Lancaster
The Lancaster site is the oldest, longest-running, most populated, most tradition-heavy, and the most superlative (although not necessarily best, depending on preference) CTY site. It boasts a renovated campus and facilities, many air-conditioned dorms with clean bathrooms, decent food, spacious classrooms, excellent staff, and a vivacious and diverse student body. It also features rarer Math, Computer Science, and Science courses, supplemented by a healthful selection of Humanities courses. It is the only site with five dances and, with its many activities and tournaments, is one of the most intense sites in terms of utilized time - divided between in-class and out-of-class time - while still providing empty weekends for socializing and relaxation. Lancaster provides what is arguably one of the richest student experiences in the CTY program.
After First Session of 2009, Lancaster became the single longest-running CTY site. Due to the flu outbreak at Carlisle which caused the site to close down in the middle of first session, the title once shared by the two sites fell to Lancaster.
As of October 18th, 2023, Lancaster has been declared defunct for the time being.
Contents
Location
The Lancaster site is held at Franklin and Marshall College, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Lancaster is right in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country, but as a CTYer, you won't get the chance to do any Amish sightseeing, except perhaps on a weekend trip to the Farmers Market in downtown Lancaster (which is recommended, by the way). The rest of your time will be spent on campus, which at 55 acres is small but not cramped. The campus can seem a good deal smaller, though, during times when it is shared by other programs, including a number of sports camps. However, CTY is by far the largest presence at F&M during the summer.
Dorms
There are seven main dormitories which are or were used by CTY: North and South Ben (or Benjamin Franklin Residence Halls), Thomas, Schnader, Weis, Marshall-Buchanan, and Dietz. North and South Ben are each subdivided into four halls, and Thomas and Schnader both have north and south subdivisions as well. North and South Ben form the west side of the residential quad, flanking the dining hall, and Thomas and Schnader are on the east side. Weis Hall is located on the north end of the quad and often houses the staff. Marshall-Buchanan is on the south side of the quad. Dietz is inconveniently located all the way across Hartman Green, and its residents lament living there, though it has not been used for CTY since 2004. Since 2003, access to all the dorms is controlled by fobs.
However, the dorms CTYers occupy change from year to year because of renovations at F&M.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 04 | Students lived in North Ben, Thomas, Marshall-Buchanan, and Dietz. |
| 05 | Students lived in Schnader, South Ben, Marshall (males), and Buchanan (females with the exception of a male hall in the basement) while the office and medical office were housed in Thomas. |
| 06 | Students lived in Schander, South Ben, Marshall, and Thomas, while the office and the medical office were again housed in Thomas. |
| 07 | Students lived in North Ben, South Ben, and Schnader, with the instructional and administrative staff in Thomas. Schnader was female, while North Ben was male. South Ben had males in Kunkel, Klein, and Dubbs Houses, and females in Atlee House. |
| 08 | North Ben and Thomas were female, with Marshall and Schnader housing males. South Ben was unoccupied due to construction. |
| 09 | North and South Ben were male dorms while Thomas and Schnader were female dorms. Marshall was unoccupied due to construction. This continued during Session 1 of 2010, but during Session 2, Thomas became a male dorm and South Ben became a female dorm. |
| 11 | In session 1, Thomas and Schnader were male dorms while North and South Ben were female dorms. In Session 2 of 2011, Thomas and North Ben were female dorms while Schnader and South Ben were male dorms. |
| 13 | In session 1 of 2013, South Ben and Thomas were both female dorms, while Schnader and North Ben were male, and in session two, North and South Ben were female dorms, while Schnader and Thomas were male. |
| 16 | North Ben was closed for renovations. |
| 17 | In 17.1, South Ben was a all male dorm, while North Ben was co-ed with 2 female floors and 2 male floors. Weis was an all female dorm. In 17.2, South Ben was all male, North Ben was all female, and Weis was co-ed. |
| 18 | Thomas was all male, South Ben was co-ed, and North Ben was all female. |
| 19 | Thomas was all male, South Ben was all female, and North Ben was co-ed. |
| 22 | South Ben's first two floors were all female, and North Ben was all male. The third floor of South Ben was used for quarantining students who tested positive for Covid. |
All the dorms are air-conditioned, though the individual air-conditioners can be cranky and/or dysfunctional. One distinctive feature of the bedrooms in some buildings is their modular furniture. By properly positioning the wardrobe and dresser, the bed can be placed on top of both, creating a loft; ladders are provided in each room for this purpose. This frees up a lot of space in the room provided that you don't mind sleeping within two feet of the ceiling. Occasionally, a student falls out of a lofted bed, prompting the staff to enforce a "no lofts" policy. When this occurs, RAs come through the halls debunking everyone's beds.
The issue of laundry is huge. In the Bens, it could take up to 4 hours to get a washer and an additional 2 hours to get a dryer. This resulted in many people skipping laundry day. The smell from the laundry room in Weis made at least two people feel sick in 17.1. Another thing about laundry is even if it seems like a good idea to do laundry at 2 AM because you forgot or because there aren't any lines, don't. This resulted in being banned from attending the end of the last dance. Moral of this story is to bring enough clothing to last all three weeks. Often the laundry room is uncomfortably warm. Don't do laundry.
The lounge next to the laundry room contains a microwave.
South Ben
South Ben is divided into four houses: Atlee, Dubbs, Klein, and Kunkel. These four houses each have three floors, except for Kunkel, which has two.
In 08 South Ben was under construction. In 15.1, South Ben was under construction yet again. North Ben was a girls' dorm. This living situation gave birth to a new CTY disease, the Bens. The Bens were eerily similar to the Schnades.
Balconies: During 06.1, someone climbed from the second floor balcony down to the first floor, which angered the Site Director and led him to close the balconies for Session 2. People also dropped things off the balconies, such as fobs, cookies, and kickballs (it was a hall bonding activity), which is now a violation of the rules. Despite this, balconies reopened for 2007 and remained open, despite one student climbing out a window onto a locked balcony and other miscellaneous rule-breaking. All balconies were off-limits in 2011. In 2012, the balconies were taken down.
Atlee/Dubbs: Atlee/Dubbs 2nd is one of the most popular lounges on campus due to its many couches and ample space. It is the setting of many fun stories of many couch orgies. The historic twenty-person couch orgy was held there using the two couches (a two-person couch and a three-person couch). "CTY '92, capturing the hearts of many by Kodak color film" is carved into a windowsill in this lounge. The third floor lounge was remade into what looks like a '50s diner, complete with shiny plastic booths and blatant Coke advertisements on the walls, making it a popular hangout location.
Klein/Kunkel: The Klein/Kunkel lounges tend to see less traffic than the Atlee/Dubbs lounges.
Dietz
Dietz is a dormitory used when other dorms are under construction. It is inconveniently located in a secluded area across Hartman Green. The last time it was used was 2004 when First Dietz was formed. Dietz was also used for intersession 2017.
North Ben
North Benjamin is divided into four halls: Muhlenburg, Mull, Rauch, and Shaeffer. While the lounges located on each floor in each hall have been used heavily in the past, they are no longer co-ed and rarely used for activities. North Ben's dorms have been updated with new furniture and wood floors. The entrance has also been updated. As an unfortunate sidenote, beginning in 09.1, there are few, if any, microwaves in North Ben. This is because the kitchens disappeared after 2008 due to F&M over-enrolling and needing to make more rooms. As of 2015, there was one microwave on each floor, though they are not in use. The basement of North Ben has a semi-soundproof chamber with an out-of-tune piano and a nice lounge with a library that you may or may not be allowed to use. It is also where the laundry room is located, which is only to be used on Saturdays.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 06 | North Ben was under construction during both sessions of CTY. This caused much annoyance among students whose Frisbees were lost in that area during 06.1. From the fourth floor of Thomas, at least two dozen Frisbees were visible at any one time. Also during 06.1, the trees in the sectioned-off part of the Quad were cut down. In 2007, CTYers returned to find that construction on North Ben was complete, along with a glass-walled extension known as Ware, which was used for activities such as talent show practice. South Ben underwent similar construction in 2008, and the RAs made light of the lost Frisbees by basing a carnival off finding a double agent who was throwing Frisbees into the construction site. |
Schnader
Schnader is most well-known for its first-floor co-ed lounge which has conveniences such as couches, chairs, tables, and the like. There is a large television in the lounge, but it is not on (or able to be turned on). The lounge is popular because of its large size, and because the furniture is nicer than that of any other lounge. There is also a small alcove across the hall from the lounge which holds two smaller couches and a coffee table. This space is used by anyone looking for a quieter atmosphere in which they can have private conversations. The Schnader 1 lounge is for informal activities such as card games and lounging, but some official activity sessions are held there when it rains. Recently, all other Schnader lounges have been single-sex.
Schnader 1 lounge is encased in glass and overlooks Schnader's large porch. This porch is used as a meeting point, especially during Quad Time. It is also the site of the Passing of the Duck.
Schnader was humid, especially in the basement, which has presented a lot of problems with mold and even disease in the past (and most nototiously in 07.2 when the damp climate in Schnader caused many students to develop a cold which became known as "The Schnade" or "Schnades").
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 07.2 | The damp climate in Schnader caused many students to develop a cold which became known as "The Schnade" or "Schnades." This spread to the rest of campus. Despite the obvious and visible mold (one girl found a covering of mold in her trashcan that was over an inch thick) in the Schnader showers and dorms, no staff member admitted mold as a possible culprit. The (known) symptoms of the Schnade include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, coughing up blood, vomiting, a bad sore throat, and a bad British accent. Cases of pinkeye, pneumonia, chicken pox, sinus infections, and insomnia among the student body have also been attributed to the Schnade. |
| 11 | In 11.2, there was an an outbreak in Schnader, promoting students to clean their floors so staff could make inspections of their dorms. In '11 Schander was cleaned of most mold. In an effort to preserve this moldless state, air conditioners in the rooms had to be kept on all the time, making the building cold. |
| 12.1 | There was a cockroach infestation. |
| 13.2 | Several rooms in one hall on the second floor were colonized with mold. As a result, the students were relocated to Weis hall for one night while the mold was removed. |
| 14 | Schnader was not in use because the soccer camp was occupying it. However there is speculation that this might be the result of the Schnader basement shenanigans that happened during 13.2. In replacement, Weis was used as a hall for CTY. |
| 16.2 | Many cases of the Schnade, or something similar, surfaced during 16.2. On the second floor, there was a black mold outbreak in one of the air conditioners. In the same room, one of the springs in the mattress broke, breaking the bed frame, and was fixed with pink duct tape borrowed from the nomores in Viv's Hall. |
| 17.1 | Schnader was closed during due to construction because of the black mold and other issues (Oh sure, NOW they fix that - a former CTYer). The building was not used by CTY. However, it was used by a music camp early in the session. Let's pray to the poor, unfortunate souls who were in there this year. |
| 18.1 | Schnader was not in use by CTY, however the basement was used for two nights of intersession accommodations. Despite the previous year’s remodeling, slight mold smells were still present and insects ran rampant. |
| 22.2 | Schnader was the only dorm building used for CTY students, with the basement and first floor (the best floor) being the female floors, and the second and third floors being the male ones. Stairwells were restricted based on gender, and the first-floor lounge was only for first-floor residents except during specific activities. As of session two, the Schnades appear to have gone. |
| 23.2 | Schnader is a all female dorm and all floors are in use. The 1st floor lounge is called the Schnounge. The showers are cold almost everyday, some have not taken a hot shower once. |
Thomas
Thomas alternates between being a student dorm and a staff dorm; the presence of the administration office also seems to vary. In recent years, Thomas has housed both administration and students. It has a downstairs co-ed lounge which contains a collection of furniture. This lounge hosted the Passing of the Duck until the event moved to Schnader.
The dorms in Thomas are organized into suites with accompanying lounges. Both double and single rooms branch off of these lounges, and there are three rooms per suite. These lounges are excellent for sleepovers and fort-building, such as Fort Homoerotica in 2nd Thomas.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 06.2 | Passionfruit Juice was kept chilled in an empty room on 2nd Thomas. |
| 17 | Thomas was under construction and was not used by CTY. |
| 18.1 | Thomas reopened and was an all boys dorm. Mainly single rooms with suites. 3-4 rooms per suite. The doors to the dorms have a 1.5 in gap between the floor and the bottom of the door, allowing RAs to see light AND hear noise. |
Marshall/Buchanan
Marshall/Buchanan, often referred to as Marshall/Buch, is the hall on the south end of the residential quad. Its front side faces out onto the quad towards Weis, while to its rear is Buchanan Park(which is owned by the City of Lancaster, not F&M). The Franklin and Marshall Public Safety offices are located on the first floor of Marshall/Buch. It is not a residential hall.
Weis
Weis is located on the north end of the quad. It often houses the staff, but was an all-girls' hall in 17.1 due to Schnader and Thomas being under construction. It was co-ed in 17.2. The health office was also located in Weis in 2017.
Most rooms are doubles, and there are some singles. There are also suite rooms with couches, tables and chairs with one double room and two singles branching off. The suites are convenient for sleepovers. There is a water bottle filling station and plenty of microwaves.
Classrooms
Stager Hall
Stager (pronounced Stay-grr, with a hard g) is an academic building at F&M with three floors and a basement. Many humanities classes meet here, and it is where the first rounds of the Quiz Bowl meet. Furthermore, activities such as chess tournaments, card and board games, and debate meet here. Its facade is largely composed of glass, and many believe it looks a lot like a frog from far away! Stager's frogginess has earned it a variation of the "Wanna buy a duck?" game.
Stager is located near Jazzman's and the Bookstore. Classes occasionally use their breaks to buy stuff there. Thus, it is possible for a Stager class taking a break to see members of a class from another building that are using their break to buy smoothies.
In front of Stager Hall is the Chesapeake, a great place to sit or climb during class breaks. The sculpture, made of stone and steel, was created by California artist Woods Davy and installed at F&M in 1985. It is often referred to as "Sticks and Stones".
This building was originally called Stahr (pronounced "stair") Hall, until someone named Stager donated more money around 1990 or so. Some of the old timers insisted on continuing to call it Stahr, or Stahr-with-a-silent-G.
Keiper Hall
Some math classes are held here, including the ever-popular Lancasterian favorite, Number Theory (previously taught by Pomm and Timmer). The desks in the classrooms of this building are fun and colorful. Not only do they swivel and roll around, but they come with a moveable cup holder and an under-the-seat tray to stash your belongings. The tops of the chairs also lean back. These are wonderful desks.
Many writing courses are also taught in Keiper.
On one of the rear exterior walls at the basement level there is a poem in orange chalk or paint pen that was there from at least '88-93 that read as follows:
War, he sang, is toil and trouble
Honor but an empty bubble
Never ending, still beginning
Fighting still and still destroying.
So if this world be worth the winning
Think, oh think it worth enjoying
Martin Library of the Sciences
A more secluded building is the Martin Library of the Sciences, whose basement computer lab houses FCPS.
If your class is lucky enough to visit the MLS, it will take up to two hours to find a book. There are three levels. One where the computers are to look up your book, and two upper levels to find your book. Your TA will be by the librarian, waiting for you to check out your book, and your teacher will be helping you find your book. With over ten kids per class and one supervisor, most CTYers play Ninja, look up "not G-rated" material (it is a science library), or make out within the shelves.
Other classroom buildings
Several science classes are taught in Fackenthal and Hackman Laboratories, which are two buildings between the residential quad and Mayser Gym. Fackenthal is connected to Kaufman Lecture Hall, which is often the venue for movie showings, especially when it rains during activity periods. The Life Sciences and Philosophy building, located behind Thomas and next to Weis Field, has been used for science classes in the past (HDIS.A in 2008). INBS A and B, BIOL.A, and THEO.A were held here in 17.1.
Also, in 2008-9 HDIS.B used the Appel Infirmary, the F&M nurses office which containes 2 classrooms, and is located on Hartman Green.
Students who take classes in any of the science buildings tend to miss out on a certain sense of community shared by Stager/Keiper students, who enjoy a communal break time spent on the steps outside Stager, on the benches in front of Keiper, and sometimes on the quad beyond. To be fair, Stager and Keiper students have to deal with making the lengthy (0.2-mile), parade-like trek from their buildings to the dining hall and back six times a day.
During 16.1, multiple classes such as Ancient Greek, Crypto, and Advanced Robotics were located in the Shadek-Fackenthal library, located past Stager in the corner of campus.
Other Parts of Campus
Arches
In front of the Dining Hall, there are a series of brick arches which provide support and protection from the elements. Many activities, especially those involving crafts, are held here. According to Adam Roush, two CTYers who met on the right side of the Arches (when looking at them from outside) in the 1980's married, which is why the weekend Marriage Booth is always placed on the right side of the Arches.
ASFC
The ASFC (Alumni Sports & Fitness Center), affectionately known by its profane, phonetical pronunciation (or Butt Sex), is a gym on F&M's campus which CTY students may use. Activities such as Swimming are held here. Most dances, at least in session 2, except for the first one, are held here.
In the past, if it rained on a Friday or Saturday, the dance would be moved from the residential Quad in front of the dining hall to here. As terrible as this is, students come to a consenus that the ASFC is superior to the Mayser Gym due to increased ventilation, where rained-out dances have been held when the ASFC is being used by craft festivals. Indoor dances are also less prone to dirt-dust being kicked up during songs that involve kicking. The ASFC is also the site of beginning-of-session registration, opening ceremonies, the talent show and closing ceremonies/parent conferences.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 04 | The dining hall was being renovated, so CTYers had to eat all three meals in the ASFC. Further indignity was heaped on the students when, during the second week of the Second Session, a crafts fair was held in the ASFC, forcing the meals to be held in a circus tent on Weis Field. "The Big Top," as it was known by the administration, was reviled for its heat, lack of space, and implication that CTYers were like barnyard animals there to be led to the trough. |
| 07.1 | The first dance was "rained" out and held at the ASFC. The next week, the RAs ran a survey by their kids to see if half the remaining dances could be held in the ASFC. A majority voted "yes," so for the rest of that session, the Friday dances were held in the ASFC. This, luckily, has not continued. However, in 08.1, the first two dances were held in the ASFC, and after the third dance, which was held outside, it was decided by the administration and the Health Office that the fourth dance would be held inside "because of the heat." RAs had to move the large stuffed chair that was to be used for the Rocky Horror performance that night from South Ben to the ASFC in an SUV. It was much hotter and far more humid in the gym than it was outside and several students and staff became ill from the heat. The final dance was held outside. |
| 09.1 | All but the second and third dances were in the ASFC, much to the chagrin of those who wanted the last dance outside. It NEVER rained during the dances of 09.1, whether they were inside or out. In 09.2, all dances except the final one were in the ASFC. |
| 11.2 | ALL dances were held in the ASFC. |
| 15.2 | Almost all dances were held in the ASFC (the first was outdoors). The ASFC is now considered to be the normal venue for the dances. |
Hartman Green
Hartman Green is a (usually) grassy area on the Franklin & Marshall campus. Oftentimes, due to the summer heat and lack of sufficient watering, the grass turns brown. Such an occurrence has been known to cause CTY staff and students to call the location "Hartman Brown" for the remainder of the summer. Other times, the Green and the accompanying sidewalk are dug up to relay piping, but the area has never been called "Hartman Piping" or "Hartman Hole." It is a popular location for classes to hold breaks and includes numerous walkways for students with bad aim to throw Frisbees over (though doing this will get said Frisbee confiscated). Hartman is also the site of the Passionfruit and the Electric Tree, a tree with a power socket installed near the base of the trunk.
The mail room is also located off of Hartman Green.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 05.2 | At the closing ceremony, the History of Disease and Archaeology classes performed a skit titled "The Excavation and Disease Control of Hartman Green." |
| 17.1 | Frisbees were banned in the area, though they were allowed again in 18.1 |
Jazzman's
Jazzman's is a coffee shop located below the bookstore, right outside of Stager Hall. Most Instructors will take their students to Jazzman's or the Steinman Center coffee shop at least once per session. However, it is no longer open to students as of 10.1. Teachers still partake, however.
Mayser Gym
The other gym that CTYers use besides the ASFC is Mayser Gym. Those who sign up for basketball, volleyball, and other sports for activities will go here. Occasionally, if a dance is rained out, it will be held here, but only if the ASFC is unavailable.
Due to a near-total lack of ventilation and the requirement that students remove their shoes before taking the dance floor, Mayser is the worst possible dance location. Because of this, a callback in its dishonor was created and added to the end of Sweet Transvestite on the Second Saturday, although it has fallen out of use.
Steinman Center
Steinman Center is home to the mailroom, however, as of 12.1 it has ceased to be accessed by the students. Instead, one would find their RA to go down there to fetch their mail for them once every couple of days. But, Steinman has been reopened to students every day for events. The basement is used for watching TV shows, smaller dances, and activities. The main floor is a hangout space for card games and gambling (during Casino Night). The upper floor is known for hangouts, indoor arts-and-crafts, and movie-watching. The large rooms used on the second floor have hosted indoor tournaments in the past, such as the Super Poker Tournamoker in 05.2, and Swing Dancing! classes. The building hosts a coffee shop identical to Jazzman's. As of 19.1, it has also been an alternate dance location and in 19.2, the first two dances were hosted here.
Weis Field
Weis Field is a large field behind Weis Hall where most of the sports activities and sports tournaments take place. Various classes have been known to go there to conduct experiments that were not safe for the classroom.
Other Non-Parts of Campus
Students at Lancaster leave the F&M campus to go to three locations: Turkey Hill, the sacred store; the Farmers Market (Central Market), where fresh foods, fudge, and collectibles can be purchased, Angry, Young, and Poor (AYP), the world-renowned punk store, and CVS, the well-known drug/convenience store located halfway to the Farmer's Market, on the corner of West Lemon Street and North Prince Street/US-222 and PA-272.
Turkey Hill
- Main article: Turkey Hill
Turkey Hill is a convenience store and gas station located a few steps off campus from Weis Field. Students can go there to buy snacks, ice cream, and drinks. They can also go there to not buy condoms, which are contraband. Turkey Hill is referenced in "American Pie" in a callback to the line "I went down to the sacred store." It is where students go each year to purchase drinks for the Passionfruit.
Farmers Market
- Main article: Farmers Market
The Farmers Market is known to real Lancaster residents as Central Market; to call it the Farmers Market is to be a tourist, but it is also to be a CTYer. Students sign up on Fridays during the dance to go on trips to the Farmers Market the following Saturday. There, after a twenty minute trek, students can purchase fresh fruits, bagels, fudge, novelty signs, pastries, and various other country goodies. Unfortunately, the fudge cannot be brought back on campus because of suspected traces of nuts.
Angry, Young and Poor
Angry, Young and Poor, abbreviated AYP, is the world's bestselling punk store. It is headquartered and located in downtown Lancaster and gains its esteem from its sales on the Internet. AYP is a stop along the way back from the Farmers Market on Saturdays. Only the later trips (10:00 and 10:30) stop at AYP because it tends to open late. Favorite products at AYP include hairdye, various studs, belts, hairdye, boots, hairdye, leopard print pants, skirts, hairdye, makeup, hairdye, and hairdye. Students often stop here early on Second Saturday to stock up on makeup, clothing, and hair dye. Nomores often go to AYP to pick up clothes for the Rocky Horror performance. AYP has a system known as Punk Rock Points, in which the price of each item bought is equivalent to a number of Punk Rock Points, which can be used toward future online purchases. AYP also sells band T-shirts (AC/DC, The Cure, Blondie, ect.), posters, guitar picks, and leather pants.
It has been mistaken for an antique store. True story.
CVS
- Main article: CVS
The CVS is known as a quick stop for food, candy, drinks, and more--similar to Turkey Hill--but with many more options in a nicer store. CVS, in general, is a nationwide brand of combined drug and convenience stores. Any RA can take his/her group at any given time -there are not many time restrictions, like the bookstore. Usually, each RA group goes at least once per session, if not, twice. There is another CVS students can use, but it is farther away, and only on the way to the Farmers Market.
Wendy's
It has been starting in the recent years but if you can convince your RA to take your entire hall out during hall bonding, you can stop Wendy's! The location is a little past Turkey Hill but if you're able to get here, you can buy pretty good fast food from baconator fries to whatever burgers and other things that they are serving.
Food
All students eat in the central cafeteria on campus. There are four lines and four dining rooms. See Alcove and LLRT for information on the groups associated with specific areas of the dining halls.
The features of the cafeteria include:
- Dining Room 1
- KIVO (Kosher, International, Vegetarian/Vegan, and Organic)
- Meat Section
- Dairy Section
- KIVO (Kosher, International, Vegetarian/Vegan, and Organic)
- Dining Room 2
- Main Line (standard dorm food - meat, veggies, with rice/mashed potatoes, sometimes stir fry)
- Trellis (vegetarian food such as Lo Mein and tofu)
- Soup/Salad Bar
- Entrance Area
- Drink Machines (Soda, dedicated filtered water, Vitaminwater, juices and teas/Minute Maid, milk/soymilk/Lactaid)
- Fruit and Desserts Table (apples, bananas, pudding, Jell-O, cookies, brownies, and cupcakes)
- Dining Room 3
- My Zone (Gluten free items and more options for meals)
- Kite and Key Grill (burgers, fries, etc.)
- Café Verde (Pizza Station)
- Soft Serve Machine (vanilla, chocolate, and swirl. Closed down Lan 19.1 in the middle of the session)
- Cereal
- Microwave
Lancaster is a peanut-free CTY site. The staff and most of the student body take this seriously as a large percentage of the population has peanut allergies.
As of 18.1, Lancaster has become notorious for its “god awful” and “wack” foods, especially the Asian and cultured food items. The dining hall has seen better days.
Dining Hall
The Dining Hall once consisted of four main dining rooms. Dining Room 4 was synonymous with the Land of the Large Round Tables, where the acronymous student group LLRT resided. Since 10.2, it has been reserved for other camps.
As of 2004, three main dining rooms remain in the F&M Dining Hall, in addition to the main entrance area, thus totaling four rooms. The rooms to the left and right of the entrance (Dining Rooms 2 and 3, respectively) are where food is served, as well as where many students sit. Dining Room 4, two rooms to the right, has been converted into a special-events dining room and is not accessible from the regular dining hall and is thus not counted in the dining room totals. An exception to this general policy occurred during the Last Supper in 2007 and 2008, when Site Directors Brian Bloomfield and Debbie (respectively) opened the room for the event.
Dining Room 1, two rooms to the left of the entrance room, is the location of the Alcove, as well as Teh Corner and The Booth, two nice corner booths, and as a smattering of tables. As of 19.1, one of the two corner booths has had its table removed. The grills are now again closed for Sabbat. Dining Room 1 is now the home of KIVO that is open all the time and serves breakfast as well.
| History | |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 04 | The facilities were renovated, and students were forced to trek across the footbridge (that no longer exists) for meals at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center. |
| 2007.2 | Dining Room 1 was closed off, along with the beloved Alcove, for Kosherization. The Alcove relocated to a corner of Dining Room 2. |
| 08 | Dining Room 1 was reopened, along with its various protrusions. Dining Room 1 became the home of KIVO and was only open for lunch and dinner on weekdays (except for Friday dinner) in 2008. |
| 09 | The Kivo became open all the time and served breakfast as well. Dining Room 4, a.k.a. the LLRT, was reopened for student use. |
| 10.2 | Dining room 4 (whilst open to CTY in 10.1) was was reserved for other camps in 10.2 as well as in 2011 and then on. |
History
Lancaster is one of the oldest CTY sites, and as such, has the oldest and richest traditions. Although the first OTID (Office of Talent Identification and Development, a former name for CTY) summer program was held at St. Mary's College in 1981 (1980, by other sources), it was held at Lancaster and Carlisle in the following year, and they both have been running ever since. After the early closing of Carlisle due to the H1N1 "Swine" flu in 2009, the cancellation of CAR 22.2, and the shutdown of Carlisle starting in summer 2023, Lancaster is now the oldest continuously running CTY site . The site director Debbie pointed this out in her speech during closing ceremonies.
Throughout most of its history, Lancaster has been the largest site at CTY, hosting over 500 students each session in the pre-COVID years, and closer to 300 after COVID shutdowns.. Until the early-1990s, Lancaster's many courses were organized into five colleges: Humanities (e.g. Logic & Rhetoric, Latin, etc.); Maryland Academy of Sciences (e.g. Astronomy, Marine Ecology, etc.); Pre-Calculus Mathematics; Fast-Paced AP Biology, Chemistry & Physics; and Advanced Math, Computer Science & Misc. Each college was autonomous, with its own graduation ceremony, and, starting in 1987, its own t-shirts. Since then, the academic organization has been streamlined into three subject areas (Humanities/Writing, Math/Computer Science, and Science) with a single graduation ceremony and no t-shirts.
Because of its size and age, Lancaster has seen numerous student groups and traditions arise; some of these can be seen above.
LAN WAS CLOSED FOR 2024 DONT PANIC AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Ahem. As indicated by the line above, Lancaster closed for 2024. Due to unfortunate and not exactly confirmed (though it's highly speculated to be because of various events that happened in 2023) reasons, Lancaster was in fact closed for 2024. Students of Lancaster that were on Server 42 first heard of this from an email sent out by CTY, indicating their sites for PA and this list did not include Lancaster. Against all advice, panic ensued. (NOTE: The news was first heard by students in the 23.2 LAN server, and once confirmed that there was a reason to panic, the news was quickly spread to Server 42 causing even more mass panic). After many emails sent by students, a few parents and apparently some phone calls; CTY did confirm that Lancaster was closed for 2024. Again, panic ensued but with much more crying this time. Students then proceeded to make a Lancaster refugee Discord server in order to figure out what to do, and to provide moral support. Many students were seen with "bye bye miss american pie" and similar phrases in their status as a memorial. As of writing this (19.10.23) we don't know why exactly this happened but we can only say so long and thanks for all the fish (for now?).
Courses Offered
- Main page: Courses
Lancaster is a hotspot for math and science courses. It is the only site to offer Number Theory, Theory of Computation, Data Structures and Algorithms, Selected Topics in Advanced Biology, and Selected Topics in Advanced Chemistry. Lancaster is one of two sites to offer History of Disease, Archaeology, and Paleobiology. In 2001, it was the first site to offer Cryptology, and in 2010 the first to offer Advanced Cryptology. Lancaster also offers Fundamentals of Computer Science. Lancaster also has some strong humanities offerings, such as Ancient Greek, though it lacks the breadth of Carlisle in this regard.
As of 2023, course offerings have been reduced, although Lancaster still has some of the most coursed offered, excepting maybe Baltimore. For 2023, Lancaster offers the following classes: Astrophysics, Chemistry in Society, Cognitive Psychology, Crafting the Essay, Data Structures and Algorithms, Fast-Paced High School Biology, Fast-Paced High School Physics, Fiction and Poetry, Foundations of Programming, The Graphic Novel, Great Cases: American Legal History, Logic: Principles of Reasoning, Number Theory, The Mathematics of Money, Paradoxes and Infinities, Philosophy, The Physics of Sports, Principles of Engineering Design, Probability and Game Theory, and Zoology.
Students
When adding to the list, please try to keep it ordered by nomore year, and sub-ordered by number of years attended. Please only use site names to indicate years spent at sites other than Lancaster (LAN). Please only report years that you have been in attendance for - not what you plan to be at.
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Miscellaneous
At Lancaster, the National Plumbers skit is performed for certain math and computer science classes
Wildlife
On rare occasion, bunnies can be found in the bushes at night. (Update: In 14.1, bunnies were seen multiple times in the daylight on Hartman Green. This was also true in 2015.) (Update: In 17.1, bunnies were seen on Weis Field during breaks.) They are spotted by students (legally) during the return march from a weekend dance. Fireflies too abound on the edges of the quad at night and can be seen when returning from dances. If you are fortunate, you can spy one of the nesting pair of red-tailed hawks perched on the tall tree between Thomas and Schnader on the path leading to Hartman Green. The hawks are also often seen while on Weis Field. (Update: In 17.1 A Hawk was sighted on the quad on a tree in front of fenced off Thomas [unfortunately eating a squirrel or rabbit] while waiting for night class on Wednesday, June 28).
Additionally, there are squirrels everywhere, leading to much confusion over whether one is talking about a squirrel or a squirrel. This often leads to people saying things like, "hey look, a new student running up a tree!" As of 18.1, the wild squirrels have become an integral part of the community, having been seen at 6:30 AM in a group of at least a dozen around the big tree in front of Thomas in a well organized circle, perhaps having a meeting or some sort of ritual. (Photo of Squirrel in Thomas Tree)They are often seen eating food dropped by CTY'ers and are the most prominent species. MIND.LAN.18.1 discovered abandoned baby house sparrows in a fallen nest during break, and were devastated to have to see them both die. In addition, during session 23.1, several baby birds fell from their nest in the rafters near the cafeteria. There were sadly no known birds to survive the fall. The Zoology class of that session was simply distraught. Photo of final surviving bird the day before its death.
