Baltimore
| Baltimore | |
 The main "bell tower" of Gilman Hall. | |
| Site Information | |
|---|---|
| College | Johns Hopkins University |
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Dates | Session 1: June 25 - July 14 | Session 2: July 16 - Aug 4 |
| Years of Operation | Early 1990s?-1995 | 2001-present |
| Avg. Number of Students | 260 |
| Courses Offered | |
| Humanities | Beyond the Binary: A Cultural History of Gender | Global Politics: Human Rights and Justice | Human Nature and Technology | Laws and Orders: Legal Systems Around the World | Persuasion and Propaganda | Playing God: The Ethics of Human Subjects Research | |
| Writing | You Will Be Offended: Satire, Comedy, and Public Discourse | |
| Math and Computer Science | Fundamentals of Microeconomics | The Mathematics of Competitive Behavior | Topology | |
| Science | Astrophysics | Advanced Topics in Physics: Special Relativity | Cryptology | Epidemiology | Investigations in Engineering | The Global Environment | |
| Canon | |
| High Holy Canon | American Pie | Stairway to Heaven | Mr. Brightside | Iris |
| High Canon | Don't Stop Believing | Sandstorm | Cha Cha Slide | Come On Eileen | Forever Young | Tunak Tunak Tun |
| Middle Canon | Wobble | Bohemian Rhapsody | For baltimore | Cotton Eye Joe | Istanbul (Not Constantinople) | I'll Make a Man out of You | Time Warp | Stacey's Mom | Bad Romance | Can't Hold Us | Sweet Caroline | Blister In the Sun | |
| Lower Canon | Nightswimming | How far we've come | Every Time We Touch | Fireflies | Anna Sun | Closing time | Somewhere only we know | Numa Numa | Satisfaction | Heartless or the hills | Long live | Pokémon Theme Song |
| Site Specifics | |
| Position-holders | Empress and Emperor | Prince and Princess of the Blood | Games God and/or Goddess | Rave Monarch |
| See The Essential CTY for cross-site articles. | |
The Baltimore site is located at the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University. Although it houses the main administration for CTY, it was not made into a site until relatively recently. It is stricter than other campuses as JHU is an open campus in the middle of Baltimore and CTY is terrified that students will be kidnapped or murdered. It has few persistent traditions as the administration tends to resist tradition and the site is notorious for passing down controversial new rules. In 2022, this site became for high school students only.
See Memories, Hall of Fame, Halls, and Hall of Shame for more history.
Contents
- 1 Site and Campus Overview
- 2 Off-Campus Locations
- 3 Student Life
- 4 Traditions
- 4.1 Nature of JHU Traditions
- 4.2 Help Center
- 4.3 The Traditions Committee
- 4.4 The Book of Love
- 4.5 The De Amore Libri
- 4.6 The Tarot Cards
- 4.7 The Afterdance
- 4.8 Spirit Days
- 4.9 Take-out
- 4.10 Passionfruit
- 4.11 Emperors and Empresses
- 4.12 The Librarian
- 4.13 Monarch of the Blood
- 4.14 Games Deities
- 4.15 Demi-Deity of Games
- 4.16 Rave Monarch
- 4.17 BLAMMO
- 4.18 19.2 Reformation
- 4.19 Post-Covid
- 5 24.1
- 6 Other Programs
- 7 CTYers
- 8 External Links
Site and Campus Overview
See the places page for more information.
The Homewood campus, where CTY is hosted, is 20 minutes from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) and 10 minutes south of Penn Station.
The campus is small, and CTY only uses the northern half of it. This consists of the two AMR dorm buildings, several grassy areas, nearby classroom buildings (within a 10-minute walk), and other buildings and quads in the southern third that are used rarely (i.e. Talent Show, dances, opening and closing ceremonies, and Casino Night, though in recent years, those locations have been in closer locations). During Meet Market/other free time, students are to be in either the quad, the dorms, or the dining hall, though in recent years, this has become limited to the dorms and the Gentle Slope.
There are many trees, benches, scenic walkways, and squirrels that crave muffins.
Classes are held in several different buildings. Mmost science classes are held in the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy (this was changed in 2018 because the building is so far from the dorms), and most Humanities classes are held in Gilman Hall, which is across the Gentle Slope from AMR I. Many classes are located near the Glass Pavilion. As of 2019, a whole-site meeting is held every Sunday before night class.
A map of the campus can be found here.
AMR I and AMR II
The girls' and boys' dorms are known as AMR I and AMR II, respectively. The two dorms are perpendicular and adjacent to each other on the northeastern corner of the campus (and of the Gentle Slope). They are both C-shaped and both contain a courtyard. Three sides are part of the building, while the fourth is a gate and turnstile. Both quads have tight security and are guarded at all times. To enter either dorm building, one must first pass through a guarded turnstile, which is activated by an RFID card. However, it is possible to enter either building (after going through the turnstile) without using a keycard by going through a roundabout pathway, although the keycard is still required to enter halls from the courtyard. A labyrinth of tunnels and hallways (containing laundry rooms and a social lounge) lies beneath campus, including a secret passageway between the two buildings. This is behind basement doors. Doors that may well be locked.
All dorm rooms have an air conditioner, two desks (which used to have built-in lamps that were taken out), one or two windows, two chairs, two wastebaskets, a recycling bin, and no sink. There are two beds. It is advisable to bring a power strip as power outlets are inconveniently placed. All dorms have either rugs or tiles. (It's mostly rugs.)
Dorms are usually doubles, but sometimes people are lucky or unlucky enough to get a single or a triple. The singles may come with fireplaces, although one shouldn't try to light a fire. RAs in corner dorms may have huge rooms.
RAs decorate the doors with printed images to drawings to xkcd comics. Halls are physically separated by either stairwell passages or doorway frames.
Bathrooms vary in quality and size depending on location. They range in the number of stalls, sinks, and showers. A hall may share a bathroom with another hall, but this depends on the location of the two.
A storm in 18.2 collapsed parts of multiple ceilings in AMR I, and excessive quantities of empty alcohol bottles were found stashed in another room's ceiling during the same session.
AMR III Buildings A and B
In 2011, the girls were not in AMR I due to construction. Instead, they were housed in AMR III Buildings A and B right above the Fresh Foods Cafe (now Hopkins Café) and were living in suites. There was one bathroom per suite. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were filthy. There were many centipedes, especially in the bathroom at 310. They crawled out of nowhere and hid in the showers. They were disgusting and venemous.
McCoy Hall
In 2013, McCoy Hall across Charles Street housed all students. Boys were on the 1st, 5th, and 6th floors while girls were on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The floor is divided up into east and west, and each side gets 3 halls.
Each suite consists of 3 rooms (with a few exceptions) (1 double, 2 single). Inside the suite, separate from the rooms, is the "kitchen" with cupboards, a sink, a fridge, and a stove. Students could use everything but the stove. It was advisable to buy a crap-load of junk food, soda, and cups from University Market and store them in the kitchen since nighttime snacks were hard to find. (Vending machines empty in a day or two.) Every suite's layout is different, but the insides are similar.
You needed to walk a mile a day (no joke) from McCoy to the Fresh Foods Cafe, then to the Upper Quad (the Gentle Slope was barely used during 13.1), then to class, then to the FFC for lunch, back, from class to Upper Quad, to daily activities and back, then to weekly activities then back, then to the FFC and back, and then to class and back, and finally to McCoy.
Hopkins Café
All CTYers share the Hopkins Café, formerly known as the Fresh Foods Cafe (FFC). The food is either excellent, bad, or occasionally edible, depending on one's point of view. It can get repetitive, especially for CTYers staying for six weeks.
During lunch, there is a potato product (usually fries), grilled cheese, pasta, a few types of pizza, hamburgers, desserts, fruit, and a vegan dish. The macaroni and cheese is occasionally good. The fries and grilled cheese are always good, though they are greasy. Breakfast usually has fresh fruit, meat products, potato products, sausages, pancakes, cereal, bread and bagels, and pastries. The "scrambled eggs" are not real scrambled eggs, but rather egg powder mixed with milk. There's Italian ice during all meals.
An assortment of drinks is available - various sodas, milk, soy milk, coffee, tea, hot water, and juice. The chocolate sauce dispenser for making chocolate milk was replaced with a chocolate milk flavor at the milk dispensers. The water from the soda machines can be sketchy (or no soda comes out, just water) and the juice machines may be out of order for extended periods of time.
Foods for lactose-intolerant people is stored in a special fridge and a separate section for gluten-free people. Vegetarian and kosher meals are available. Although the dining hall is friendly to many dietary needs, be prepared to bring your own food and eat in the dorms, for the options are not the tastiest, nor are they diverse.
Dirty plates used to go on a small conveyor belt beside the drink machines. It would get crowded quickly. Kitchen staff now collect dirty plates and bring them to the dishwashers because the conveyer belt no longer runs smoothly.
Service is friendly: on one occasion, after hearing a CTYer say she would cry due to a lack of Lucky Charms, a staff member asked if she needed the dispenser to be refilled. There used to be one especially kind lunch lady named Montoya Jackson. She collects Trollies.
One issue with the cafeteria is that lines are often long, even though the lunch schedule is staggered and everyone has an hour for lunch. This is compounded by the cafeteria's weird shape and that it is shared with other programs on campus. CTYers often avoid long lines by first taking food that is in short lines (usually outside of the "Sizzle" section, which is notorious for its all-day long lines), then coming back for more, or having dessert first. Some may also plan their lunch breaks to precede rush hour.
| ExpandHistory |
Meet Market
Meet Market was a former form of social time. It took place after 9:00 and lasted for 30-45 minutes on the Gentle Slope and was supervised by RAs, who were there to discourage "risque activities." People talked outside, threw Frisbees or footballs, or taught others to rave. Impromptu dances were occasionally held due to the presence of a giant speaker on wheels and an RA who could connect to their phone to it via Bluetooth. In the last two years, however, it became stricter and everyone had to stay in the same part of the Gentle Slope, near AMR I.
| ExpandHistory |
Note to Couples: RAs and SRAs set up a perimeter without loopholes. They will always be within eyesight of couples and have walkie talkies to prevent risque activities. Take this from experience: Make a lot of RA friends - they will be invaluable should you explore your romantic side during your session! - Kevin Lee
This is no longer 100% accurate, but the staff remain strict about PDA. Be careful.
Off-Campus Locations
Each weekend and on some activity days, CTYers can go off-campus on a short walk with their hall or Activity group into the local town. These trips qualify as hall bonding. Halls of the day tend to go off-campus as their reward. In 22.1, however, these trips were permitted on most days and were popular on weekends. All of these locations can be found on Google Maps.
| ExpandCurrent off campus locations |
There are several grocery stores. RAs know where they are. On the first day, CTYers should go to Eddie's Market or University Market to buy junk food. Directions: Keep walking down past B&N, turn right at the first traffic light and look for the stores.
| ExpandFormer Off-Campus Locations (closed or no longer in bounds) |
| ExpandHistory |
Student Life
While JHU follows the same feel of campus life at any CTY site, its environment varies. In general, it is far stricter than other campuses. Part of this is due to it being an open campus in the city, but the majority is due to the vast numbers of administrators present at/around the site. The administration is known not only for its strictness but for suppressing traditions and its inability to handle situations fairly. Notably, in 18.2 the administration failed to appropriately deal with sexual harassment. Students were feeling so unsafe in their classroom that they left, and despite multiple students coming forward, the accused was not removed from camp activities.
Disregarding the administration and strictness, however, Baltimore has the same welcoming and quirky community as any other CTY site. In fact, the community overcompensates for the administration in a manner that results in a unique and heartwarming CTY experience. RAs and students are brought closer together than at any other site, and students support each other throughout the CTY experience, forming a beautiful community.
As of 22.1, the administration opened up more, likely due to the admin reset during COVID-19, hiring of an alumnus as SRA, and changes of age eligibility to 9+. There is hope for the site's culture.
Activities
Each weekday has two activity periods. Depending on the session, activities are organized differently. In the past, many activities were available for one day, while others were available for one-week-blocks (this was abolished in 2016 and reinstated in 2018). As of 22.1, there would be one structured activity that may be repeated again and one unstructured activity where many students would go off-campus or explore campus. Students are sometimes allowed to switch into or out of activities. In the past, activity suggestions were open to all, but they are not anymore. However, most of the staff are open to suggestions and even student-run activities within reason. These in the past have always included traditions activities run by the monarchy.
In the past, weekend activities have included Casino Night, Music Night, Movie or Red-Carpet Affair, the "CTY Olympics," a Medieval Fair, and the Talent Show.
| ExpandHistory |
Strictness
RAs are lax, and SRAs may be strict. However, depending on the year, they either don't come out much or hang out in random places. Strictness varies from "lenient" to "prison" from year to year. Luckily, JHU is heading toward leniency.
| ExpandHistory |
Dances
Dances have specific themes (e.g. The 80's, Hollywood, Neon, Beach Party, Black-and-White, Jungle Safari, etc.). However, this does not have a significant effect on the music played (one exception was the 80's Dance, in which a larger number of older songs was played). Music played at the dances tends to be pop. The dances usually take place in the Glass Pavilion. Students should bring a polo shirt (or anything more formal), as more than half the camp dresses up.
In the past, the CTY Prince and Princess (CTYers) were announced here, along with the CTY King and Queen (RAs). This tradition, however, has been forgotten.
| ExpandHistory |
Sleepovers
The exact rules on sleepovers, how frequently they can occur, and who they can occur with has varied over the years. Sometimes they have only occurred within halls, sometimes within residences. Sometimes every weekend, sometimes on Passionfruit-eve, sometimes never. Sometimes with up to one person, sometimes with up to two people and sometimes with as many as possible. What remains consistent about sleepovers, however, is that they are popular whether or not they are ISOs or legal. Unlike at other sites, the transport of mattresses is NOT permitted or advised because JHU has raised beds, making it difficult to move mattresses. JHU floor space in dorms is often variable. Some dorms have perfect wide squares that could fit a double bed, whilst others have leaning walls, misplaced furniture, and personal belongings, making extra mattress placement difficult or impossible.
| ExpandHistory |
Much of this article is obsolete. However, it may become useful if sleepovers become banned again, or on the last Thursday: How to Survive an Illegal Sleepover"
Traditions
Nature of JHU Traditions
The Baltimore campus does not easily maintain tradition. As Hopkins' open campus is in a larger and more dangerous city than many other CTY sites, increased strictness is expected. However, most difficulty arises from the administrators inspecting and coordinating the site. The combination of unyielding restrictions and lack of past administration's desire to maintain traditions results in roadblocks. Nonetheless, JHU has its traditions and many are well worth preserving. After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. This strictness means that select groups of people have come to love and appreciate their site even more than any Lancastrian, Skidmorean or Carlisean ever could, due to how much they have to fight for it. We DO see a lot of squirrels at JHU, but star-eyed squirrels who are getting the first taste of the CTY spark are a joy to integrate into the beautiful chaos of CTY.
Baltimore Help'
Anyone looking to further traditions at Baltimore is welcome and appreciated. Given the difficulties, it is best for Baltimoreans to seek help from previous royalty or traditions leaders who have dealt with the administration and regulations in the past.
For anyone interested in starting up a game to replace BLAMMO, Empress Amelia has a great idea for an entirely new site-wide game which any interested JHU CTYer can initiate! "OMMALB," not to be confused with "BLAMMO," is a novel icebreaker game developed to help students get to know each other in a fun and non-banned way. Please contact Empress Amelia for OMMALB advice and resources.
Help Center
The following is a list of Baltimoreans who are open to questions about JHU: - If you've been involved in Baltimorein the past and want to help out future generations, feel free to add your name! -
- Amelia Orwant - 5 sessions at Baltimore over 4 years. 18.2 Princess, 19.2 Empress & the librarian
- Switch (S. J. B.) - 21.2 Empress & the librarian. CTYer '14-'23.
The Traditions Committee
The traditions committee, also known as the Elders, is a group of people who earn the honorary title of Elder. These are individuals appointed and led by the sovereigns to assist with the spread of tradition in any way they can. This includes helping negotiations with admin, helping run traditions activities, preparing for passionfruit, sending out traditions calendars or info sheets and much more. The Elders and Sovereigns would often hold meetings.
| ExpandHistory |
The Book of Love
The Book of Love is filled with Baltimore traditions and passed down from Empress to Empress and Emperor to Emperor. Originally, it was just the Empress or whatever monarch was named "Supreme Monarch" or "The Librarian," as Empress Switch coined the position. Eventually, a second copy (The "Original Copy") was made. The first copy was made by Empress Amanda Sin and has been passed down until 2018. In 2017, the "Original Copy" was lost in the mail, and a new copy of the original was made (the "Original.2") by 18.2 monarch Lynne Kim. The Empress' copy has been the same in original content since its creation. Each Empress has added their own entry to the book, and it details the history of tradition at Baltimore and what CTY has meant to each monarch.
Something Empress Amanda Sin of 13.2 would dub an "unexpected accident or act of the supernatural" occurred in 2020: a global pandemic. Though the "Original.2" rests somewhere in the world, this copy could not be retrieved or sent off. So, 19.2's Amelia Orwant appointed Switch as Empress for Session 1 to spread tradition with a new Book of Love. Although Switch was attending Session 1 and the book had always been part of Session 2's richer tradition, Amelia decided it was best to spread JHU Session 2 tradition, even if it was being passed onto Session 1 CTYers. Switch constructed the Book of Love, the "Good Parts" version, from scans of the "Original.2." Although it left out Amelia Orwant's entries, Switch reconstructed them from her entries on the RealCTY wiki as requested.
When Marianne Moise, Switch's successor, was unable to return to JHU, and the "Good Parts" version couldn't be mailed back to site in time, Switch recopied the book again, creating the second edition of the "Good Parts" version. Both editions of the "Good Parts" version were identical.
At present, the Book of Love is a black, hardback moleskin with approximately 100 of its 200 pages full of JHU lore and history.
The De Amore Libri
This book was created in 19.1 and is similar to The Book of Love used in Session 2. The title, "De Amore Libri," is "Book of Love" in Latin (courtesy of our unreliable Lord and Savior, Google Translate). Empress Claire wrote the book to help the next Empress, who, going against tradition, was a squirrel. It is a guide on everything one needs to know to be Empress and details JHU traditions. The book should be handed down from Empress to Empress and grow traditions. Unfortunately, its fate remains unknown as COVID-19 swept the world.
The Tarot Cards
The Tarot Cards are handed down from Empress to Empress at the Passionfruit each year at Baltimore Session 2 and, as of 22.1, Session 1. It is traditional for the Empress to read students' fortunes at Casino Night.
The Afterdance
18.2 Empress Lynne Kim and Princess of the Blood Amelia Orwant decided this was a good tradition to bring in from the other participating sites. After each dance, while going through the tunnel from the Glass Pavilion towards the dorms, students chant the following as loud as they can:
CTY has a nice butt CTY we love you Give us your souls Give us your souls CTY we love you
There was much participation.
In Heaven There's No Beer, Tentacle Joy and the Hokey Pokey are also much loved after dance chants
By 19.2, with the efforts of Empress Amelia, Princess Lena, their hall, and other motivated students, participation grew. A lot of the difficulty was not with a general desire to participate but with understanding. Many students didn't understand the importance of the chant and, even if they wanted to join, many didn't know the words. Future royalty should teach the chant at Social Time and during traditions activities. It's important to get a critical mass of people chanting to encourage others to join in. Try to get as many people lined up along the side chanting with a few trusted allies marching with the crowd.
22.1 was not met with much more luck than 19.2. Despite plans to have a "formal" Afterdance, this did not go forward. However, a number of people chanted "CTY has a nice butt" through the tunnel from dances and did the Tentacle Joy in their dorms.
Spirit Days
Swap Day
You've probably heard the legend. Known as Cross-dress Day at other sites, Swap Day is a spirit day meant to show solidarity. It began a few decades ago when a male CTY student tried to wear a skirt, but the administration told him it was inappropriate and that he couldn’t wear it. Hearing this, students protested the unfair decision by swapping clothes the next day. The tradition shows solidarity and provides an opportunity for students to try something new or express themselves.
Swap Day acts as a celebration of the fact that we can wear whatever we want. We are free to present ourselves as we choose. We take our friends' clothes and present ourselves in whatever manner we please, even if social norms may dictate it to be outlandish or atypical.
Swap Day is not about wearing the clothes of the "opposite sex," nor is it about laughing at boys in skirts or girls in suits. This ideology was adopted and spread by admin of past years and caused later banning of the spirit day. Swap Day is not called "Gender Bender Day" as this name suggests gender is binary scale and that clothes follow this, with those participating having to wear clothes from someone of another gender identity. This is the opposite of Swap Day's message. Furthermore, the name "Drag Day" has been scrapped as it was felt to insult the act of drag.
As of 2023 there has been much luck with spreading Swap Day and its true message. Future generations hope to continue the tradition
| ExpandHistory |
Goth/Emo/Punk Day
Goth/Emo/Punk Day is celebrated the same as at any other campus on the second Tuesday. Most students do not dress in a goth/emo/punk style, but many choose to wear black or experiment with dark makeup.
Love Tape Day
Love Tape Day at Baltimore is the most popular spirit day. Masking tape or duct tape are used to tape people you love. This can be done to close friends, random people or whoever you choose. Some campers may write messages, signatures, symbols or some combination of the three on their tapes. It is common for campers to stick their tape on their lanyards after the day is done any show them off until the end of the session.
The act of "tape raping" (sneaking up on and bandaging) and "group taping" (what it sounds like) occur at JHU, but these should not be done with duct tape. Please, please for the love of God, please no excessive duct taping! That stuff is hard to escape.
| ExpandHistory |
Towel Day
Towel Day at Baltimore is held on the final Thursday. It is tradition to blast or sing It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. and to carry a towel as an homage to Douglas Adams' The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, which preaches that a towel is the most useful thing to bring on intergalactic travels, even to the end of the universe (the final day of CTY).
Remembering Sunday
"Remembering Sunday" is the only spirit day to occur outside the three-week frame of a CTY session, being on the Sunday following Passionfruit. It is a day for community and to reach out to CTY friends to share memories and keep contact. It's a lonely 49 weeks, and Remembering Sunday serves as a reminder that we're all out there and (hopefully) "feel fine."
Take-out
It was a tradition for the older halls to order Chinese take-out food on Friday and Saturday nights, when off-campus trips were less common. Some RAs allow ordering Chipotle, in which case they will pick it up with a few students. With more lenient admin, RAs often get hall takeout and students get takeout throughout the week.
| ExpandHistory |
Passionfruit
Passionfruit doesn't happen consistently. It is the most quintessential event any CTYer will experience. It always involves passionfruit juice and is student-run, despite RAs having run it in the past.
Nevermores and RAs from other sites may bring in traditions for a certain session (e.g. election of an Emperor/Empress or writing out "CTY <insert year here>" with empty cups after Passionfruit). Students who have not attended Passionfruit before may or may not end their speeches with "I like you, I love you, I CTY you, I love CTY and I love the Passionfruit", even though they should.
| ExpandHistory |
Emperors and Empresses
Much like at other sites, the Empresses and Emperors help run spirit days, Passionfruit, and advocate for [[1]] and other traditions. At the Baltimore site, they fight to bring back or adapt lost traditions and to maintain those that are already there. At Baltimore, there was, in theory, always one Empress and one Emperor, but the roles are not gendered.
The phrases "GodKing" and "Queenpress" were coined by Emperor Milo Richards to describe a position holder who is both an emperor and another position.
| ExpandHistory |
The Librarian
Commonly known as the Supreme Monarch, this is the Emperor or Empress who is appointed the Book of Love. The Librarian acts as a holder of the Book. Apart from acting as a preserver and living record, they are the ultimate authority in terms of management of tradition. The librarian must add updates to the Book of Love and may add a personal entry to it. Acknowledgments sections are popular, as are scripted Passionfruit speeches.
Monarch of the Blood
The Prince, Princess, or Monarch of the Blood is appointed by an Emperor or Empress to help with advocating for traditions and spreading CTY culture. How much responsibility the Monarch of the Blood takes on is up to them. In recent years, Monarchs of the Blood have expanded the cast of royalty at Baltimore in the hopes of creating a more vibrant culture of CTY tradition at the site. For a couple of years, Baltimore lost the tradition of their Monarch of the Blood, but the title was carried down through the Book of Love and reinstated when Empress Kathlyn appointed Princess Amelia for 18.2.
As of Amelia's 19.2 reforms, multiple Monarchs of the Blood may be appointed by the Empress/Emperor.
| ExpandHistory |
Games Deities
Although the Blammo God position was used in the past, the "Games God/Goddess/Deity" is a position that was created in 19.2 by Empress Amelia Orwant. As BLAMMO has been banned for years, and the 19.2 attempt to reinstate it wasn't workable, JHU royalty have decided to turn to a new site-wide game, as well as other bonding activities.
The benefits of a site-wide game align with the central objective of traditions: to bring the community together by creating an engaging and welcoming environment. A site-wide game is a way to get to know people and create the feel of a unified Baltimore community. Students can meet others and enjoy the gentle competition that nerd campers love. Student-run individual games allow for friendliness that site-run hall-wars can't: Pitting hall against hall doesn't encourage students to step outside of their pre-existing groups. Having an opt-in game that facilitates communication beyond the immediate hall and class groups holds a unique place in the CTY experience.
While the beloved BLAMMO fulfilled those goals and more, it has become impossible to run at JHU. After the initial shutdown, based on stated reasons of potential violence or exclusion, the 19.2 BLAMMO Goddess and Empress (Amanda Chen and Amelia Orwant) provided the JHU administration with an updated set of rules that dealt with every problem indicated. The updated game was rejected with no explanation. The consequential "Underground BLAMMO" that formed also failed as it required the unified support of RAs. By the end of 19.2, BLAMMO was dead. While the Baltimore community laments the loss of the treasured tradition, the site will fill the void of BLAMMO in the form of new games to create a close Baltimore community. The bulk of this goal will fall to the Games Goddess.
The duties of a Baltimore Games God are:
- To create a site-wide game run for and by the JHU student population. The game should not be based off BLAMMO and should not resemble BLAMMO. The game should not depend on the help of administration as they cannot be counted on. If a successful game is found, the game should be passed down through the Games Gods and become a recurring element of canonical JHU tradition.
- To facilitate Acting Improv, the activity so popular at Lancaster. At JHU, similar activities have been run by staff members, but future Games Gods can hopefully take on a leadership role. The specifics of the activity are left to the discretion of the Deity.
- To teach gimp to CTYers through a gimp activity, and any other means deemed useful. Ideally, future Games Gods could create an artifact from gimp. This could be anything from a simple gimp chain to more ambitious gimp crowns or objects and could be passed down from Deity to Deity and added onto each year.
- Spread the joyful spirit of CTY games however the Deity sees fit. This could be bringing foursquare equipment and encouraging use, running various games activities, or creating inclusive games with friends.
There can be up to two Games Deities at a time, and they can appoint Demi-Deities.
The First Games Goddess, Victoria Lam, was appointed in 19.2 for the coming year by Empress Amelia.
| ExpandHistory |
Demi-Deity of Games
Much like the Prince of the Blood is to the Emperor, the Demi-Deity is a helping force appointed by the God(s). The Games Gods may appoint as many Demi-Deities as they see fit. The duties are to help with the enactment of games, especially organizational tasks for site-wide games. An effective Demi-Deity should aim to enthusiastically participate in and help create games.
Rave Monarch
As raving has been wavering at JHU in recent years, Empress Amelia established the position of Rave Monarch with the hopes of narrowing down the duties. In the past, interested students taught raving out of a passion for the tradition. The goal of this new position is to both make clear the importance of raving as a tradition and keep constant the rave participation from year to year.
Rave Monarch duties are:
- To run a "Learn to Rave" activity, making knowledge and ideas accessible to new and interested CTYers. It's good planning to run this activity later in the session, so squirrels have an opportunity to see what raving is at dances and social time before signing up. Note: Do NOT assume JHU will provide materials. Requests for glowsticks have often been denied by the administration or fulfilled with unusable products.
- To BRING Glowsticking supplies. Again, this is the responsibility of the Rave Monarch, not Baltimore staff. Bring at least 50 pairs of glow sticks and shoelaces.
- To facilitate rave circles at dances Bring supplies, ensure the songs will be played, and form the CTYers into a large circle as the music begins. Ask whoever's DJ-ing when the rave songs will be played. For the first dance especially, even if no one else is in the rave circle, still make one! As the weeks go on, CTYers will learn and their confidence will grow. Setting the precedent of a (cool) rave circle happening no matter what is critical for people to feel comfortable joining.
- To teach/show raving at social time. The amount and level of this is left to the discretion of the Monarchs.
There can be up to two Rave monarchs at a time.
| ExpandHistory |
BLAMMO
BLAMMO was brought to Baltimore in 2009 by two flying squirrels from Lancaster. They dueled for the title of God of BLAMMO: It was a fearsome battle between Sam, who wielded a trident of plastic spoons taped together, and his opponent with a sword created in a similar fashion. Sam won and became the first Baltimore God of BLAMMO.
BLAMMO was banned at Baltimore in 16.2, and the 19.2 attempts to reinstate it were rejected by the administration. BLAMMO appears to be dead at JHU.
It's a shame that BLAMMO is no longer a possibility at JHU, but that won't stop students from creating their own new games to unite the community. In fact, Empress Amelia has a great idea for an entirely new site-wide game which any interested JHU CTYer can initiate. This game, "OMMALB," will be played using plastic forks. Not to be confused with "BLAMMO," "OMMALB" is a novel icebreaker game developed to help students get to know each other in a fun and non-banned way. Please contact Empress Amelia for OMMALB advice and resources.
19.2 Reformation
In an effort to rehabilitate traditions at JHU, the 19.2 Empress, Amelia Orwant, initiated a number of reforms:
Monarchy
Traditional monarchy rules had to come second to creating a full royalty team. As of the 19.2 reforms, the rules for royal appointments were altered so that positions could be given to anyone deemed fit, regardless of age or time left at CTY. Previously, any high royalty positions (such as Emperor or BLAMMO God) were exclusively open to students who would reign in their nevermore year. Empress Amelia also created new royal positions to expand the monarchy, with the hope that traditions can be better generated and preserved. The large group is ideal for JHU given recurring difficulties with the administration. The larger Monarchy is meant to be able to more effectively advocate for the community and for traditions. In the 19.2 reforms, the position of Games God (and the corresponding Demi-Deity), and Rave Monarch were added to the JHU pantheon. (For more information, see the similarly titled sections of the Baltimore page.) Additionally, restrictions on the quantity of Demi-Deities, Prince/Princess' of the Blood were removed. Previously, only two could be appointed at maximum; this alteration was intended to allow freedom to expand the monarchy. It is recommended that there be no more than six Deities and Princes combined. There must be no more than two each of Emperors of the Passionfruit, Games Gods, and Rave Monarchs.
Nevermore Clothing
This is an 18.2 reform, but 19.2 will be the first repeat year at JHU. Empress Lynne sold T-shirts and hoodies for Nevermores following the example of many other CTY sites in 18.2. A new design was sold by Empress Amelia in 19.2 and any nevermore or nomore who wished to have a shirt as a memento of their final year of CTY was welcome to purchase any items. The monarchy hopes this will create a stronger sense of community at the Baltimore site.
Traditions Calendars
This tradition began in 18.2 with Amelia as Princess handing out a few hundred traditions calendars. These calendars established which days corresponded to which spirit days or traditions throughout the session. The updated 19.2 calendars did the same and included important royalty contact information on the back. In addition to the individual calendars, Empress Amelia brought larger traditions calendars in 19.2 to put up on dorm bulletin boards which included more detailed explanations of the spirit days. The explanations are important both to spread information and to serve as a potential safeguard against administration misinformation like in the case of 18.2.
New Activities
- CTY Traditions: Run by all Monarchy. This activity explains in detail Spirit Days, Passionfruit, the system of Monarchy, and any other relevant traditions. Traditional Canon/Dances are discussed and practiced!
- Learn to Rave: Run by Empress Amelia in 19.2. (For future CTYers, the Rave Monarch and/or anyone who can glowstick/spin poi should feel free to initiate the activity.) Glowsticks should be provided. For anyone hoping to run this activity, it's recommended that you order/bring glowsticks and supplies yourself. While, in theory, you can make a request for activity supplies from the JHU SRAs, they often don't buy enough or the correct type of materials and have sometimes refused the request.
Game Efforts
19.2 saw an attempt to bring back BLAMMO at JHU after the ban in 2016. While other sites have had success bringing back the treasured game, JHU, as the strictest CTY site, has had no such luck. Empress Amelia and BLAMMO Goddess Amanda, with the support of the Monarch team and many kind JHU RAs, attempted to start BLAMMO back up using new safe and vigilant rules. The changes made were based on the successful Lancaster 2018 BLAMMO rules, which added requirements that students to talk to their target before BLAMMO-ing them, created more effective layers of supervision and rule enforcement, and added more BLAMMO-safe spaces. Amanda and Amelia presented the rules to the administration, noting that Lancaster had accepted the same alterations and allowed the game to go forward. This was sent to a regional director, who rejected the rule changes and decided to maintain the BLAMMO ban. No comment was made as to why. While there were a few attempts at resistance and underground BLAMMO was formed, it ultimately could not proceed at the site.
It is believed that 19.2 marked a true end to the game known as BLAMMO. However, site-wide icebreakers can take many forms and a new game, unaffiliated with BLAMMO, will be developed for 20.2 and beyond by the JHU Games God(s). The game is intentionally left vague as of post-19.2 writing. To reduce administrative roadblocks, the game is to be set up from the ground level and Amelia and Amanda have left the development up to others, remaining thoroughly uninvolved and unaffiliated. Empress Amelia created the Games God position in part to help develop and monitor the JHU site-wide game situation. It is the responsibility of future Games Gods to give their best shot at creating and maintaining a new site-wide game tradition. If the game is shut down, it is the goal of the Games Gods to attempt a new game. The goal is not to thwart the administration but to find a fun, peaceful, and safe game that can continue as JHU tradition. The reason it must be invented anew once banned is that it is much harder for the administration to officially go back on a ban than to allow a new, untested game to continue as long as it is safe and there are no complaints. Future Games Gods are encouraged to remember that the game should not push administrative limits or get out of hand. Everyone wants a site-wide game, and this looks like the best path to get one and keep it.
Empress Amelia has a great idea for an entirely new site-wide game which any interested JHU CTYer can initiate. This game, "OMMALB," will be played using plastic forks. Not to be confused with "BLAMMO," "OMMALB" is a novel icebreaker game developed to help students get to know each other in a fun and non-banned way. Please contact Empress Amelia for OMMALB advice and resources. Empress Switch is also open to questioning on this.
Help for Future Monarchs
Given the work the 19.2 monarchy has put in and the forward momentum of these changes, the hope is that they will be maintained and fought for in the years to come. It will not be easy, given the nature of the site, but communication will make it easiest. All materials (BLAMMO rules and slip templates should the game resurface, traditions calendars, etc), information, and social media accounts can be passed on to the next generation of royalty. For those seeking this information, please contact Empress Amelia or Empress Switch or follow the relevant instructions in the Book of Love.
More Information The reforms of 19.2 were vast. If anyone would like to ask questions or appeal aspects of the changes, please contact Empress Amelia. All questions, comments, wonderings, awkward silences, and flirtatious glances will be accepted! In your reading, processing, and commenting, remember that reforms are not stagnant. The JHU community is changing and student-led efforts must match the community's needs. These changes will be made only when necessary and after extensive thought, but nonetheless, changes are expected and encouraged. There should not be so much change as to void the concept of "tradition," but enough to allow that treasured word to be a versatile one. For royalty members, squirrels, elders, and general community members alike, these rules are not set in stone. Baltimore CTY is what its campers make it.
Post-Covid
After COVID-19 in 22.1, JHU had what is widely agreed upon to have best tradition-recovery of any site, rivalling Lancaster for management of tradition (even if just for a moment.) Although JHU had little tradition to begin with and lost all artefacts except for the book of love, 22.1 saw the most canon of any site and successfully ran spirit days, albeit without swap day being run due to admin concerns and BLAMMO not being run due to admin clearly stating no tradition would be tolerated if the game were to go forward. JHU was also the only site that didn't have a covid crisis and didn't suffer from staff shortages that affected other sites due to the administration failing to address their state's covid restrictions in time. In 23.1, a dedicated and persistent monarchy was able to bring most traditions back to JHU, despite increased scrutiny from an entirely new, inexperienced and strict administration, with even the site director of several years being replaced. BLAMMO/OMMALB was reinstated (and run entirely independently of admin) for the first time in JHU history since the bann was declared. Swap day was also run after beign banned for several years (under the carefully curated name of "clothes swap day")
24.1
The monarchy of 24.1, while initially hampered by some appointed royalty dropping out, was able to recover and focus on spreading tradition across JHU and cementing its place at the site. This was successful - while BLAMMO was unable to be played due to a heavily enforced ban, Cross-Dressing Day was reinstated and nearly every tradition was unconditionally allowed. If 24.1 is distinguishable for anything specific, it would be an amicable and mutually beneficial relationship with the site administration, each appreciating each party's role in making CTY the best experience possible.
As of 24.1, there is no Game God due to BLAMMO being banned, but the monarchy of 25.1 will attempt to reinstate the game with some adaptations to address safety concerns. As of 24.1, heavy restrictions on the ability of CTYers at JHU to move freely and do certain things (such as absolutely not going anywhere without an RA, no ability to wander/choose one's own activity during unstructured time, and general reductions on the amount of freetime available) put a damper on JHU's spirit. Nevertheless, CTY was just as special as it was for many in previous years, and in fact an undercurrent of harmless resistance to the strict national administration created many feelings of connection among students. The monarchy of 24.1 hopes that as of next year, students will be able to express themselves a bit more freely - we hope.
Other Programs
CTY has shared the campus with various other programs.
Summer JHU Campus Tours can frequently be seen. Groups of people will walk around following a guide who explains the campus. There is no interaction beyond CTYers looking at the groups and vice versa. Some tour guides explain that JHU hosts summer camps.
LeadAmerica also shares the campus. In 07, they also shared the cafeteria and had an intrusive presence. In 08, they were on different parts of the campus, so the interaction level was low. They had bad table manners.
The Field Hockey Girls shared the cafeteria in 08.1. They would leave out their bags and sticks everywhere. They returned in 18.2, leaving impressive piles of stuff in the lobby of the FFC.
The Lacrosse Guys passed through the campus in a huge march in 07.2. In 08, they walked near CTYers and had a huge march, but had no further contact. They inhabited a modern building across the street from the campus, adjacent to the Barnes and Noble, the upper floor of which was used in 08.2 for Casino Night). In 09, they had several large migrations near the Gentle Slope. There was little contact between the CTYers and the Lacrosse Guys. In 12.2, they passed by in a huge march and some girls made it a daily thing to ask them for high fives as they went by.
Precollege and Discover Hopkins: JHU hosts a pre-college program. In 08.1, they occupied part of AMR II. They did activities on their own but often were near the Gentle Slope. They also shared the cafeteria. In 10.2, they were seen at various times in the dining hall and on the twisty pathways.
Hopkins Engineering Innovation: They share the cafeteria. Little is known about them.
Center Scholars[2] share the cafeteria. They are part of the CTY program, mostly post-nevermores. All of them were former Baltimore CTYers. There was little interaction between most CTYers and them (with the exception of all Genomics classes), even though they don't bite. They are harder to distinguish from Precollege and Discover Hopkins and may show up for CTY dances.
Volleyball Girls: In 10.2, they took the place of the Lacrosse Guys.
Lead America made an appearance in 13.1. A leadership conference that loves taking group pictures, wearing suits, and looking attractive at all hours. They were often rude, leaving their dishes on the FFC tables, shaking their double ring binders at people, not moving when you said excuse me, and hooking up. One RA christened them "Prom Night Camp" thanks to their habit of wearing suits and fancy dresses when it was 30+ degrees Celsius out.
Lax Bros (STIX): Hide your food, hide your cafeteria tables, STIX is here. The LaxBros ate extreme amounts of pizza and pasta and everything (about 42 tons of food at each meal) and were known for being preppy and stereotypical. At the peak of the invasion, the lines for food were at least 30 people long, leaving CTYers with the options of spending forever in line and surviving on rice/carrots. One tried to pick up a CTYer by commenting "You're hot" and stumbling around in front of Fresh Foods. There was an incident in which both a CTY class and a group of Lax Bros made fun of each other while there was a man filming the STIX for unknown purposes. Lax Bros have also been known to dare each other to talk to CTYers, which ends in extreme awkwardness. There may or may not have been Lax Chicks too, but CTY meal times always coincided with the bros.
Envision: A career exploration-type camp. Envision participants wore fancy clothes even through the ninety-degree weather and created huge lines at Fresh Foods, often leaving halls no place to sit. It is inconclusive as to whether or not Envision people were college or high school students. However, it is believed that they were at JHU for an Advanced Medicine course and were high schoolers.
Engineering: A camp for high schoolers interested in Engineering. One day in 22.2 as they were all in Fresh Food with matching shirts, a table of guys started to rip each other's shirts off. The students could be caught walking through campus with torn shirts after lunch.
National Student Leadership Camp: An overly-pretentious academic camp where the students are easily distinguished by the branded folders they carry and the formal attire they wear on the regular.
CTYers
This is an alphabetical list of CTYers who have attended Baltimore. Please add the years you have attended the JHU site and refrain from adding future sessions you hope to go to.
- Addye Susnick 10.2
- Addison G. 20.2
- Aimee Johnston 17.2, 18.2
- AJ 09.1
- Alex Johnson (Arlex) 11.2
- Alicia Chang
- Allison Liao
- Amanda Chen 18.2, 19.2
- Amanda Sin 10.2, 11.2, 12.2, 13.2
- Amelia Orwant 16.1, 16.2, 17.2, 18.2, 19.2
- Amrita Chakladar 16.1
- Amy Xue 17.2
- Ananth Josyula 15.1
- Andres Diaz-Kirk 16.1, 17.1, 18.1
- Anouk 18.2, 19.2
- Anonymous nerd 10.1
- Anu 13.1
- Asia Chen 18.1
- Audrey 16.1
- Austine "Aussie" Zhang 19.2
- Barton Chen: User:Thebartonc or User:Mrbrightside43 18.2
- Barton "Kung Pow" Lian 09.1
- Benjamin Huh 17.2, 18.1
- Bill 07.2
- Bob Zhou 09.1
- Bradley Xu
- Brian Li 15.2, 16.1
- Carly Berglas 18.2
- Casey Hoffman 11.1
- Cat "Caillou/Edgy" Duan 19.2
- Celina Lui 19.2
- Chan Kat Shiu Joseph 17.2
- Charles Gorby 18.1
- Chen 11.1
- Christine 06.1
- Christopher Kang 16.1
- Cindy Jiang
- Claire Edmonds 19.1
- Daniella Tsang 18.2
- Danielle 10.1
- Danna Shen 11.2
- Danny P.
- Henry Hung (AKA David) 18.1
- David Fantarella 04.1
- Deanna Daly
- Derek Jang
- Doris Jiang 19.2
- Ducttape 08.2, 09.2
- Edison Gao 07.2, 08.2
- Eileen Tchao 10.2
- Ela Pemmaraju 12.2, 13.2
- Elliah 07.1
- Elliah H. 07.1 (might be the same person as above)
- Elliott Nozaki 23.1, 24.1
- Emily 2006
- Emily Dickson 10.1, 10.2
- Emily Wu 19.2
- Emma Z 09.2
- Erin Wang 11.2
- Eugenius 13.1
- Evelyn 13.1
- Gareth Chen 11.1
- Grace C. 12.2
- Grace Chen 16.1
- Grace Lee
- Grangerdanger 15.1
- Hannah Lee 15.2
- Hannah Gong
- Harry Brennan
- Harry Tsou 10.2
- Hedgehogman 09.1
- Henry Hung 18.2
- Helio Kuok
- Ho Ching Leung 16.2 (?)
- Indie Page 11.2, 12.2, 13.2, RA 18.2 and first 3 days of 18.2
- Ingrid Wong 10.2
- Izzy Lee 19.2
- Jake Wartenberg
- Jay An 15.2, 16.2
- Jess 14.2, 15.2, 16.2
- Jessica Jiang 12.1, 13.1
- Jessie Kanacharoen 14.2, 15.2
- Jon Kwok 08.2, 09.2, 10.2
- Justice Yoo 16.2, 17.2
- Kaley 13.1
- Kalika 12.2
- Katharine Vari 19.1
- Kathlyn Archibald-Drew 16.2,17.2
- Kim Towne 11.1
- Kavin Sanghavi: User:Swimsax61 or User: Kavin Sanghavi 11.1
- Kelvin Zhu
- Kevin Lee 10.2, 11.2
- Kevin Lin 11.1
- Kezzie Chung 19.2
- Krishna "Devon/Lil Brownie" Bhambhani 18.1, 19.2
- Lee 08.1, 09.1
- Lee 12.1
- Lena 06.1
- Liam Eye 19.2
- Lila Schabacker 19.2
- Linda Wang 13.2, 14.1
- Liza 2008
- Lorenzo Lopez 22.1
- Lucy 12.1, 13.1
- Mac Tan 10.2
- Maddie 08.2, 09.1
- Maddy Miller 18.2
- Maggie Kwan 22.1
- Martina Tan 12.1, 13.1, 14.2
- Mary Wan<3 2011
- Matt Ribel 10.2, 11.2
- Max Koren 2005
- Me'shiah Bell 18.2, 19.2
- Mila 13.1
- Milo Richards 14.2, 15.2
- Molly Srour 12.1
- Nathan Burke 15.2
- Neha "Nehoe" Arvinth 19.2
- Noah Fine 16.2 (?)
- Norman Xiong 13.2
- Oliver Grayson 15.1
- Owen G. 14.1, 15.1
- Rachel 11.1, 12.1
- Rajitha Narreddy
- Rita "Jesusita" Tsapatsis 19.2
- Ronie Sokolin-Maimon 22.1
- Rosalie Nathans 08.1
- Sabbie Zhang 19.2
- Sophia Risin 19.1
- Steven 14.2
- Sun Yu Gordon Chi 15.2
- Switch (Sarah Badenhorst) 22.1 23.1
- Tim Pyon 19.2
- TKDAlex 10.1, 11.1
- Trinity Duffield-Pugsley 14.1
- Trinity King
- Valerie Wilson or User:VDubbsss 10.1
- Wade Burelbach 09.1
- Wendeth 06.1
- Wendy Lin 04.2
- Wes McClung 05.1, 06.1
- Whitney B. 06.1
- Whitneybitme
- Will Neuberger 22.1 23.1
- Wpnmaster 13.2
- Yohan Cho 16.1, 19.2
- Yves Xander Yap 23.2
- Zoe Zmola 13.1
