Lanyard

Lanyards are loose, thin cloth bands to be worn around the necks (or on the person) of CTYers at all times. Lanyards hold various things such as room keys, student IDs, debit cards, fobs, or key cards. They are printed with "Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth," which spans two lines. Lanyards are given out by staff to campers on the first day. New CTYers please note that swinging your lanyard is not allowed.

Fashion Advice

There are a wide variety of methods of lanyard-wearing, which are often enumerated at opening ceremonies each session. First, the traditional method: around your neck, like any other necklace. A common variant on this is backwards around the neck with keys hanging on your back. Gaining popularity is another common alternative to the neck: the wrist. Often, the lanyard must be wrapped several times around your wrist, or shortened with the butterfly stitch. Yet another method includes wearing the lanyard around one's waist: this is very common amongst female CTYers. Some people attach a lanyard's keyring to a belt loop and tuck the free straps into their pockets. Even rarer methods include wearing the lanyard as a sash or a headband. Especially in baby CTY, a common Lanyard fashion trend is Lanyard folding. This is when the card on a Lanyard is folded either into halves or quarters.

At Lancaster, new rules in 09.1 made it so the lanyard can only be worn around the waist, wrist, or neck. And then again, in 11.1, around the neck frontward or backward only.

At Carlisle, the "choker" style, with the lanyard looped through itself, is not allowed. Wearing current lanyards as a belt is forbidden, but past lanyards may be worn in this fashion. But you can wear it through your belt loops. And the sash style is allowed. Some years, students can braid their current lanyards and wear around the wrist or hook it together with old lanyards to make a necklace or sash, if long enough.

At LMU and a number of other sites, lanyards must be worn around one's neck. Variations, such as the choker and the sash, are variably permitted.

At Baltimore, lanyards must be worn around the neck, facing forward.

As of LAN 15.1 and 15.2, the same restrictions apply except in the case of supervised physical activity. The sash style is typically allowed, except in the case of some more uptight RAs.

Re-use

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

Colors

The color of the campers' lanyards changes every year.

• 2023 - Bright orange with white lettering (Shirt was unchanged from 2023 for the first time in history)
• 2022 - Lime green with white lettering (Shirt was charcoal gray)
• 2020 - Lime green with white lettering (Shirt was meant to be white, I believe?)
• 2019 - Red with white lettering (Shirt was dark green)
• 2018 - Gold/Amber with white lettering (Shirt was Maroon)
• 2017 - Royal Purple with white lettering (Shirt was the same sky blue as 2016 but with the normal white lettering)
• 2016 - Macaroni and Cheese Yellow-Orange with white lettering (Shirt was sky blue with this really weird/cool dark blue text)
• 2015 - Dark grassy Green with white lettering (Shirt was orange)
• 2014 - Bright Red with white lettering (Shirt was lime green)
• 2013 - Black with yellow lettering
• 2012 - Nantucket Red with white lettering
• 2011 - Purple with white lettering
• 2010 - Orange with black lettering
• 2009 - Carolina Blue with black lettering
• 2008 - Neon Green with black lettering
• 2007 - Yellow with black lettering
• 2006 - Goldenrod with black lettering
• 2005 - Red with white lettering
• 2004 - Sky Blue with black lettering
• 2003 - Neon Yellow-Green with black lettering
• 2002 - Red with black lettering
• 2001 - Purple
• 2000 - Neon Green
• 1999 - Light Blue with black lettering
• 1998 - Neon Orange with black lettering
• 1997 - Navy Blue with yellow lettering
• 1996 - Yellow with blue lettering
• 1995 - Purple with white lettering
• 1994 - White with red lettering

In 1996, lanyards had "IAAY" printed on them. From 1997 to around 2001, lanyards had "CTY CAA IAAY" printed on them. "CAA" and "IAAY" were dropped by 2001 and replaced merely with the acronyms "CTY JHU." Though 2013, lanyards were printed with "CTY" and "JHU" as well as the official web site for CTY: "www.cty.jhu.edu." Since 2012, lanyards have the year on them. In 2014, the lanyards got significantly wider and included the JHU logo. "Johns Hopkins" was printed with "Center for Talented Youth" underneath.

Staff lanyards

Black Lanyards

From 2003 to 2012, black lanyards were worn by RAs, instructors, TAs/LAs/PAs, and other staff members. These lanyards are often widely envied by campers, who have been known to try to take black lanyards from staff. Occasionally, at the Passionfruit, black lanyards are given to nevermores or nomores. A staff member will often pass their lanyard to a favorite nomore camper, although this practice is now technically banned. In 2010, the administration began to take this more seriously, telling students that any staff member that passed on a black lanyard would not be allowed to return to CTY. Additionally, when staff members broke their lanyards and needed replacements, their broken lanyards were shredded. One instructor responded to this by photocopying his black lanyard and giving photocopies to everyone in his class.

White Lanyards

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

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

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

Blue Lanyards

In 2014 (when the lanyard style changed occurred) staff lanyards were changed to turquoise. From 2015 onwards, the lanyards have been in the same style as student lanyards but in sky blue. These lanyards are still coveted by the more daring of campers and very hard to obtain. This is unfortunate as the Johns Hopkins signature sky is a pretty color. However, all students have the chance of seeing it in their lanyard stacks if they request an alumni lanyard or even return as staff when they're older.

Change of Lanyard Colors in 2013

On May 14th, CTY announced via facebook that the new lanyard colors for students this year would be black with yellow lettering.

After much confusion and hub-bub on the thread in which this was announced, academic coordinator of CTY summer programs Galen White clarified the color scheme to those that were wondering what lanyards RAs would then wear:

Just clarifying: student lanyards are black with yellow letters and staff lanyards are yellow with black letters. This should in no way be interpreted as organizational support for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Change of Lanyard Style

Presumably thanks to the color mix-up of 2013, an entirely new style of lanyard was introduced in 2014. They were double-wides that included the JHU crest on them. Many were upset about this, as the lanyards were clunky and difficult to braid, although this did make them more durable and easier to notice from afar. Let it be said that with the installation of the wider lanyard has come the frequent consequence of it breaking. A large majority of CTYers boasted lanyards that had to be shortened and tied, taped, or stapled. Staff lanyards were also changed to turquoise, not black. This was after changed again in 2015 to sky blue.

Minor changes to the lanyard were made in 2017 when the font of the year was changed from the font matching the JHU logo to a much softer and bolder sans style font. Additionally, the clasp was changed from having the key loop suspended by a rotatable metal hook attached to the ribbon to having the key loop held itself by the ribbon of the lanyard. The final change made was in that of the lanyard pattern. Pre 2017 the JHU logo and crest was used twice followed by the date on the lanyard pattern, but after 2017 the date and JHU logo and crest alternated on a 1:1 ratio.

Change of Material

In 2019, the old ribbed lanyard material was replaced with a smoother, color-printed one. The key rings of these lanyards frequently broke, but the lanyards themselves became less nasty after 3 weeks.

As of 2022, this change has been reverted.

Lanyard Swinging

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

An activity called Bizarro CTY allows you to swing your lanyard, along with other activities that are usually forbidden. Sometimes, this activity is called Lanyard Swinging, but it still allows you to do other otherwise forbidden activities.

Lancaster RA Frank Wang is notoriously amazing at detecting lanyard-swinging, even when the culprit is located in such impossible places as all the way across the quad, around a corner, or behind Frank Wang himself. Also Haverford RA Nick is very known for detecting lanyard- swinging, or misuse of lanyards.

At LMU, it has recently become tradition for a nevermore to mount the LMU Lion Statue on the last day and swing their lanyard ferociously like a lasso until an RA reprimands them.

The rule against lanyard swinging is now unenforced due to changes in admin staffing. Using spare lanyards as less painful poi was encouraged at LAN 22.1 and 22.2.

Alumni Lanyard

Although it's not very well advertised, the administration offers students alumni lanyards and has done so for some time. They have been in the same style as general cty lanyards since they were created (although some minor changes such as presence of a lobster clip instead of a keyring and printing on one side instead of both sides exist). Before the lanyard style change of 2014 they were the dark blue with white text (and there's evidence that even before that they were black with white text) and now they are in the staff lanyard colors of sky blue with white text. You can claim yours at the link below.

CTY alumni contact update (claim your alumni lanyard here)