Los Angeles
CTY Los Angeles is an educational summer paradise, with intense academics in class, "fun" activities outside of class, and many memorable moments in between. This site features a beautiful campus, a devoted set of teachers, and students of all kinds. While LOS is not the most tradition-laden site, new and interesting trends are always emerging. Every year, about 380 individuals come from all over the world to see what LMU will do next. A true CTY site, LMU leaves each student wanting to return, always wanting more.
Site Overview
The LMU site is located at Loyola Marymount University in western Los Angeles. It is about three miles from LAX International Airport; the Conning Tower is barely visible from some parts of the campus. As LMU is a Jesuit school, there is a bell tower and an iconic white chapel. There are also crucifixes in every single classroom. Student life tends to be centered around the Doheny, Sullivan, and Huesman Courtyards. Most classes are located within the area of Ignatian Circle. For more campus information, visit the LMU website.
The campus is beautiful, though CTY activities are confined to a small part of it. LMU has many fountains and a large library. Students live close together and eat in the campus cafeteria. There is a Jamba Juice on-campus, and many classes and/or halls go there for occasional drinks.
The site is moderately strict. Students must be escorted everywhere by a CTY staff member unless RAs are posted. Halls are required to eat breakfast together and have been since the summer of 2003. RAs function on a rotation schedule during dinner so that students may move freely between the dining hall and their dorms. Many of the RAs are obsessed with making students use the crosswalk.
Up until 2003, there was no formal programming on Sunday afternoons. Now, students attend Non-Mandatory Fun (a name coined by RA Tom Ryan in summer 2003,) or other themed weekend activities.
Student halls may order pizza, Chinese, or Thai for dinner on Fridays and/or Saturdays.
Weather
Given the university's proximity to the ocean (just 3 miles), the weather is warm and sunny during the day and cool at night, and the air is fresh. Sometimes there is a beautiful white mist in the morning. Students and staff alike are advised to bring at least one pair of long pants, and sweaters or a sweatshirt. Usually, the weather will be chilly in the evening, when students may want to change into warmer clothes. Students will often times not need a raincoat as it rarely rains in Los Angeles between May and November (but did one day in 14.2, 15.2, and 19.1). Humidity is seldom an issue and RAs and students need not worry about rain plans, unlike CTY participants on the East Coast.
Food
Historically, the food has been mediocre, with multiple instances of diarrhea and food poisoning throughout the years. Students are advised to bring alternative foodstuffs to the site. Cup-O'-Noodles and Ramen can both be filled with hot water in the cafeteria and are a sodium-rich alternative to the bizarre cafeteria food. (However, you should keep these foods out of plain sight - technically, you're not supposed to bring outside food into the cafeteria.)
However, the food changed starting in 2011 and continued into 2012, featuring a better selection and higher quality of food. In 2015, the food was good. However, in 2016, the dining hall was under construction for a new pizza and sandwich bar where the old sandwich/dessert area was. Much to returners' dismay, pizza was off the menu.
In addition, a kosher meal plan is offered, which basically consists of airplane meals. Some of the meal options (such as the salmon and beef) are good, while the majority of the meals are closer to inedible than edible. The option of some form of pasta is a constant along with burgers and fries, though attempts to make pasta healthy sometimes ended less than desirable. However, the cafeteria also has a host of non-problematic foods, such as a salad bar and kosher-brand cereals.
The cafeteria is willing to keep food in the fridge for you or to put your food in the oven (and if you tell them, they'll double wrap it). Beware, vegetarians and people with allergies, as the cafeteria occasionally mislabels meals as to whether or not they contain meat. Ask a worker to be safe.
Gluten-free options are offered. GF pasta is available, with the kitchen staff promptly taking it out of a refrigerator behind them. GF bagels take a long time to receive because the kitchen staff are busy with the other food stations. There is a salad bar with lettuce, spinach, cheese, egg quarters, and other assorted vegetables. If cross-contamination is okay, you can ask for a burger without the bun (although make sure the patty is gluten-free).
At this site, the number one enemy to CTYers is considered to be the potato. More can be read about this on the "Enemies" section of this page.
In 2010, the routine of having different bad foods every day was replaced with the equally horrible option of being able to choose from a repetitive selection of bad food. (Considered decent by many, however ~ pizza, pasta, burgers, tacos, salads, sandwich bar). The upside was the new option to not eat the infamous inedible potatoes at every meal. The pasta was widely reported to cause diarrhea.
In 2011, the food improved, but the staff has become increasingly disorganized (or spiteful?). They take the orders of CTY personnel (student and RA alike) and give them something different before rushing to serve the next person. The staff will only give the unlucky CTYer what they asked if pestered for about a minute, and many people have ended up sitting down with a plate of everything they don't want. Potatoes are now only seen in two places: the mashed potatoes and the "Baked Potato Wedges" served in place of fries at the burger counter and hot dog counter.
In 2012, the food was great. However, the amount of selections for food dropped.
In 2013, the edible selections of food were limited to burgers, pizza, pasta, and Korean food. Cinnamon Toast Crunch and coffee cakes/muffins were available at all times of the day. Other options were provided for the brave, including but not limited to: sweet'n'sour chicken, Egg McMuffins®, and the legendary "salad," said only to be seen once by the oldest and wisest of our many members. Potatoes were absent from the menu in their obvious forms, yet trace samples were found in the grill area (and lemonade dispenser), suggesting that they were the fundamental components of rumored "french fries". Mashed potatoes were also another menu item.
In 2014, the food had drastically improved, although some students still made snarky comments of the cafeteria's claim of quality ("LMU Cafeteria is the ONLY 4-star certified on the West Coast!" "Is that because the rest are 5-star?"). The pizza was MUCH better and the daily selection of meals was more diverse and delicious (and aesthetically pleasing as well). The pizza, pastries, burgers, salads, pasta, and of course desserts were still the best. There were occasionally suspicious food items, such as "turkey with bread crumb stuffing" in which the "bread crumbs" were a partially cooked lump of dough. The mashed potatoes were still questionable lumps of ham-plastic mud with lumps of something inedible mixed in and were rumored to cause digestion problems. However, the negative connotation of the potato was rescinded by the fact that many CTYers called their close friends "potatoes."
In 2015.1, the food was okay, but still leaned toward the bad side. Many CTYers subsisted on hamburgers, hot dogs, and donuts. The lines for the omelettes were incredibly long, and by the third week, when the massive cheer camp showed up, the wait for omelettes was no longer worth it.
In 2015.2, due to a "nationwide egg shortage" midsession, omelettes changed to "2-egg scrambles." What does that even mean?
During 16.2, a dinner dish billed as Bulgogi with Rice turned out to be sweet (teriyaki, maybe?) ground beef over spaghetti. This was due to the fact that the kitchen ran out of rice, but it still confused many late-eating CTYers. Pizza was not served once during the session.
In 2019.1, the food quality was okay. Lunch and dinner offered a pasta section, a pizza section, and a burger section.
Class Buildings
The majority of CTY LMU classes are in Saint Robert's Hall and the Foley Annex, both of which are in Ignatian Circle. Classes are also known to be held in Pereira Hall of Engineering. Classrooms are high-tech, and most have Media Center options such as an in-ceiling projector connected to the instructor's computer and a surround-sound system.
- Saint Robert's Hall: A big, old, and beautiful three-floor building located next to Sunken Gardens and Regent's Terrace. The windows are large and have nice views, such as a view of Sunken Gardens which is nice for sunsets. Breaks are taken in Regent's Terrace. There's a weird women's restroom stall in the building that has a huge window (3 by 2 ft?) overlooking Sunken Gardens.
- The Foley Annex: A one-floor temporary building. Both the building and classrooms have an industrial feel to them, with white walls. Classrooms have few windows. Class breaks for Foley Annex are in Regent's Terrace. The building tends to be on the cold side because the AC is constantly on in the classrooms. There is a slight smell to some of the classrooms.
- Pereira Hall: A little more out-of-the-way and has two stories. The second floor is not wheelchair accessible. Breaks are taken in an adjacent courtyard.
- Hilton Center for Business: As of 15.1, a few classes have been held here. There are at least two floors, and the basement can get a little cold. During Sunday night classes, however, said basement has no AC, making it uncomfortably warm. Often breaks happen in the nearby courtyard or in the grassy area by the dining hall.
Dorms
The dorms at LMU are not air-conditioned and don't have lounges for the most part. However, given that the climate at LMU is comfortable throughout the summer, this doesn't pose much of a problem. Rooms have two beds, two small dressers, two desks and chairs and two wardrobes. Beds are extra-long twin sized and loft-style. There are desks in each room, each with a built-in desk lamp and electrical outlet. The dorms are concentrated in a small area of campus, and it is a short walk from any dorm to any place where CTY students are allowed to be. There is an RA for each hallway of the dorms in use. RAs theme the hallway and add decorations. Each dorm has some kind of courtyard, though Desmond and Rosecrans share a courtyard.
- Huesman Hall: Located next to Doheny and Sullivan, Huesman is a one-story dorm. Though historically used as a girl's dorm, CTY used it as a boy's dorm in 2009 and 2014. It is used by males during the school year and therefore has urinals in the bathrooms. There is room for up to 4 halls in Huesman. There are no mirrors or sinks in the rooms. There are two bathrooms, and each has only two toilet stalls. The showers have solid doors and curtains, with a changing area in between. Huesman can get a little hot, so it is wise to bring a fan. In 2015, it was used to house YS girls. In 16.1, it was used to house IS girls. In 2019, Huesman was torn down.
- Doheny Hall: Doheny Hall is a three-story boys' dorm located in between Huesman and Sullivan, at the center of the action at CTY. There are no urinals in the bathrooms. Each room has a mirror and sink. The closets smell weird. In 2012 and 2014, Doheny was used to house girls. During 14.2, 15.1, and 15.2 it housed 2 upper floors of Baby CTY and a lone floor of 3 IS halls. In 2019, the construction that took place left the quad with only Doheny left.
- Desmond Hall: A large, three-story girls' dorm, Desmond is a short walk away from Doheny Courtyard. It has no urinals, and each room has a mirror, sink, and ceiling fans. There are nice large windows. The showers have doors but no changing area. The temperature in Desmond is pretty good. Desmond fits nine halls, three on each floor. In 2012 and 15.2, Desmond was used to house guys, changing the unofficial name to "Brehsmond."
- Rosecrans Hall: A three-story dorm, Rosecrans is the mirror image of Desmond. Desmond and Rosecrans share a courtyard, and both feature large windows. Rosecrans fits nine halls, three on each floor. Though it usually houses boys, in 09.1 it housed Kobe camp (ugh) and three halls of CTY girls. Also known as Brosecrans. In 2012, the top floor of Rosecrans was used to house 3 girls halls. For part of 14.2, Rosecrans was known as The Republic of New Whelan by the members of Whelan. In 2017, the rooms got ceiling fans.
- Whelan Hall: Used as a girls' dorm in 2006, 15.2, and 2016, Whelan is behind Desmond and Rosecrans. It has three stories and three wings and can hold nine halls, though it often houses more. There are mirrors in the rooms but no sinks. The showers have no walls or doors, only curtains (which struggle to close properly). In recent years, Whelan was occupied by other camps such as the Guitar Camp. Most recently used in 16.2 as a girls' dorm. For part of 14.2, Whelan was known as Little Rosecrans by the members of Rosecrans. Whelan has a Gamecube (with Smash Melee) and ping-pong table on the fourth floor, but student access there is limited.
- Sullivan Hall: The staff and medical office for CTY are housed in Sullivan, which neighbors Doheny and Huesman. Students stay in Sullivan when they are sick or during intersession. The Commuter Lounge is also located in Sullivan, and students that are picked up and dropped off must sign in and out in Sullivan. There are few students living here, but not many. In 09, it was used as a dorm for the students in quarantine. In 11.1 and 11.2, Sullivan was used for administrative and computer lab purposes, but there were three girls' halls sharing it. Because of the increased amount of activity during Meet Market at the Doheny Fountain, Sullivan is a convenient location. However, the beds are high. A Baby CTYer broke his leg in 13.2 because he fell from the bed and caused people to move their mattresses below the bed frame. During 2019, Sullivan was torn down, along with the Doheny Fountain. The staff and medical office moved to Del Rey South, much to the dismay of students.
- Del Rey South Hall: In 14.1 and 14.2, Del Rey South Hall was used as a dorm for CTY, housing four boys halls on two floors. The building was shared with Spanish exchange students, who seemed to love banging on their floors. There is a public and CTY-usable microwave on each floor, along with a sink and TV. Certain room numbers compose a three-room suite on both floors. In 2019, the staff and medical office moved to Del Rey South.
Other Buildings
- Malone Center: The Malone Center is the building where the cafeteria is. It is located between Regent's Terrace and Doheny.
- Sacred Heart Chapel: Is visible from Sunken Gardens and Regent's Terrace. It has a bell tower which chimes the Westminster Chimes every 15 minutes and plays a song at 12 PM and 6 PM (sometimes).
- William. H. Hannon Library: Classes often go here to use computers and conference rooms, usually during evening study.
- Fritz B. Burns Fine Art Center: Music practice is usually held in the courtyard of this building, as it has practice rooms with pianos. Also, every session since 07.2, Casino Night was held in the courtyard. The YS Talent Show is held in the auditorium.
- Charles Von der Ahe Building: The bookstore is located in this building on the bottom floor, along with many offices.
- Fritz B. Burns Recreational Center: This recreational center has a pool, and is where all swimming activities take place. The Basketball activity is also held in the gym here, as are occasional dances. No swimming activities take place in Doheny Fountain.
- Gersten Pavilion: Talent Show and Closing Ceremonies are held in the Gersten Pavilion on a temporary stage. The audience watches from the bleachers.
General Areas
- Huesman Courtyard: Located by Huesman Hall, Huesman Courtyard is grassy, and lined by trees and flowers. These trees might be the "Grove of Orange Trees" referred to by the plaque on Huesman Hall. Huesman Courtyard is a good place to play Frisbee® and flows into Doheny Courtyard. In 2019, the Huesman, Doheny and Sullivan courtyards were all torn down.
- Doheny Courtyard: This courtyard is minimal and entirely concrete. It is flanked by symmetrical Huesman and Sullivan Courtyards and has a fountain. Social Time takes place every night Sunday through Friday in Doheny Courtyard. Social hour location changed to Whelan courtyard in 13.2.
- Sullivan Courtyard: Sullivan Courtyard is similar to Huesman Courtyard, though it is more sloped, and has no trees or flowers around it. Dances have been held in this courtyard since 2006 (with previous years' dances held in the Desmond Courtyard, and on rare occasions, in the Doheny Courtyard), as is Movie Night on the evening of the first Saturday. YS dances were held here in 15.1, as well as the site assembly on the first day of the session.
- Desmond Courtyard/Rosecrans Courtyard: Desmond Hall and Rosecrans Hall share a courtyard, which is a large diamond shape. The courtyard is grassy, with sidewalks leading to both dorms and the off-limits diner on the other side. There are flowers and trees along the sides. Due to construction on Sullivan Courtyard, dances were held here in 2010. Dances were held here in 2011 and continued in 2012 to be held there. Under construction in 13.2. Also the main location of Social Time.
- Desmond Courtyard/Whelan Courtyard: Located between Desmond and Whelan hall. Used to host dances in 2013 due to construction in Rosecrans/Desmond courtyard. Diamond shape and has trees around. Surrounded by Whelan and Desmond hall. Was under construction in 2014. Dances in 2018 were held here as the Sunken Gardens were under construction.
- Sunken Gardens: Sunken Gardens is a massive grassy area located in front of the Sacred Heart Chapel, near Desmond and Rosecrans. This is where weekend activities typically take place. Sunken Gardens was under construction in 2008, though what one constructs on a large grassy area, no one knows. Though it became greener over both sessions in 2008, it was still off-limits. It has been revealed by CTYers who returned to the campus during the school year that there have been lights added beneath the palm trees, and the area is otherwise the same. It is no longer under construction, and students anticipate it will be open for 2009 activities. Open for 2013 activities. Used to host dances in 2014, 2015, second two dances of 16.2, and 2017. Used for the Closing Ceremony in 2014.
- Regent's Terrace: Next to the cafeteria, there is a grassy area surrounded by benches. This area includes the famous "Poking Tree" and the lion statue. Some classes take their breaks here. Handoffs to TAs and from TAs for class take place here. This is the optimal location for foursquare.
- Gym: Used for going to the pool, playing basketball, talent shows, dances, and salsa dancing (15.1). The first dance of 16.2 took place here (it was gross).
- The Alumni Mall: A series of grassy areas separated by sidewalks, the Alumni Mall is the area where more active weekday activities take place. In 2008, weekend activities were held at the Alumni Mall. Be aware that things done at the Alumni Mall are not done privately.
- Hannon Field: Located next to the Hannon Apartments, Hannon field was the location of Wet-N-Wild Day for 08.2.
- Leavey Field/Drollinger Parking Plaza: Though this is far out of normal bounds for normal CTYers, this grass-covered parking garage was used for Hydrophilia Day in 08.1.
Off-Campus
Weekend off-campus trips, with RA supervision, can include Ralph's or Bristol Farms, Viva Fresh, bowling, Subway, or Taco Bell. In 2015 and 2016, many halls went to KC's Crepe Cafe. Jamba Juice is open for a select number of hours each day during class time, so Jamba Juice is a class treat given during the week. In 2008 and 2009, several classes also ordered In-N-Out.
- Viva Fresh: Viva Fresh is a small Mexican restaurant located a few blocks from LMU. The food there is far better than cafeteria food, and Viva Fresh is a popular place for halls to go on weekend offsite trips.
- Ralph's: California's favorite grocery store is nearby, waiting in anticipation to sell CTYers soda, chips, candy, Ramen, or any other thing their heart desires. Ralph's even carries flip-flops for those who didn't bring enough shoes to CTY. An excellent stop for extra duct tape. Look for sales on Gatorade.
- Bristol Farms: A local health food grocery store carries wholesome and gourmet food for those with finer tastes.
- Subway: Yay for sandwiches! Eat fresh.
- Taco Bell: Tacos, burritos, etc. Think outside the bun. [no longer visited]
- Yogolicious: Frozen yogurt! Their hours are weird, though, so be sure to get there after 11:30, but they will occasionally open earlier for CTYers (Hailey's 14.1 hall, Nicole's and Kat's 14.2 halls). [Closed]
- SanSai: SanSai is a decent Japanese grill. No longer visited.
- Vons: Vons is the smaller (and closer!) version of Ralph's, often visited when CTYers are too tired to take the trip to Ralph's.
- KC's Crepes Cafe: Japanese-style crepes! Fresh and yummy ingredients! Not to mention boba (yes, it is possible to have too much Starbucks)
Activities
Afternoon activities take the form of weeklies and dailies. At the beginning of the week, one weekly and four dailies are chosen by each student. After the activities are chosen, students aren't allowed to change their minds. Weekly activities happen as soon as class is over, every weekday. The same weekly is taken all week. Daily activities happen after weekly activities, Monday through Thursday. A different daily activity is taken each day. Both kinds of weekday activities last an hour.
Weekend activities usually begin in the afternoon, around one o' clock. They can have a theme, such as Carnival or Time Travel Day. Students spend their afternoons at weekend activities, and then return to their halls. On Saturday evening, there is an evening activity as well. This activity tends to be Movie Night on the first weekend, and Casino Night on the second weekend.
History
2002: At the suggestion of a couple students, RA Michael Tseng developed the "Protest Theory" concept. He and Mary Rieg led students in disrupting other activities with noisy protests. In the first session, students protested against Newtonian physics: "Down with Gravity!," "2 + 2 = 5," etc. In the second session, they protested against the concept of protest itself by chanting "Shut Up and Go Home!," "No More Protests!" etc.
2003: Mary Rieg led a cadre of students with bullhorns and yelling one-liners such as "BUSH CAN'T READ; WHY SHOULD WE?"
2004: "Enmity Bracelets," made of chains and spiky metal objects, decorated the ankles and wrists of many LMUers. "How to be a Central American Dictator" led raids on other afternoon groups such as "Guerilla Warfare," wearing stylish red headbands and wielding water balloons. "Down With the Man" started protests against every other activity held that day. CTY Protesting is another quirky favorite. Protesters wrote and yelled made-up slogans such as "Make friends, not bracelets!", and of course, the highly original "LAME!" The original Robot Wars activities also happened in 2004.
2006: During session 1, the instructor and TA of the International Politics class (both former RAs themselves) ran CTY protesting, leading two dozen students in rounds of protesting several activities that day, such as Quidditch, Paper Flower Making, and Silent Reading. Depicted on YouTube is the Protest of Quiddich. One student, dubbed Bill Clinton, shouted "up with fascism!" into a bullhorn. Session two of this year was the first time nevermores went on stage at the Talent Show during the piano rendition of American Pie. This tradition has since continued at the following sessions. There was also an outbreak of lice and pink-eye during the first week or two of the session.
2007: The tradition of Protest continued in 07.1, with not only "Protest Rally" as the last daily, but also "Paparazzi," a photo-taking activity of similar origins. In 07.1, there was also an activity called "Give Jason [Boring] a Mohawk." Even though his Mohawk was made by hyper CTYers, it ended up looking good.
2008: In first and second sessions, Jason Boring ran "More Active than Sleep but You Probably Won't Break a Sweat." Dane Holding ran a new activity called "Bananaphone," which involved serenading unsuspecting activities with the jaunty Raffi song. First session also premiered the first Silent Football weekly activity.
2009: In 2009, many camps including LMU suffered a swine flu epidemic. Almost everyone got it, and because of it, all CTYers had their temperature tested each morning. Many CTYers were sent home without ever saying good-bye. During second session, Dane Holding ran Bananaphone once again, under the alias "Bananarchy." Second session also featured a Silent Football daily which was the ridiculous and pathetic game the RA who will from now on be referred to as Rule-All thought was Silent Football. Trench was canceled.
2011: During 11.1, the only traditional activities that were held were "Worst Activity Ever" (this came in both a weekly and a daily, "Silent Reading" and "More Active that Sleep (and you probably won't break a sweat)". The latter was held by the DRL, Jason Boring, as per tradition. However, Dane Holding did create two new activities that were compensation for the lack of "The Gulag" and "Bananarchy": "Super Mural Bagel Death Squad" and "Rider, Princess, Knight..." The first comprised of kids throwing stale bagels soaked in paint at a wall of paper, to create the most impressionistic and amazing mural ever. The latter may become a tradition. The full name of that activity is "Rider, Princess, Knight, Octopus, Flying Tentacle Monster and the Fire-Bombing of Dresden". To spice things up, while the students performed those actions, Dane would shout instructions in German.
During one of the first social times of 11.2, Dane Holding stated that he would never again be running "The Gulag" or "Bananarchy," signifying, more or less, the end of traditional activities at the site since activities such as "Extreme Cubing" and "Art of War," which involved the intentional throwing of objects toward students, were no longer permitted. 11.2 did have "More Active than Sleep" (without the subtitle), hosted by Jason Boring as per the usual tradition, but previous traditional activities as "Protest," "Worst Activity Ever," and "Silent Raving" did not appear. Silent Reading was a daily once or twice, and though "Creative Writing" was featured as a last weekly, because Chris Lee was promoted to admin and Eric Anderson was not present, it was different, and there were at least three dozen students as opposed to the usual four or five.
2012: In 2012, construction took place on the main roads, forcing detours to main areas and annoyance at the loud noises. This was the year many people grew too old for the site, bringing in a wave of squirrels and newer people. During second session, the Talent Show featured many amazing talents, forcing it to run an extra hour. During the Talent Show, many acts dedicated their acts to the so called "spirit of CTY," meaning the atmosphere and how people reacted to everything and everyone, saying it was something amazing that they will miss. A skit that went by the name of "Swag Crew" poked fun at Amy Coleman and Dane Holding and made everyone laugh. Because of newer RAs, the site had some errors as expected, but by far and large, the whole six weeks went by without anything major going wrong.
2013: Jon's secret activity. 'Nuff said.
2014: "National Nigzana (pronounced Ni-jan-ah) Day" was an event created by several students to celebrate a fake country that was a mixture of Nigeria and Ghana. This country was quoted by student Sean to be a CULTure. This originated in the Game Theory Class. Soon, nearly half the camp was "Nigzanyan." Nigzana has a fictional dictator that leads the country whose name is Nene Chu, and he only speaks to two students by the names of Ryan and David (the founders of Nigzana). The national religion of Nigzana is "Yolo," and their spiritual leader is J.P. The first woman to be part of Nigzana and also their symbolic "mother" is Amy. Both students and RAs were a part of this country. Below is the Nigzanyan family tree.
+ is male, - is female, ----- is married
Amy (-) ----- Isabelle (+),
David (+)
Ryan (+) ----- Justin (-) Jake (+) Joe (+) June (+) Cindy (-) Jessica (-) Gabriel (+)
J.P. (+)
Jordan (-) ----- Anna (+) ------ Jenny (-)
This fictional country was banned by administrators half-way through session, but students continued to talk about Nigzana despite the ban. To work around the ban, Nigzanayans changed the name of the country to Ghaneria (pronounced gonorrhea).
On the Last Thursday of both sessions, there was a Braveheart activity, a Medieval Times activity, and a Korean BBQ Riot activity. Those in the Braveheart activity (whose description was "RAUUUUGH!") painted their faces blue and practiced battling by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Those in the Medieval Times activity were separated into knight and squire (and in one 14.1 case, a steed), dressed in cardboard armor, and equipped with pool-noodle swords. Those in the Korean BBQ Riot activity wore red ribbons around their wrist and marched around as RA Jon yelled various KBBQ slogans into a megaphone and played music. These three activities went smoothly until the RAs of Braveheart and Medieval Times declared there would be a battle between the two activities. The two activities marched to Sunken Gardens and charged each other, but were soon interrupted by a certain Korean BBQ Riot.
In 14.2, another activity named 'Newtonian Soccer Theory', caught in the crossfire of the three teams' clashes, started linking arms and singing 'Kumbaya' as a peaceful protest against all the fighting.
The sheer volume of students involved in the activities (notably KBBQR) meant that over half the campus was battling on Sunken Gardens.
2015: The much-beloved KBBQ rally was held twice during session 15.1, once in the first week as "KBBQ" and once in the last week as "KBBQ.2," led by RA's Zach and Luis. KBBQ was also held on the last Wednesday is session 2, when over a third of the camp joined. The second time around was chaotic since there was also Braveheart and Andrew/Ashley appreciation day happening. The traumatic Pet Banana activity was also held during session 2. In session 1, RA Chucho (along with Forevermore Jessica, who's practically an RA), led two weekly salsa dancing activities, which led to the playing of various salsa songs played at the dances.
2016: KBBQ was held yet again 2016! The activity was led by RA Chris and nevermore Jalen. There was no cap on participants, so a large percentage of the site's CTYers attended. Barbecue was misspelt on the biggest banner in the event. The activity "Supa Hot Fire Rap Battles" was held once more! As always, the activity was full of memorable disses, burns, and fire- All achieved with no profanity! This time however, there were no final rap battle at the last dance. A good call, given what happened during the last dance of Session 1 in 2015. Braveheart was not held in 15.1. Pet Rock was held as a daily (16.1) and for three weeks as a weekly (16.2). Pet Banana was held as a daily in session 2. The camp went crazy when Pokemon Go was released on June 7, 2016. Many people who had never gone to Social Hour came down from their rooms in order to seek Pokemon. Pokemon Go thus became a daily and even a weekly. (16.1 and 16.2)
2017: KBBQ was not as energetic as the previous years but, a new line was added to the usual chant (How do we like it? MEDIUM RARE!!!). Barely any paper was handed out to make posters. There seemed to be a lot of appreciation activities during 17.2. Ghosting activity involved silently following students, RAs, and occasionally visitors and forming large groups behind the target until the unsuspecting victim notices, at which time the group quickly disappears. Next level Blammo caused chaos.
2018: Session 1 started traditions based off of Session 2.
Traditional Activities
Robot Wars and Robot Wars II were two duels originally staged between RAs Tom Ryan and Geoff Graham. Encased in cardboard armor, they clashed together in apocalyptic combat to the heavy beat of Rammstein. Tom Ryan explained that the activity originated back in summer 2004 due to two factors: one, the intrigue surrounding the concept of hippies walking around Oberlin College campus playing bad German techno music; and, then-office manager Jen Lockett complaining about having to dispose of cardboard boxes.
Robot Wars: 2009 was a daily activity that took place between RAs Dane Holding, John Stutte, and special guest robot, Brandon Chang, a nevermore. Some considerations learned from this were that duct tape is ridiculously strong and after using enough of said substance, cardboard can be reinforced to withstand blows from two large (6 ft+ 180 Lbs+) people for more than half an hour. In 2011 and 2013, LeVon battled Dane.
Gluing Stuff to RAs is also a common activity, with various RAs given the wonderful task of being the glue. Tom Ryan also created this activity in summer 2005 when RAs were instructed to limit activities to existing supplies in RA Heaven.
More Active Than Sleep, But You Probably Won't Break a Sweat is a traditional activity created in the late 90s by RA Tommy Smith, now the Dean of Residential Life at the CTY Thousand Oaks site. After Tommy left around 2000, Jesse Boring ran this activity. For a while, it was led by David Abravanel. In 2008, 2010, and 2011, Jason Boring ran the activity. This activity features the telling of the story of why the activity was created, a story by Jason Boring, and a fun activity at the end.
Worst Activity Ever is a roll of the dice. If you choose this activity, beware. Often, it involves counting blades of grass, writing essays, copying down the preamble left handed, or exhausting calisthenics. But on occasion, Worst Activity Ever is wonderful and the best activity of the whole session. And when it is, everyone is upset that they missed it. Would you risk it?
Best Activity Ever is the "Worst Activity Ever's sister. It is held every year as well. Even though it is supposed to be the best activity of the session, the degree to which this is true also varies. It might be the best activity ever held or a flop. Would you risk missing out on this either?
Art of War is another traditional activity, led every year by Jason Boring. It is similar to Dodge Ball, and involves a "Thought Commander" who must be protected at all costs. The activity description declared the activity to be "very active," though it wasn't. Now the Art of War has been banned by CTY because it involves intentionally throwing balls at students.
The Gulag was an activity run in 2008-2009 by Dane Holding, in which participants are shipped to Siberia (In the far, far corners of Sunken Gardens) for punishment in "The Gulag." Such punishment involved such activities as mandatory executions of disobedient prisoners (with water weaponry), forced digging of holes with inadequate shovels (Q-tips), demoralizing rations (bread with spit on it), and the final exciting suicidal assault upon the capitalist pigs and their boot camp.
Trench WAS an activity run by RAs for at least four years at this site. This activity was much like Dodge Ball- the whole point of the game was to hit people with rubber balls and get them out. However, if they got out, they went behind the other team's playing area, where people from their team would trench [throw] a ball over to them. If the person in trench-zone caught it, they then had two options- to throw the ball at a person from the opposite team, or to carry the ball back to their own team. If, however, a person from the other team caught the trenched ball, the trencher would be out. This activity was canceled by the CTY administration in Baltimore's rules against throwing things of any kind.
Recurring Activities
Silent Reading: True to its name, it gives students time to kick back and read. A more exciting form of Silent Reading is known as "Extreme Silent Reading", and involves more reading and silence than the original activity. The actual rules of Extreme Reading vary from RA to RA, some having you switch books every 10 minutes while others make you avoid dodge balls, etc. thrown at you while you're trying to read (a further variant on this was Extreme Cubing, which involved students solving Rubik's Cubes while running an obstacle course.)
Music Practice: Available as a weekly all three weeks of every session. Though there is no limit on the number of students allowed, the music practice rooms contain few pianos. There are four pianos, and two are in the same room. All of the pianos are out of tune. Though there was a piano in the cafeteria through 2003, students no longer have this luxury. Usually enough pianists join the activity that each can only play once each week. It is suggested that pianists don't plan on practicing. During 09.1, the Fritz B. Burns Fine Art Center was being remodeled and was considered off-limits to CTYers. A single room in Sullivan Hall was stocked with a single Clavinova, and this was the only way for an individual to play the piano. Most CTYers planning on practicing played ERS and Tap Tap instead. The only people who practiced wanted to be in the Talent Show.
Dirty Dancing Appreciation: Not as exciting as it sounds, this activity is watching the movie "Dirty Dancing" rather than doing dirty dancing. Sorry, folks.
Disney Appreciation: A weekly activity, this involves watching several Disney movies (decided upon by the CTYers involved in the activity).
Swing Dancing: A swing dancing lesson traditionally taught by Jason Boring.
Jon and Dae-Hee's Secret Activity: A daily activity that can vary from "Death to Happiness" to "Korean BBQ Riot." One time a third of CTY joined and it was decided that for the next 45 minutes they would become their own separate camp called CTY JKDHL York. They managed to do all three weeks worth of activities, dances, Casino Night, orientation, and pictures in 45 minutes. In 14.1, he conducted, among others: "Weekly Activity A" (there was no B), 2 Minute Power Nap (students ran around and napped on other activities for 2 minutes, much to the chagrin of the Soccer activity), the Dolphin/Sea Lion Agenda, the Tiny Fez Club, and of course, Korean BBQ Riot.
Pokemon Go: Popular in 16.1 after the game was released. Weekly activity led by RAs Rob and Morgan.
Pet Rock: A weekly activity started at 13.1 by RAs Rory Cullen and Parke Haskell. In 2014 and 2015, the first day was dedicated to playing Two Truths and a Lie and choosing rock (or having them choose you); the second and third days were spent decorating the rocks; the fourth day was spent writing stories about the rocks; and the fifth day was devoted to having a rock concert on the office manager's (Shane's) desk. In 16.2, this was the initial plan, but some drama between rocks pushed off the schedule and led to the Pet Rock weekly taking place all three weeks, with no real schedule at all.
Bagel Mural Death Squad: Dip bagels into paint and throw it at RAs! The RAs are wrapped in paper, so at the end of the activity you have a mural of paint splatter. This is always a fun and hilarious activity. A variation of this activity is "Muffin Mural Death Squad," which (as the name suggests) uses muffins instead of bagels.
Weekend Activities
Wet and Wild Day is a name of a weekend activity that may be called other things that would fall under the umbrella term "Hydrophilia Day." It usually takes place on the first Saturday. There is a "Dry Area" for students who go read magazines, play cards, sit down for games of Silent Football or Never Have I Ever, or attempt to do cartwheels on the lawn. RAs can be seen roaming about the "Wet Side" with heavy-duty water guns and hoses. Students usually have to make do with flimsy plastic cups that they fill up with water, or sponges. Kiddy pools and hoses are also sometimes utilized. In 09.1 Wet and Wild Day did not occur because of the drought. In 09.2, a "Pool Party" was substituted for the usual Wet and Wild Day. In 11.2, a "Pool Day" did occur on first Sunday, but outside of the pool and Regent's Terrace, where a water slide was situated. No water was used as LMU was disgruntled at our annual murdering of the grass.
Movie Night happens on the evening of the first Saturday. Up to 2009, students flocked to Sullivan Courtyard to sit on towels and blankets and watch a PG-rated movie, but since 2010, movies have been held in the Sunken Gardens. Before the movie is played, all students must participate in a 20- to 30-minute long activity generally involving cardboard, duct tape, and RAs competing against each another.
Talent Show originally occurred on Second Saturday, although it has now been changed to the second Sunday. Students play instruments, juggle, recite poetry, act, sing, and show off many other great talents. Famous acts include "Chucho Labeouf," "AmeriFAN," "Eating Cereal off of Jesse Boring," Shabes' rendition of "Genie in a Bottle" (07.2), and the boy who juggled Rubik's Cubes while solving them. (06.1) Each Talent Show has one song ("Seasons of Love" for first session and "Leaving on a Jet Plane" for second session) dedicated to the Nevermores, (Nomores during second session) during which they come up in front of the stage and sway.
Casino Night takes place that evening. Some people play card games for Casino Night Money, while others run around doing weird and crazy deeds the RAs at the Temps booth tell them to do for "money." A couple of people get "married," and several of them get "divorced." At the end of Casino Night, halls are ranked by the amount of "money" they have, and choose in order of amount of "money" from a list of prizes such as duct taping an RA of their choice to a tree.
Non-Mandatory Fun is the general name for weekend activities. Although it is mandatory for students to attend, it isn't mandatory that they have fun. They are allowed to read or sit around. In 2007 it was rechristened "Mandatory Fun" by Jason Boring because the staff wishes to encourage as much fun as possible. Since at least 2010, "Mandatory Fun" has referred to the activities which require the rotation of halls through various RA-run stations, while "Non-Mandatory Fun" refers to those afternoons where students must attend an area in which RA-run stations are present, but where they may sit out and do whatever they please.
There is no activity Sunday evening. Instead, students attend regular evening class session.
Order of Activities
- 04.2
- First Friday: Dance
- First Saturday:
- Water Day
- Movie Night: Pirates of the Caribbean. RAs dressed up as pirates, and throughout the movie when the RAs yelled out 'Plunder', chocolate coins were thrown at the CTYers.
- First Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun
- Second Friday: Dance
- Second Saturday: Talent Show & Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun
- Third Thursday: Dance
- 05.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: 80s)
- First Saturday:
- Water Day
- Movie Night: Finding Nemo. RAs were dressed up as Finding Nemo characters.
- First Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun
- Second Friday: Dance
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun. Most facilities had been taken by other camp sites, so people watched Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Third Thursday: Dance
- 06.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Halloween)
- First Saturday:
- Quiz Bowl: This was the first time Quiz Bowl was held at LMU Session 2. It was changed based on positive feedback of activity at other CTY sites.
- Movie Night: The Incredibles. RAs were dressed up as a new superhero with new super powers; during the movie, every time each of the Incredibles used a certain power, a goodie correlating with that power thrown at the CTYers.
- First Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun (Theme: Carnival)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Ocean Cruise)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Wet & Wild Water Day
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: A Ball Under the Stars)
- 07.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Beach)
- First Saturday:
- Quiz Bowl
- Movie Night: Spirited Away. RAs were dressed as mythical creatures.
- First Sunday: Wet & Wild Water Day
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: 80s)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun (Theme: Carnival)
- Third Thursday: Dance (?)
- 07.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: A Black Tie Affair)
- First Saturday:
- CTY Olympics
- Movie Night: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
- First Sunday: Wet 'n Wild Water Day
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Island Getaway)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Mandatory Fun
- Third Thursday: Dance
- 08.1
- First Friday: Dance
- First Saturday:
- Time Travel Day
- Movie Night: Monsters Inc. RAs were dressed as monsters.
- First Sunday: Hydrophilia Day (Wet 'n Wild Day)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Match Your Music)
- Second Saturday:
- International Day
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance
- 08.2
- First Friday: Dance
- First Saturday:
- Wet n' Wild Day
- Movie Night: Ratatoille.
- First Sunday: Time Travel Day
- Second Friday: Dance
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: International Day
- Third Thursday: Dance
- 09.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: America's Birthday)
- First Saturday:
- Time Travel Day
- Movie Night: Bolt. Students contributed in a craft where they painted a star with their RA's name on it.
- First Sunday: Save Charlie Day
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: 70s)
- Second Saturday:
- Survival of the Fittest Field Day
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Backwards Dance)
- 09.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Pajama Bash)
- First Saturday:
- Boogie Wonderland/Hip Hop Day
- Movie Night: The Princess Bride. Students put on short skits (in groups of one girls' hall and one boys' hall) based on props they were provided.
- First Sunday: The Great Dane Show: Students solved puzzles in order to solve the mysterious disappearance of Dane Holding.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Island Getaway)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Pool Day
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: A Star-Studded Evening)
(In 2008, CTY didn't have access to Sunken Gardens, the large grassy area where many CTY events are held. Instead, weekend activities were held on the Mall in 08.1. In 08.2, weekend activities were held on Hannon Field and in Sullivan/Huesman/Doheny courtyards.) In 2009, activities were held across both Sunken Gardens and Regent's Terrace.
- 10.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Party in the USA/Fourth of July)
- First Saturday:
- Pool Party
- Movie Night: The Incredibles. Students dressed up their RA as a superhero and gave a small speech about them, then were rated by the SRAs and Jason.
- First Sunday: CTY Olympics.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: ROY G BIV)
- Second Saturday:
- Japanese Game Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Prom... IN SPACE)
- 10.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Rumble in the Jungle, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- First Saturday:
- CTY Olympics
- Movie Night: Kung Fu Panda
- First Sunday: Summer Day/Non-mandatory Fun
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Pirate Party, Location: Sullivan courtyard)
- Second Saturday:
- Japanese Game Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Beach Prom, Location: Burns Rec Center, second floor gym)
- 11.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Pajama Party, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- First Saturday:
- Pool Party
- Movie Night: Cars
- First Sunday: CTY Olympics (Teams were by class instead of by hall)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- Second Saturday:
- CTY Entertainment System
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Beauty and the Geek, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- 11.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Pirates, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- First Saturday:
- Gold Rush
- Movie Night: Mulan
- First Sunday: Pool Day
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Traffic Light, in which squirrels wore green, those who had been to CTY one year previously wore yellow, and those beyond that wore red, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show (notable because CTY could not book the upper gymnasium for Sunday)
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Road Trip Across the USA
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: A Black Tie Affair, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- 12.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Traffic Light, in which squirrels wore green, those who had been to CTY one year previously wore yellow, and those beyond that wore red. Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- First Saturday:
- Murder Mystery: Who Killed William Paris?
- Movie Night: Space Jam (Notable because it was in the Doheny/Sullivan grass area as opposed to Sunken Gardens)
- First Sunday: Chillympics
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Blacklight, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- Second Saturday:
- 1st Annual CTY Hunger Games
- Casino Night (Notable because it was not in the Fritz B. Burns Fine Art Center)
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Memories, Location: Desmond/Rosecrans courtyard)
- 13.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Summer, which proved to be creative. Majority of students were scarred for life by the horrible music played and the epileptic seizures they experienced. Location: Whelan Courtyard)
- First Saturday:
- Color Wars (See Non-mandatory Fun above.)
- Movie Night: Up (Notably not Down. Quotations: "You all lost the game."-Kainoa. Location: Sunken Gardens)
- First Sunday:
- 2nd Annual CTY Hunger Games (A Hunger Games Themed Game. 92 People from District 1-24 [4 PEOPLE PER DISTRICT] played. Some ideas used, Forced to play a game of chance every 10 minutes, This murdered the majority of the students as well as 100% of districts 4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 17 and 21. Congrats to District 23. Quotes: "You lost the game" RA Taylor, "May the odds be ever in our favor" - Ironically District 10, "NUCLEAR BOMBS" - District 13, "RELEASE THE KRAKEN" - President Snow)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Black Light Party, which involved two small black lights being placed at the front where barely anyone could see)
- Second Saturday:
- The Apocalypse
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday: Talent Show
- 13.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Pajama party)
- First Saturday:
- Party at Gatsby's (involved a bunch of games at Sunken Gardens where groups were given clues to figure out who killed Gatsby (a.k.a. Chucho))
- Movie Night (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief + RA Greek God ninja battle showdown)
- First Sunday:
- Water Day
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: International. There was a disappointing lack of international music such as Vocaloid and K-pop)
- Second Saturday:
- Talent Show
- Casino Night
- Second Sunday:
- Japanese Game Show (Held at the Sunken Gardens. People got messy.) Run by Paul Nasri, held in Sunken Gardens.
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Prom)
- 14.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: IndepenDANCE, as the dance happened on July 4th)
- First Saturday:
- Epic Quest (An activity where students participated in boring activities while sitting for most of the time in the blazing hot summer sun, which resulted in many sunburns)
- Movie Night (Spirited Away + Spirited RA where students dressed their RAs up as superheroes in scraps like cotton balls and construction paper. Location: Sunken Gardens)
- First Sunday:
- World Cup (Classes were grouped together to form 4 different teams- Asgard, Mordor, Narnia, and Panem. Teams played each other, and the winner faced the RA team)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Let it Glow. A combination of a small amount of Frozen, and a lot of glow sticks)
- Second Saturday:
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Between two groups of students: District 13, and the Capitol. The Capitol won)
- Casino Night: (as Dane Holding left this year, the last fight was between RAs Chris Adames and Derek Passenant. C-$pittah was the victor. This casino night was special, having a doubley-exclusive VIP room, called VIP Squared, hosted by Jon Kraus. To enter, a hall had to pay with ALL of its funds. Chris Adames' hall did it. The secrets of the VIP Squared room are known to few.) Derek Passenant's hall won it all when they bet everything they had against Derek.
- Second Sunday:
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Hollywood, although nobody dressed accordingly and the dance was held in the gym)
- 14.2
- First Friday:
- Dance (Theme: The Final Frontier. The dance was space themed, and standard attire consisted of shiny yellow robes and Starfleet uniforms.)
- First Saturday:
- World Cup (Pretty much the exact same activity as last session; Stations + tournament, with a final match against the RAs. Instructor Javi did not participate this session, so students could not witness the glorious Javiguel combo. But the students still lost, regardless.)
- Movie Night (Despicable Me; Before the movie, RA's were dressed up to look like minions. RA Jon cheated by bringing his own overalls, but it doesn't matter because RA Rory Cullen won.)
- First Sunday:
- (Cancelled) Rock da Block (A block party was planned for this day, but due to a freak thunderstorm, the activity was cancelled. Students stayed in their dorms, Whelan kids watched a movie and played Yu-Gi-Oh, and RAs Chucho Perez and Chris Adames dodged a bolt of lightning. IS girls from Doheny had to stay in Desmond rooms with friends. After the rain got lighter Rosecrans boys and Desmond girls were shouting and waving across the courtyard at each other and posting their phone numbers, as well as certain messages, on large sheets of paper taped to their windows.)
- Second Friday:
- Dance (Theme: Harry Potter Yule Ball. The dance was Harry Potter themed, and a decent number of students had Harry Potter articles of clothing. The session's Jack Flash, Jose Martinez, had a full Hogwarts Gryffindor outfit, consisting of a uniform and robes.)
- Second Saturday:
- Minute to Win It (Students were challenged to a wide variety of... challenges. The activity's name comes from the short amount of time each group had at a station. After the stations, students could choose between a few other activities, and later, the names of lucky winners of these activities were drawn, and these winners were given the honor of pieing RAs in the face. One student, however, pied RA Jon without having participated all day. How rude.)
- Casino Night (Standard Casino night, consisted of fake VIP passes, jail, and deputies. The final match was between RA Rory Cullen and the Dark Lord of the Sith, Spandex, and Staplers, Office Shane. Rory, in a major upset, came out on top. Ironically, his hall bet most of their funds on his defeat, so his hall came close to last place.
- Second Sunday:
- Third Thursday:
- Dance (Theme: French Revolution. The theme wasn't that apparent, with only a small poster with the word "France" and a single Les Mis song. Regardless, DJ Jalapeño still made the last dance amazing.)
- First Friday:
- 15.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: July 4th "Independance", even though the dance was the day before)
- First Saturday:
- Carnival (An activity day that used an arbitrary ticket system to cash in for rewards(Justin Jang from PBIO got 10 tickets for barking at people) like tying your RA to a tree, painting their nails, painting the limbs, face, and hair of an RA, or pie-ing them in the face with shaving cream which later had to be syringed out of Ashley's ear)
- Movie Night (Back to the Future + Back to the present where students constructed a cardboard Delorean as featured in the movies to be raced by RAs in wagons. Chris Adames the RA bent and broke one of these wagons on his first run. The movie night was historically frustrating, as the font for captions was microscopic and the movie volume was quieter than the conversation that was happening right next to you. Location: Sunken Gardens)
- First Sunday:
- CTY Olympiad (styled after a sporting event, classes competed against each other in the battle for the best class. Chem B defeated the other halls with a win:lose ratio of 10:1. The winning chant that rung throughout the campus that day was the victorious one of Chem Chem Chem Chem or Chem B, Chem B, Chem B
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Jungle; 3 people made an effort to draw jungle related themes(two were cats and one brave girl painted her face as a cheetah) on their faces)
- Second Saturday:
- Halloween In July (As most were excited for the trick-or-treating that was set up to happen, the RAs were devastated to discover that RA Rory was in bloody rags, disappointing and saddening all would-be trick-or-treaters. The Saturday was devoted to trying to find who had killed Rory (it was Chucho) through class-by-class competitions, where the winner would get more hints as to uncover the crime. The Physics class won.)
- Casino Night (Similar to the Casino Nights of years past, counterfeit VIP passes (though not really counterfeit if you were on good terms with the RAs standing guard,) were bought and ripped up by bouncers. The Prize Fight was a duel between Ashley Y and Ashley K, and the battle was intense until Andrew Ebanks and Andrew H. stepped in, and Ashley Young took out all three of her foes with brute force)
- Second Sunday:
- This year's Talent Show showcased A LOT of singing, some dancing, and grape catching. As a small side note, it was hosted by David, Tae, and Baker from Ebanks's hall and should have won an Academy Award.
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Luau, where leis were passed around, and the occasional beach ball would hit you in the face. Instead of being held in the Sunken Gardens as usual, the dance was indoors.)
- 15.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: PJ Party)
- First Saturday:
- Gold Cup (The same as World Cup from 14.2. Westeros won everything. RA Chris cheated (or he doesn't know what a handball is).)
- Movie Night (Jurassic Park + Dino Battles, which was robot wars but with a dinosaur theme. RA Jimmy won, though the group armoring RA Mairead had the genius idea of putting a box over her and pretending there was nothing under the box, and guess what? None of the RAs went for the box for about 30 seconds. Location: Sunken Gardens)
- First Sunday:
- Wii Games (What even was this? Classes competed against each other by earning points at stations, and at the end the class with the most points got to choose a final smash battle between RAs.)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Star Wars; RAs wore robes and had lightsabers.)
- Second Saturday:
- Mission Impossible (This activity was a surprise that three RAs stole the Casino Night money, and students had to go through stations to find out who did it. (It was RAs Jon, Ben, and Yolanda))
- Casino Night (RA Jimmy threw kids in jail for fake VIP marks on their hands when there was no precedent and he felt like messin. Kids also were thrown in jail for stealing Casino Night money. RA David S. was the easiest to steal from. The final fight was Rory versus Jamaal, with Rory as the victor.)
- Second Sunday:
- Talent Show! Some a cappella, magic, juggling, math raps, dancing, and AMERIFANS. But most importantly, RA Jamaal with "How now, brown cow? Brown cow, how now?" It's safe to say it brought the house DOWN. The girls from Physics recruited CTYers to preform in a Chucho Labeouf skit, including paper masks of RA Chucho's face and the actual Chucho, in formal wear, standing up and clapping while the audience was instructed to hold their applause.
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: #Hollywood SWAG. Was anything even done to match this theme? Nooooope. Also, there was a noted lack of Caramelldansen.)
- 16.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Neon Glow)
- First Saturday:
- Color Carnival (Team Orange won the Spirit Stick, Team Purple won overall. Same old system of doing activities to win tickets for your team. The winning teams received ice cream.) Green, however, put up a fight with their "Green is lit" chant, but still got last in everything. The RA's were not amused.
- Movie Night (Big Hero Six + RA Superhero Fashion Show- Halls dressed up their RA's as superheroes (with the exception of RA Rachel, who was a supervillain) and watched them strut down the Sunken Gardens runway. Some notable costumes include RA Hema (George Clooney Man), RA Kadell (Litboy, whose dabs set off earthquakes) and RA Chris (had no costume, described as "Mr. Steal Your Girl.") Jovan's hall had no idea that there was an RA superhero Fashion show at all. They were talented at the art of Improv. As nevermore Scott Kim announced, Jovan became "your Average College Student" (His superpower was that he was so ordinary, the IRS couldn't locate him to pay student loans.) They were accompanied by descriptions that were probably entertaining but not hearable by the human ear. Afterward, students piled on the Sunken Gardens to watch Big Hero Six.
- First Sunday: World Cup (The RAs won as usual, but Chile came in a close second.)
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Luau)
- Second Saturday:
- Hunger Games (Each hall contributed some Tributes, who then battled tributes from their floor. Each floor's winners went to the final Hunger Games. Meanwhile, everyone else was supposed to participate in activities to win tickets to buy weapons for their tributes. The winners were two guys from the same floor and hall (Jovan's). Their floor (and Whelan Floor 2, for having the last girl in) received minute amounts of ice cream.
- Casino Night (As usual, filled with betting- and stealing- "money" with pictures of the staff on it. Justin, Dale, and Si Ming allegedly made off with over 10,000 dollars' worth of fake money. Marriages were conducted by a student and accompanied with rings that broke instantly. VIP passes were expensive as usual but worth it. The prize fight was between John and Luis, and John won.)
- Second Sunday: Talent Show (Lots of piano playing, some singing and dancing, a contortionist, and a water bottle flipper (Alex Kim), among other things.) It was hosted by nevermores Darling and Jalen, one-more Blue, and new-comer Shay, who all performed at the end- Jalen and Shay sang/rapped "Love the Way You Lie". Darling and Blue read sad poems about CTY (crews to Heidi Wong!) The emcees were of great quality. There was however, an uproar when Emcee Darling mispronounced Chopin as "chop-in". A notable performance was by the Writing in Pop Culture class (mostly their TA). Glee Club also performed 'Dancing Queen". With all the hip action he delivered, Geoffrey was the true dancing queen of the performance. Seasons of Love again brought tears to the eyes of many. Soloist Justin Woo wowed the entire audience with his stunning vocals.
- Third Thursday: Dance (Theme: Toga Party. About two RAs dressed up for this theme. The lack of glowstickers was made up for by a glover and some cool light up shoes. Chucho, Rory, Park, and Jordan all returned to help revive the canon songs to thunderous applause. Some RA's also sprayed silly string onto the crowd to the annoyance of everyone.)
- 16.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Olympic Games): Because of mosquito problems in Sunken Gardens, took place in the gym, which resulted in a sweaty experience. Thin glowsticks were passed out by RAs, then thrown across the gym during American Pie (people were also running into the middle of the circle to get the thin glowsticks, which turned into a huge mess), resulting in the banning of glowsticks(not glowstringing/raving) at the next two dances.
- First Saturday:
- Picture Scavenger Hunt - Each team was assigned a country, and they had to take as many of the listed pictures as possible. Team Sweden came in first place!
- Movie Night (Sky High): There was no pre-movie activity. Took place on the steps outside the library due to the mosquito problem in Sunken Gardens. There was still a mild mosquito problem at the new location.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Masquerade Ball): RAs passed out plastic masks at the dance. Some RAs made you perform a task in order to receive a mask, such as starting a conga line or fetching them a drink. A few students had the extraordinary foresight to bring their own masks. Took place in Sunken Gardens after pressure from students. "It's the End of the World As We Know It" was played after it got dark out, resulting in several student injuries.
- Second Saturday:
- Block Party
- Casino Night: The RAs set up a marriage booth in the VIP lounge, so that you needed a VIP pass to get married. However, there was no additional charge for getting married because of the high charge in order to access the VIP lounge. The Trinity volunteered to run this booth, but were not told that they wouldn't make any money until the activity had already started. A tip jar was set up to remedy this problem. RA involvement in marriages did result in some nice additions, including formal marriage certificates, rings not made out of duct tape, and the option to have your marriage announced to the entire camp. There were divorce certificates as well, but only one divorce occured. Two fight matches were held, one for entertainment and one for the final betting. Louis's hall won first place; Marianna's hall (the Bell Hall) was the top girl hall, in fourth place.
- Second Sunday: Talent Show: the talent show included a lot of music, poetry, and the traditional tears of Leaving on a Jet Plane. The DRL's spoken word performance was notable and was widely considered the most provocative act. More can be found at the Talent Show page.
- Third Dance: Held on last Thursday. Theme was the Best Dance Ever. There were beach balls being thrown around, bubble guns, and a piñata. Everytime We Touch was played as a poi circle song for Nevermore and Nomore ravers only. Anyone could rave during Sandstorm though, as usual. Generally, the order of songs was pathetic with the most energetic being played while halls were arriving and emotional songs being played along side the "Cupid Shuffle" and "Low". Slideshow was played after American Pie. There were also several students making ice cream behind the DJ booth, a popular pastime for halls during the session. Luis A. was trying to sing Don't Stop Believin' at the beginning of the dance.
- 17.2
- First Friday: Dance (Theme:Jungle): Some of the canon songs were excluded, notably Blame it on the Boogie. Also, the circle for American Pie ended early.
- First Saturday:
- Water Wars - Stations with activities that have something to do with water. It was horribly organized because no one was told where to go and some of the stations were closed.
- TV Night: There were tables with various activities relating to TV channels. The Trinity tried to pass out spoons and Blammo targets, but the RAs shut it down. There was a slight technical difficulty with the projector, but the RAs were able to resolve it. Basically, TV night was a marathon of kids shows (stuff like Phineas and Ferb, Drake and Josh,etc.)
- First Sunday: Movie Time (don't remember the name of the activity): RAs were dressed up and displayed in a fashion show. Then, The Lion King was played.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Halloween): RAs had a costume competition and CTYers were allowed to vote on who had the best costume. Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'" was taken over by Norman Situ, Devin Bolden and Brody Faliero for the second time with the rest of the campers cheering with phone flashlights, creating a little 17.2 tradition (can we keep this as an LOS tradition?).
- Second Saturday:
- Instahunt - Similar to last year. Classes were supposed to go around campus and take pictures, but most people ended up chilling in Starbucks. Whichever class had the most approved photos got to either pie an RA in the face or duct tape them to a tree.
- Casino Night - RAs were allowed to send you to jail if CTYers were not doing anything, even if you were in said RAs hall *cough* Seth C *cough*.
- Second Sunday: Talent Show: There were self written pieces, magic tricks, and a comedy act (and a bunch of nevermores and nomores crying while singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" as per usual).
- Final Dance (Theme: Toga Party) As per usual, it was held on the final Thursday. Seth C. (COOK SETH, COOK SETH, COOK SETH) had a solo performance for a Casino Night prize. Instead of having a poi circle on Regent's Terrace, everyone watched the ravers perform at the Sunken Gardens by the request of some of the ravers (Sydney, Duncan, Ellen, etc.). Everytime We Touch was played as a poi song for Nevermore and Nomore ravers but, it was neglected by most of the camp. The slideshow was played towards the end of the dance and Blammo winners were announced right before the slideshow. There was the inner circle for Nomores, Nevermores, and RAs in American Pie much to the confusion of some RAs.
- 18.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: Lilo and Stitch): Due to construction on Regent's Terrace, it was held inside the Burns Recreation Center. This made the dance environment stuffy and sweaty. Hardly any canon songs were played and American Pie was messed up. The students were confused and after the chant, everybody circled up again. For the first time in a while there were no ravers.
- First Saturday:
- Color Wars - This activity is becoming a session one tradition. Halls were paired up and assigned a color. Many activities were organized such as Trivia, Tug of War, Capture the Flag, Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling Bee, Beach Ball ABC's, Soccer, Egg on a Spoon, Potato-Sac Race, Dizzy Bat Race, Three-legged Race, and Pie Eating Contest. The winners were the black team but orange won most spirited.
- Movie Night - The Greatest Showman was the chosen movie for session 1. It began with 10 RA's dressing up as clowns and choosing one delegate from their hall to introduce them.
- First Sunday: CTY Instagram Scavenger Hunt (made up by RA Nicole). This was said to be the first one done in session 1. Halls were paired with a different RA to get to know more of the staff. The teams were originally tasked with 32 given pictures needed to be taken. However, this hardly took any time and Secret Menus were added after. Most teams gave up and sat in Sunken Gardens. The winners were awarded a pizza party.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Pajama Party) Due to the constant complaints, the dance location was moved to the grass right outside Whelan. However the speakers were set up on the opposite side of the outlets and a long cord was stretched down the middle. This was the worst dance of the three. Even less canon songs were played and many ads kept popping up. A number of students asked the RAs if they needed a Spotify Premium Account. American Pie was messed up and RA Luis allowed the Holy Trinity to the inside circle, much to the confusion of several RAs.
- Second Saturday:
- Double Feature - Many halls complained about the lack of downtime given and RA's responded. Half the camp would watch a movie (Heavyweights was the winner) while the other half was able to do anything: chill in the dorms, go off campus, get starbucks, etc. We would then switch so everybody had the opportunity to watch the movie and spend time with their hall.
- Casino Night - Stealing was a huge issue at Casino Night. Several halls planned it out and stole money the whole night. Kevan's hall stole so much money that in order to get rid of the evidence they threw it off the ledge from the VIP Lounge. This caused there to be no winners. Instead of a final fight in which all the halls bet there was a dance battle where no one bet any money. Out of RA's David, Patrice, and Matt, David was the clear winner.
- Second Sunday: Talent show: There was a lack of performers this year, causing the talent show to start later (2:30 instead of 1). Many nomores and nevermores chose not to go up on stage and sing "Seasons of Love." Thank you to RA David for playing Seasons of Love at all.
- Final Dance (Theme: A Night Under the Stars) As usual, it was held on the final Thursday outside Whelan. However, they switched the sides of where the speakers were set up and there was no cord down the middle. A screen was set up behind the speakers for the slideshow and there was a light-up arch made with the letters CTY on the front. RA David made the playlist and it was the best dance out of the three. At 9:15, the slideshow was played and all the canon songs requested by the Holy Trinity were played. The Blammo winner was announced by the Trinity. American Pie was played at the end with all the RAs, nomores, and nevermores in the inside circle. It was not messed up due to RA Luis yelling at the students to do it correctly. It was an emotional night as always.
- 19.1
- First Friday: Dance (Theme: A Night Under the Stars) Held on Regent’s Terrace. This dance American Pie was played so quietly hardly anyone could hear the words. Nobody knew what was going on.
- First Saturday:
- Carnival - Featured various activities such as soccer, relay-races, board games, face painting, etc.
- Movie Night - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the chosen movie for session 1. Popcorn was passed out at intervals, but bringing your own snacks is recommended (the popcorn was limited).
- First Sunday:
- Water Day - Different water-themed activities and also a dry area with hula-hoops.
- Second Friday: Dance (Theme: Masquerade) CTYers got colorful masks with prominent noses. American Pie was messed up, with everyone staying in the center for too long. However this was still the best dance out of the three.
- Second Saturday:
- Soccer Game - CTYers could play/watch soccer on the Sunken Grounds or watch a movie (Air Bud: World Pup or something). The movie was cliche and more about romance than soccer.
- Casino Night - The RAs at the entrance to the VIP lounge turned away tons of people, claiming that their passes were fake. RAs did a turtle race, mock fought, and lip synced at different times. IT was poorly organized compared to past years and no winner was ever announced.
- Second Sunday: Talentshow: Some memorable acts included a skit titled “Detention” and one person fitting her entire fist in her mouth. Also RA David made a dance activity with over 25 kids.
- Final Dance (Theme: ) As before, it was held on the last Thursday, on Regent’s Terrace. Glowsticks were handed out and during American Pie, CTYers tossed the thin glowsticks in the air, creating a beautiful scene. However the songs chosen were some of the worst and nobody knew them, causing about 3/4 of the camp to sit on the steps instead of dancing. At the end of the dance, the slideshow was played and the Trinity announced the Blammo winner.
Student Life
Dances
There are three dances per session. The first two are held on Fridays, and the last one is held on Thursday. Though they were in Rosecrans Courtyard in 2005, they were moved to Sullivan Courtyard, which is well-lit at night by several street-lights that automatically turn on. However, dances are now (as of at least 2014) held on Regents Terrace and a small portion of Sunken Gardens, providing students with a beautiful view of LMU's Sacred Heart Chapel lit up at night. The last dances of 14.1 and 15.1 were held in the same gym where the talent show was held. The last dance of 16.1 was not held there.
In 10.2, due to noise complaints, the dance was moved to the upstairs gym in the Burns Rec Center. CTYers typically take an hour to begin dancing, but most people dance once the sun sets (since it's super awkward when it's still bright, one of the few benefits of the indoor dance of 16.2). A stage is usually built on the inside edge of Sullivan Courtyard. This stage has the speakers mounted on it, and a DJ sits behind it, putting together music lists. Students are rarely allowed behind the stage, as there are wires from the speakers over which they could trip.
Despite the social atmosphere, several students can be seen at each dance sitting near Doheny Fountain, or in more recent years around Sunken Gardens. These people are usually playing cards and solving Rubik's cubes. During 2006, they were sitting on or even behind the walls around Sullivan Academic Center and RAs like JZ and Jason and Mike had to run around making them dance. During 2007, some were seen programming calculators during the dances. In 2008, a few of these people chose to blast an alternative selection of music from their iPod speakers, while sitting next to Doheny Fountain. This was in protest to the pop and rap music being played at the dance.
There are also different sources of entertainment in the Lion's Den for those who do not want to participate in the dance, such as board games and movies.
LMU dances do have American Pie (with nomores and nevermores forming their own circle in the middle of the larger circle at the last dance), "It's the End of the World As We Know It", "Sandstorm" (for the ravers, if they still exist at LMU) and "Stairway to Heaven" at every dance, along with other Canon. Every dance ends with an RA or SRA standing on the stage and yelling, "Go home! Nobody loves you!" The students then respond, "But WE love you!"
Enemies
Students are forbidden from speaking to participants in other programs; the precedent set for this policy is due to rash interactions with other camps including (the notorious) guitar camp, various LMU sports camps, foreign camps, and the annual church retreat.
Our enemies on campus include, but are not limited to the following camps.
- Kobe Basketball Academy - "Kobe Camp"
A basketball camp for kids between the ages of 8 and eighteen, Kobe Camp is known for containing an impressive amount of brickheads who do not know 2+2. These idiots cut in line and eat everything in sight, even the inedible potatoes. In 09.1, Kobe Bryant filmed a Nike commercial on Regents Terrace with skateboarder Paul Rodriguez. This caused a mob of fans from several camps including CTY. The commercial aired in August, and can be seen on YouTube (St. Roberts Hall is in plain view!) To the dismay of girls living in the 3rd floor Rosecrans Hall in 09.1, Kobe Campers moved underneath them, causing general annoyance and a perpetual stench of AXE and sweat in the halls. Kobe kids got pizza every night in addition to cafeteria food and raided the vending machines until there was only water and diet Pepsi left. The entrance and third floor of Rosecrans were locked, along with Desmond halls, to prevent Kobe Campers from getting into a girls' hall. It became a huge nuisance for the girls. CTYers are happy to know they will not be returning in 2010.
- National Guitar Workshop - "Guitar Camp"
The National Guitar Workshop draws on the people in the nation who would like nothing more than to be a rock legend, complete with stupid-looking long fuzzy hairdo and rotting teeth. Kids in Guitar Camp idolize their guitar heroes; they try to look like them. Over the years, their hilarious hairdos and aggressive behavior has led to several fights and the advent of rules such as, "CTY students must not make fun of Guitar Camp kids' hair to their faces." It is not uncommon for Guitar Camp students to attempt to sneak into CTY dances. According to CTY legend/rumor, Guitar Campers rolled down a hill in LMU in beer kegs. During 09.1, several CTYers begged Guitar Camp teachers and students for their lanyards on the last day of the workshop. To their surprise, many gave them up if asked politely. Lucy M., Jane S., and Mina N. all received lanyards by asking. In 09, the negative view of Guitar Campers turned more positive due to the surprising kindness of the previously dubbed "Guitards." (From '08) According to Jason Boring, The National Guitar Workshop did not return for 2010.
- LMU Summer Sports Camp - "Little Kids Sports Camp"
LMU runs several sports camps for kids over the summer. While the majority of the attending kids are aged 4-10, the camps accept kids up to age 14. This leads to there being thousands of little kids who eat nothing but gelatin and cookies for lunch. These guys outnumber the potatoes, and that's saying something. Also, never give these ragamuffins your Tabasco® sauce. If they've run out, it's a good thing. It means they can't terrorize anyone else.
- ESL Students- "Foreign Camp"
Students seeking to speak English in America travel from Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and France to LA, and once they are there, they wade in the fountains at LMU. Many foreign students are not used to etiquette or rules. This leads them to do things such as sneak into the cafeteria through windows so they don't have to pay. Also, foreign students will sometimes not understand the concept of a line and push in front of anyone who looks weaker than them. They also smoke a lot, and once had a costume day, in which several of the men were in drag. Many CTYers wonder if the traditional Drag Day spirit rubbed off on the foreigners. Most CTYers see them surveying people, partying, or ambling around campus.
- Korean Christian Church Convention
For three days during 11.1, a flood of members of the Korean Christian Church took over the LMU campus. Nobody knows why they were there, but they had a tendency to cut in line and take giant helpings of food, leaving no food left over for CTY students and members of other camps at LMU. They made another appearance in 14.1 when they wore distinctive blue shirts.
- Supercamp
Claiming to be an intellectual growth camp that teaches leadership skills like "quantum reading," any CTYer cringes when the word Supercamp is uttered. The hoards of children equipped with thick grey (or any other ugly color in general, for example, mucus green) lanyards obnoxiously chant (whenever, wherever, whatever) at the dining hall and take up as many seats as possible without actually using them. At night, Supercampers can sometimes be found smoking around the laundry building. They also often take over ten cookies at a time and save seats for over half an hour, which is a heinous crime in general.
- Cheer Camp
The sparkles. The chants. The inordinately large bows. The miniskirts. The general lack of respect for any other form of being. Cheer Camp invaded the LMU campus 12.2 and while they stayed more or less out of the way of activities, they swarmed the dining hall in the mornings and backed up the line for what seemed like miles to CTYers. A flustered observation was made of this phenomenon in 12.2 by Caitlyn H, "Do they ONLY eat breakfast?!" The cheerleaders lived in Sullivan and by report of resident CTYers, they had a habit of running around without any vestments and taking up massive amounts of shower time. During early 16.2, Whelan residents heard cheerleaders screaming as they walked by the dorm late at night.
- Catholic Camp
A cult of Jaysus (often mistaken with SPACE JAYSUS and Mexican Jesus) worshipers that have settled in LMU's campus. The infection began in 13.1, and it is still unknown how long the epidemic will last. Notorious for cutting lines and attempting to put down (and failing miserably) the all-knowing and intellectually superior CTY students. We have been informed by reliable sources that they are in direct correlation with the POTATOES corporation and are planning the destruction of our camp.
However, our #1 enemy, is not a camp, not a person, not a rule, not a large Jell-O ® driven explosive that we hid somewhere in Rosecrans, no, it is the POTATO!
The potato, the ubiquitous food of the LMU cafeteria, used to be delivered in large trucks. But as of 08.1, these trucks no longer came. Yet, the potatoes kept coming. Between 07 and 08, a large machine was installed in the rear of the cafeteria, its purpose unknown. Some theorize that this fiendish machine was a Potato Generator. Others assume that 2008 students were still eating the 2007 potatoes. During 09, the Potato Generator was seen by Rosecrans girls being hauled out of LMU during a surprising lack-of-potatoes-spell (some speculate for "repair") and later hauled back in. The potato cycle then continued normally. However, 09.1 also unraveled part of the potato mystery when it was discovered that the executive chef, Jeff Mercer, is Irish.
We have since expanded the food-related enemies list to include the entire cafeteria staff. After making something called a "Frito Pie" which resembled lasagna made with Frito chips instead of noodles, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of the staff on accusations that they are committing crimes against Humanity.
Tradition
LMU has always been a kind of black sheep with traditions, not keeping many (to the dismay of easterners). Though "It's the End of the World as We Know It" was a staple at the LA venues (LMU and, before that, the University of Redlands) in the early 1990s, it died out sometime in the mid-1990s.
A kid named Michael Sherwood brought an incredible passion and zeal to tradition in the summer of 2001. In that summer, and through no easy means, he revived interest in REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)', and brought 'Stairway', Gay Dad, and Radiohead to the site. Suddenly, there was light and energy. The abysmal food tasted better, the sky was bluer, and the girls were wearing less clothing. Furthermore, a former Lancaster student-turned Young Students Instructor named Chris also worked with students and staff to institute traditions from other sites. He DJ'd the dances, helping to bring REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)' and the associated dance tradition to LMU. He also worked to bring Passionfruit to Los Angeles. 'Forever Young' was not only on said instructor's computer, it was played at the proper time during each of the small number of dances that summer.
Though 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)', and 'Stairway' stuck, LMU tradition was once again stuck in a rut. With the advent of 08.1, Silent Football, Blammo, and Wanna buy a duck were all added to the traditional game repertoire of several first-sessioners. While RA awareness of Canon lagged, a reform had begun. On the other hand, for several years, session 2 tradition thrived under the caretaking of Jared, Zoe, and their companions. The majority of this traditionalist group nevermored out in 2007, leaving tradition to a few younger students for 2008, such as David, Jordan, Margot, and Bri.
There is always a Movie Night, a Casino Night, some form of Water Day, and a Talent Show. Drag Day is held on the second Wednesday.
Nevermores and Nomores observe Passionfruit early on the last morning of the session. On the last day of every second session, someone manages to dump something into Doheny Fountain, such as Jell-O powder, Tang, or liquid soap. This tradition was launched in 2007 by Allyssa's hall.
Second session tends to be a lot more traditional than first session, although it still has less tradition than other sites.
The Holy Trinity
Originally conceived by the diabolical mastermind that is Sage V. in 11.2, the Holy Trinity is a group of three approachable people, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, designated to assist in the continuation of LMU traditions without overpowering squirrels, forcing tradition down anyone's throat, or freaking people out. It is also responsible for teaching glowstringing and selling/distributing glowsticks (starting in 17.2, it was primarily the Father). Trinity members are typically chosen as Onemores, but exceptions are not uncommon.
The Book of Love, still in production, is being made to guide future generations through the duties of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity only existed during the second session at LMU up until 2018. The Holy Trinity for the first time ever was brought to session 1. It was approved by RA Luis and they followed all the Session 2 traditions. The Trinity runs Blammo.
Father
The Father is the guiding hand of the Trinity who assists other campers as much as possible. The Father is always available to help out or be an ear to talk to.
Session 2:
- 2012 Fury, Founding Father
- 2013 Edie S.
- 2014 Soojung C.
- 2015 Kiki K.
- 2016 Jessica Z.
- 2017 Sydney H.
- 2018 Ellen J.
- 2019 Jocelyn S.
- 2020 Clarissa C.
Session 1:
- 2018 Amanda Nguyen
- 2019 Allison Nguyen
- 2020 Allison Nguyen
Son
The Son is known for being the enthusiastic God of Blammo and raver but this is not a strict law. The Son is never without a supply of duct tape for fixing spoons or sandals or shirts or anything.
Session 2:
- 2012 Mexican Jesus, Original Son
- 2013 Caitlin H.
- 2014 Colin S.
- 2015 Cameron T.
- 2016 Cameron T.
- 2017 Pearson M.
- 2018 Owen L. (Replacing Pearson M.) (Who is Lictor Vee?)
- 2019 Lysander S.
- 2020 Claire (S.?)
Session 1:
- 2018 Allison Nguyen
- 2019 Elise Kim
- 2020 Corey Wang
Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost is known for spreading the word about traditions, for example which day is Drag Day, knowing the history of the campus, and being compassionate.
Session 2:
- 2012 Zoe H., (Wozie), First Holy Ghost
- 2013 Ilan D.
- 2014 Natalie L.
- 2015 Emily E.
- 2016 Iris P.
- 2017 Anika S.
- 2018 Kasey C. (Replaced Ashley S.)
- 2019 Silvia F. (Replaced Olivia W.)
- 2020 Emma B.
Session 1:
- 2018 Sloan Sciarappo
- 2019 Sloan Sciarappo
- 2020 Amanda Chen
Tradition History
05.2
- First attempt to add Cross-Dress Day to LMU Session 2.
06.1
- Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was semi-canon during 06.2, where people formed a conga line that went in a spiral. Chants of "HARDER HARDER HARDER HARDER!" and sometimes "FASTER FASTER FASTER FASTER!" could be heard after the usual "die die die die live live live live sex sex sex sex more more more more!" People pointed fingers at the Biomedical people.
06.2
- First Thursday/Friday: Clash Day
- Second Wednesday: Cross-Dress Day: This became more of an accepted and widely-followed tradition after the first attempt in 2005.
- The chants of "HARDER HARDER HARDER HARDER" and "FASTER FASTER FASTER FASTER" were lead by the Chemistry students.
- Second Thursday- Pop Yo' Collar Day: The first time this day was held at LMU Session 2.
07.1
- Emo Day, a national event, occured at some point during the session. This was mistaken for tradition.
- 07.1 brought new songs into the session 1 Canon, including "Dragostea Din Tei." The only Afterdance was held by a group of eight girls (all from Lour's hall), who chanted "CTY you have a nice butt." Surrounding people stared, and did not join in. A chant of "ORGY" was added after the "more more more more" part of the chant to American Pie. Jorge's hall takes partial credit for introducing "Don't Stop Believin'" to canon this year.
08.1
- Emo Day once again returned on the same day of 08.1 as it had occurred in 07.1, though National Emo Day was on a different day.
- Silent Football was brought to CTY LMU by members of the website Post-CTY Depression.
- The tradition of shouting "ORGY" at the end of the normal American Pie Chant was continued into 2008.1, mostly by Petr (no, that's not a spelling mistake) Sharetskiy, and his Latin class. "Don't Stop Believing," by Journey, was played at every dance, and began working its way into Upper Canon. Jason Boring was in the center of the mob during American Pie, singing the words loudly, but covering his ears and closing his eyes during the chant. During the first dance, "It's the End of the World as We Know It" was played in the first half an hour of the dance (in a pathetic attempt to get kids on the dance floor) and as a result, the nevermores staged an enormous protest. The song was played again, although cut short. Also, during session one, there was an increased interest in Glowstringing, led by Lizzy H., Sarah Sch., and Josh Q. These students practiced Glowstringing during social time until a daily activity entitled "Raving" was created. All three of these students performed with their glowsticks at the first dance, and began teaching other students. In 08.2, A large group of people was seen running into the dancing area during canon songs, and running out afterwards, when rap started to play again.
08.2
- More canon was played due to the protests of students and RAs alike during the first dance. Songs that weren't played before (or as much) were played, like "Blister in the Sun," "Nightswimming," and "Time Warp."
- Silent Football was demonstrated to the second sessioners, but they didn't take to it in the same way as first sessioners.
09.1
- More canon was played than years past, including "Rock Lobster" and "Blister in the Sun." The raving scene grew in first session, with Lizzy H., Sarah Sch., Maggie G., Declan M-H, Matt G., and Molly S., all taking turns dazzling the crowds during "Sandstorm." Many people were disgusted at the choice of dance on the last dance, a "backwards" theme. Traditionalists were still in dressy outfits, though.
09.2
- Less canon was played in second session of 2009 than in first. The main glowstringers were Lizzy H., and Alfred W, and also, during the second dance, Jackie/Allegra C.. However, many second sessioners were upset [or at least confused] when the RAs did not play the nevermore/nomore song, Leaving on a Jet Plane, during the final dance.
10.1
- In the first two dances, fewer slow songs and more canon were played. The main glowstringers were Molly S., Maggie G., and Declan M-H with special appearances by Jason Boring. During the last dance, however, only 2 slow songs were played, and the slideshow took the place of the canon songs End of the World, Istanbul(Not Constantinople), and Sandstorm, preventing the glowstringers from making a final appearance.
10.2
- The first two dances, few canon songs were played, notably Nightswimming. When Chris R. was asked why the song wasn't played, the answer was "because no one's going to dance to it." A 50 signature petition went through, and Nightswimming was played at the next two dances, although it was cut 20 seconds short for the slide show at the last dance. For the first two dances, glowstringing activity was minimal, led by Sage V., Kevin C., and, for the last dance, Diana D., but it increased substantially at the last dance due to Jason Boring's tutorial (and glowstick distribution) as part of a weekly activity. Also at the third dance, all canon except Forever Young and Don't Stop Believing were played, and there were attempts by site-hopping RAs to introduce new Canon, such as "Blame it on the Boogie."
11.1
- The main glowstringers at the dances were Matt G., Erika C., Alex O., Micaela G., and Louisa C.. Some canon were played, most notably Nightswimming, Don't Stop Believing, Istanbul, Dragostea Din Tei, Forever Young and Everytime We Touch. Repeated playing of Blame it on the Boogie could make it a new sub-canon. Party Rock Anthem and Teach Me How to Dougie were consistently played. The dreaded Friday was also played every dance.
11.2
- The main glowstringers were Sage V., Jonathan R., Mexican Jesus, and for the last dance, Kira D. At the end of the second dances, several squirrels who had gone home early the first week screwed up the end of American Pie. "American Pie 101" was held as a daily activity the day before the final dance, possibly to remedy this, and possibly to combat the dark forces of the "Learn to Party Rock Shuffle" weekly.
12.1
- Canon was played but Bohemian Rhapsody, Nightswimming and Dragostea Din Tei were omitted. Main glowstringers were Micaela G., Kate and Alex O. However, the Time Warp was played often. Jason Boring did not return. Call Me Maybe was played excessively. Drag Day, as usual was a great success and Clara's hall attempted to revive Goth Day. 12.1 hailed the first Passing of the Book - the passing down of the Book of Love, a working manual on LOS session one traditions. Micaela G. was the keeper of the Book. A clan of traditionalists began to form - the Gardner-Ovstrovsky clan, the bulk of the family being from Philosophy of the Mind. Patriarch - Alex O. Matriarch - Micaela G. Family members include - The Concubine, The Lesbian Aunt, The Grandfather-son, and The Mother-Daughter, a mango named William, and papayas Ralph I, II, and III.
12.2
- At the first two dances, a little canon songs were played but due to a superb amount of complaining, this was more or less remedied by the second dance. "Forever Young" was not played at either of the first two dances, to the dismay of campers. However, "Caramelldansen" by Caramell was played and properly danced to at dances 2 and 3, much to the delight of an ever-growing group of CTYers. When week 3 came along, Mexican Jesus convinced two RAs to allow him to unofficially host a Poi Weekly activity consisting of him making numerous pairs of poi out of duct tape, markers, glowsticks, shoelaces, and more or less anything he could get his hands on. As a result, there was an unprecedented surge of glowsticks swinging around at all times of day. At dances, there was a nearly uncountable amount of glowstringers, mainly due to the Poi Power weekly activity but the main were Mexican Jesus, Sam C., Nick P., Soojung C., and Fury while Victor L., Alex C., and Kira D. were the main people raving staff. Like 11.2, at the end of the second dance, a mass of squirrels screwed up the end of American Pie. "Learn the CTY Canon" was held as a daily activity at one point.
13.1
- In addition to "Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex" being shouted at the end of American Pie, "ORGY" was shouted by girls and boys alike.
13.2
- Poi (glowstringing) activity was heightened, with over 15 people glowstringing at the last dance to Sandstorm in the middle of a giant circle
14.1
- No Blammo was held.
- Fewer than five people had towels on Towel Thursdays, despite many knowing that the event existed.
- Sandstorm was played during the second and third dances and Ryuichi Yanagi and Jalen Sur were the only ravers. Jalen Sur brought Orbitals as well as Gloves, and Ryuichi adhered to the standard glowstick poi.
The nevermore/nomore circle was formed before the last verse in American Pie.
- There was no Trinity this session. No one responded when SRA Jordan Twaddle asked for the Trinity to raise their hands when informing nevermores and nomores on Passionfruit details.
- There was little response to the traditional cry of "Go home! Nobody loves you!"
- "Bailando" was regarded as canon.
14.2
- Gummy bears were mysteriously placed on every door in Desmond. At first this was assumed to be a sign that was to be used for the upcoming activity, but nobody has claimed responsibility for the gummy bears up until now...
15.1
- The rave circle was almost dead at the dances. During the first and second dances, people resorted to dancing with glowsticks in the circle and doing random kicking/kung-fu. During the last dance, one brave and smart raver, who had saved her glowsticks, took control of the circle.
- Drag Day and Emo Day both had participation (though Drag Day noticeably more so.)
- Gummy bears and DOTS gumdrops were again placed on doors in Desmond during the last week of the session. This only happened to the third floor though.
15.2
- Drag Day, Emo Day, Love Tape Day, Polo Shirt Day, and Towel Day all had participation.
- In Whelan, gummy bears were taped to every door on the night after the first dance; sticky notes with kind messages and one gummy bear each were taped to every bathroom stall door the next night; the letters "C", "T", and "Y" were formed out of gummy bears taped to the front windows of the third, second, and first floors (respectively) on the second weekend; on the final night the bulletin board in the entryway was covered in sticky notes with CTY-themed and session-specific quotes, lyrics from various Canon songs, and gummy bears. No one knows who this gummy bear committee is, and, if they're not RAs, when they manage to do this.
- There was an actual winner in Blammo, Trisha S., and two runners-up, Annshine W. and Alan L.
16.1
- Drag Day and Emo Day both had participation. Staff tried to introduce "Spirit Days" in the last week but nobody participated, due to the fact that there was no notice and the themes weren't cool.
- The mysterious gummy bear association did not seem to be present this session.
- There was a lot of canon present in the third dance, thanks to Jalen and Blue (Oona) who rewrote the list of canon for the site.
- Blammo had no winners after RA Rob scrambled the system to create 8 separate games (what?). Jalen himself, the Blammo God, got out when he dropped his spoon to glove at the dance. Thomas Brooks was also a blammo god.The RAs played their own game of Blammo involving socks.
- KBBQ was revived (and Braveheart was replaced with an activity called Animal World).
16.2
- Drag Day, Goth Day (also known as Emo Day), and Love Tape day all had participation. After students made many an attempt to show their love for the lion, RAs reminded students once again that love tape is not allowed on the lion since it can peel paint, but every person was covered in tape.
- Towel Thursday also had much participation!
- Gummy bears were put on every door in Whelan.
- Jessica Li and Hannah Wang tied for first place in Blammo, with seven kills apiece.
- There was a lot of poi/raving/glowsticking/flow happening, something several returners feared wouldn't happen. Every dance had a good sized poi circle.
- For the first time in Pet Rock history, the weekly activity Pet Rock ran for all three weeks!
- Pet Banana Daily was also run.
17.2
- Most of the returners were concerned that tradition was going to die this year because barely anyone came back. However, most of the traditional activities like Goth Day, Cross-Dress Day (commonly known as Drag Day but it was deemed offensive by some RAs), Love Tape Day, etc. did take place.
- A bunch of new Blammo rules were being added each day in an attempt to end with one winner (example: you cannot carry spoons with your hands).
- This went well; it required following of an Instagram page for updates, Hunger Games style, the Trinity scheduled posts for every 6 hours
- Transitions and increasing pressure before the last dance resulted in a meltdown, general chaos, and destruction of friendships leading the Trinity to end the Blammo round and announce top 3 (Rebecca J.)
- Tradition disagreements caused occasional standoffs between the Ghost and Father near the dining hall or social time but created general entertainment
- RAs were running their own Blammo game where instead of using spoons, they used gloves (17.2 IIRC) and socks (according to Seth C.) and they passed around a stick where each RA that received it would add something on to it (for example one RA added a plushie [IIRC it was a Charmander?]).
18.1
- The handful of returners left were immediately saddened as it was clear the traditions were dying. However, due to RA Luis and David and a huge help of the holy trinity, the traditions were kept alive and many were added from session 2.
- Cross-Dress Day occurred on the second Tuesday of the session as per usual.
- Love Tape Day happened on the third Monday but due to the lack of tradition stickers were used in place of tape for the most part.
- The first ever Holy Trinity was made in session 1, approved by RA Luis. They also were the ones who ran Blammo.
- Blammo was a big hit this year with over half the camp participating. Amita was the winner with twelve kills.
- KBBQ and Braveheart occurred thanks to RA Luis.
- Twin Day happened on the third Wednesday instead of Tuesday due to the lack of tradition at camp. Next year it will be on the third Tuesday.
- Trinity also set up Blammo for the RA's with Patrice as the RA Blammo God
- Pet Rock was not an activity, saddening the handful of returners
18.2
- Disclaimer: hearsay, please revise
- Camp this year consisted of mainly young squirrels. This led to an enjoyable session for squirrels but some returners were dissatisfied and left during the session, including the Son (replaced by Owen L.)
- Session 2 returnees migrated to Session 1 and established traditions there
19.1
- The traditions manage to stay alive this year mostly due to RAs David and Luis returning and the Holy Trinity.
- Cross-Dress Day occurred on the second Tuesday of the session but there was a noticeable lack of participation.
- Love Tape Day happened on the third Tuesday and much more of the camp participated
- Twin day took place on the third Monday
- Two Blammo winners were announced this year as they both Blammoed 19 people! Kate and Aidan were the winners.
- KBBQ and Braveheart occurred again because of RA Luis
19.2
- Returning students were afraid that the new wave of squirrels were going to cause all traditions to die down. however with the help of RAs David, Luis and Sabrina + returning students, many traditions managed to stay alive, along with the reintroduction of old traditions
- KBBQ and Braveheart were brought back and merged into one activity.
- RAs Sabrina and Luis reintroduced "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" and it was played at the second and third dances
- Many songs were missed, including Cupid Shuffle at all 3 dances, Party in the USA and Low at the first two dances, and Everytime we Touch and Cha Cha Slide in the last ones.
- All spirit days happened on the scheduled traditional day
- Blammo took place through out the session, ending with a final winner - Clarissa C. with 9 kills
- Pet banana was brought back by RA Sabrina!
- The selling of glowsticks for poi was "banned" during the second dance, but many RAs (especially ones dedicated to keeping traditions alive) basically said to continue doing it without making a scene.
