. Allowed variations are sash-like (around the neck and under one arm), or "Prisoner Style" (as a choker.) Bear in mind that rules on "Prisoner Style" vary with the RA or administrator present. People going to LOS are delivered a Lanyard Fashion Show by the RAs every year on the first day of the session. In this way, squirrels or flying squirrels come to understand that year's rules about lanyard worship and use.

Colors

The color of the campers' lanyards changes every year.

• 2008 - Neon Green
• 2007 - Neon Yellow
• 2006 - Yellow
• 2005 - Red
• 2004 - Sky Blue
• 2003 - Neon Yellow-Green
• 2002 - Red
• 2001 - Purple
• 2000 - Neon Green
• 1999 - Light Blue
• 1998 - Neon Orange
• 1997 - Navy Blue with yellow lettering
• 1996 - Yellow with blue lettering

In 1996, lanyards had "IAAY" printed on them. From 1997 to around 2001, lanyards had "CTY CAA IAAY" printed on them. "CAA" and "IAAY" were dropped by 2001 and replaced merely with the acronyms "CTY JHU." Lanyards are now printed with "CTY" and "JHU" as well as the official web site for CTY: "www.cty.jhu.edu."

Black Lanyards

Since 2003, black lanyards have been worn by RAs, instructors, TAs/LAs/PAs, and other staff members. These lanyards are often widely envied by campers, who have been known to try to take black lanyards from staff. Occasionally, at the Passionfruit, black lanyards are given to nevermores or nomores.

White Lanyards

In 2007, all staff members were given new white lanyards, much to the confusion and disdain of many of the veteran staff members. The white lanyards were a result of a typo (or misprint?) and will not appear again; they were meant to be black as usual, as evidenced by the return of black lanyards in 2008.

While most lanyards worn by the staff members turned into a murky gray by the end of the session, Art Frankel (CHEM.SAR.07.2) masterfully kept his white. His secret? Wear it around the collar of the shirt.

In an event unheard of at the time, John "Jarrison" Harrison (CTY.LAN.07) masterfully acquired not one, not two, not even three, but four white lanyards during his six week, two session, stay in Lancaster. In an act of pure chivalry,(and needless to say, manliness) Jarrison then "donated" one of his prized white lanyards to one Max Wang in exchange for a considerable discount (for free) on the Session 2 Alcove shirt.

The Cryptology class of LOS 08.1 managed to secure white lanyards through a class scavenger hunt/competition. This event involved encrypted messages, which were left scattered across the campus, leading to one another. Prizes upon completion of the scavenger hunt included white lanyards for each person, all in perfect condition.

Lanyard Swinging

Staff members can be strict about forcing campers to keep their lanyards on their necks (or at more lenient sites, somewhere visible on the body). Campers find it entertaining to take their lanyards off and swing them around; keys and fobs, or keycards, create a decent amount of momentum. RAs are very disapproving of this practice (which is reasonable, as students have been injured by flying or swinging keys), and often will reprimand campers found swinging their lanyards. Some campers retaliate by wearing their lanyards up around their ears, as belts, or woven as bracelets. This practice is also frowned upon by staff in stricter sites. On the last day, however, there is nothing stopping you from running around on the forbidden grass swinging your lanyard while singing at the top of your lungs.

An activity called Bizarro CTY allows you to swing your lanyard, along with other things that are usually contraband.

Lancaster RA Frank Wang is notoriously amazing at detecting lanyard-swinging, even when the culprit is located in such impossible places, such as all the way across the quad, around a corner, or behind Frank Wang himself.

Re-use

Many CTYers bring lanyards from past summers back to their current site. All old lanyards are worn at the same time as their current lanyard. This is a sign of returning-student pride, and sometimes also a sign of seniority. Reused lanyards are either woven as bracelets, or worn around the neck with current lanyards (often braided together), or however the new lanyard is worn. RAs usually don't care what you do with your old lanyards, as long as you're not swinging them. You can wear them as bracelets, etc. without fear of reprimand.