Loudonville

Loudonville
Serra Dining Hall at Loudonville
Site Information
College	Siena College
Location	Loudonville, New York
Years of Operation	2002–2008
Avg. Number of Students	260
Courses Offered
Humanities	Etymologies | Logic | Ethics | Existentialism | Philosophy of Mind | Great Revolutions | Ain't I a Woman: US Social Movements | American Studies: The Sixties | Law and Politics in US History | Islam | Dissent | Model United Nations and Advanced Geography
Writing	Crafting the Essay | The Critical Essay: Popular Culture | The Critical Essay: Science Fiction | Creative Writing | Writing and Imagination
Math	Cryptology | Mathematical Reasoning | Probability and Game Theory
Computer Science	Fundamentals of Computer Science | Introduction to Robotics
Science	Introduction to Laboratory Sciences | Intro to Biomed | Astronomy | FPHS Biology | Genetics | FPHS Chemistry | FPHS Chemistry | Neuroscience | Electrical Engineering | Science and Engineering | Examining the Evidence | Sensation and Perception
Canon
Upper Canon	"American Pie" | "Stairway to Heaven" | "End of the World" | "Nightswimming" | "Blister in the Sun" | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | "Istanbul" | "Baby Got Back" | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | "Birdhouse in Your Soul" | "Like a Prayer" | "I Will Survive" | "Love Shack" | "The Time Warp" | "Brown Eyed Girl"
Lower Canon	"Hallelujah" | "Sandstorm" | "Come on Eileen" | "Dragostea Din Tei" | "Forever Young" | "Cotton-Eyed Joe" | "It's Raining Men" | "Don't Stop Believing" | "Build Me Up, Buttercup" | "Buddy Holly"
Sub-Canon	"Wonderwall" | "In My Life" | "The Freshmen" | "Leaving on a Jet Plane" | "One More Chorus"
Site Specifics
Post-Session	Black Friday
Famous Staff	Charles Brown
See The Essential CTY for cross-site articles.

Loudonville is referred to by many, many names, due to two changes in location. The CTY program opened at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York pre-1994, moved to Union College in Schenectady, New York in 2001, and finally "settled down" at Siena. For this reason, CTYers refer to any of the three sites as "Hamunioniena" (or "Hamuniena" or other variants) or simply "The gypsy site."

In 2008, Loudonville also became a Baby CTY site.

After summer 2008, the CTY administration has decided to close the site at Siena, citing "insufficient people" as the reason.

Site and Campus Overview

Located in a serene suburb of Albany, New York, Siena College ranks as one of the Northeast's premier small, private liberal arts colleges. Founded by the Franciscan Friars, Siena focuses on developing both competency and compassion. A state-of-the-art library and science building are only two of the many new facilities developed at Siena to provide students with a unique liberal arts education. The college also recently completed construction of a new residence hall, creative arts venues, a student union, and athletic facilities. Approximately 360 students and 90 staff members are expected to attend each session.

From the CTY catalog

Loudonville is a site at Siena College, a Roman Catholic school near Albany, New York. There are crucifixes in nearly every room. However, there none in the dorm rooms. They even have monks, and there are resident friars on the third floor of the girls' dorm. They were seen at a rate of about one per day. Grass orgies were banned because it was "offensive" to the friars.

The college staff ride around on golf carts.

Freshman orientation and soccer camp happen during Session 1, much to the dismay of incoming conservative, religious, sports-y freshmen who are present on Fairy Princess Day. High school girls' basketball camp happens during Session 2.

This is the only site where it is not encouraged to chant "DIE! DIE! DIE!" during American Pie, in deference to a suicide that happened at the site several years ago. This tradition has become less and less prevalent during Session 1, however.

The RAs' rooms are usually huge. The bookstore is comfy, but there's often a line. There's a butt-shaped stone heart in the middle of the academic quad, where students are not allowed to sit.

On the last day, the girls and boys get to visit each other's dorms. If you're a girl, you might still want to bring that electric fan and desk lamp so some guy in your class can borrow them for the session. Some people refer to the site as "sexist" because the girls get better dorms than the boys.

Padua Hall

The girls' dorm. The rooms are nice, clean, air-conditioned, have nice carpets, and have single bathrooms (no communal showers). The rooms are about the size of a huge bathroom on the third floor, which is still tiny for a dorm room. There is a vent expelling hot air out the building, a lounge on every floor, and laundry rooms on the second and fourth floors. The only bad thing about Padua is that, if you're assigned a room on the third or fourth floor, you have to climb your way upstairs (elevator usage is prohibited unless you hurt your leg and can't go upstairs). The number 42 is burned into the floor in front of the staircase entrance on the second floor; many CTYers assume this to be a mark left by previous CTYers who were quite obsessed with Hitchhiker's Guide. If you lose any of your stuff here, it will be taken by the cleaners.

In 2004, Padua was supposedly under construction, so girls stayed in Hines.

Ryan Hall

The boys' dorm. The rooms aren't as nice as Padua Hall's, and not one room in Ryan is air-conditioned. Ryan Hall also has many fire doors, making it quite the maze. It's said that every fire door brings a new smell. It has micro-sized dorm rooms, which are often compared to prison cells. It is not required by the CTY packing list, but it is IMPERATIVE to bring a fan, especially on the fourth floor, as heat rises. Bring two for safety. Laundry room (which by the second week is covered in people's forgotten laundry) is on the first floor. There aren't very many washers, and there's always at least one broken one. There are four bathrooms: one for each floor. The only lounge is in the basement, but very few people hang out in here as it smells absolutely disgusting. Not very many people know about it, and the RAs don't like it when people do use it.

Hines Hall

Hines is of marginally better quality than Ryan Hall and is used occasionally by both boys and girls. No air conditioning, one laundry room, communal bathrooms, sparsely furnished. In 2004, girls stayed in Hines. It was still better than Ryan but much worse than Padua, with no individual showers. The boys stayed in Hines in 2008.

Serra Hall

The dining hall. Pizza, pasta, salad, and many varieties of fried food are served here every day. There is very little food served that is in any way good for you. There is also a frequently used soft-serve ice cream machine. The food is usually okay, but a few students from Session 2 '07 got food poisoning from it around the last few days of the session. It is not uncommon to see people making disgusting mixes of food and then putting them on the conveyor belt for the cleaners. (Loud rap music is always heard from inside their section.) The cafeteria staff writes notices such as, "PLEASE PLACE SILVERWEAR DOWN THE SHOOT!!!" at the conveyor belt for finished trays. The dining hall is run by Sodexho, a major food service provider.

Sarazen Student Center

When you sign in on your first day of CTY, you go here. It's always really cold inside, so watch out. The bookstore, dance hall, and office are all in here. There are bathrooms and a vending machine with Frappucinos inside in the hallway by the bookstore.

Foy Hall

Talent show and various activities are held here. During 2006, CTYers ate here because of Student Orientations. Dances are here if Sarazen is under construction.

Classroom Buildings

• Roger Bacon Hall: Classes can be held here and movies are usually in RB 202. RB 202 is great. So much room, plus tables for each seat so you can read/play cards while a movie is playing.

• Morell Science Center: Chemistry and Biology are here. It's a long walk from Sierra, but it's a really nice center.

• Siena Hall: Classes only; nothing special here. A bat somehow snuck into the hallway in Session Two '07 that freaked some people out, but it was actually pretty cool.

• Standish Library: Some classes do research or work on projects here. Activities are sometimes held in the awesome AV room on the ground level. The Butt Rock is on the lawn in front. Passionfruit is held on the lawn in front of Standish.
  • The Butt Rock: Memorial for 9/11. It can be heated by the sun, and it's shaped like a heart (that looks more like a butt). Many students kiss, sit on, and do other things to the Butt Rock right after Passionfruit.

Activities

Activities at Loudonville were variable in quality, but they were often at least entertaining. Memorable activities have included Man Talk, run by the infamous Charles Brown in 07.1.

In 08.2, there was a weekly activity run by Shea for PDA, but the site director made him change it. Instead, "Speed Chess" was born, a seemingly innocent but deadly metaphor for relationships, such as, "What do I do if I want to play the next level of Speed Chess?" or "How can I play Speed Chess faster?"

RAs and Staff

Loudonville was probably the only site where there were no mainstays on the faculty and staff front. Most RAs and staff (with the occasional exception of instructional staff) stayed for only one summer, and perhaps even for just one session. A formal reason was never cited, though most former staff members complained about it being a rather unharmonious environment.

There are always those staff members that are appreciated, however, even if their tenure is short. In 07.2, a war brewed between the two factions of Mengites and Dermites, rallying behind RAs Meng Cheng and Dermot, respectively. Both sides engaged in covert attacks on the other. The Dermites even went so far as to steal Meng's pillars. All this culminated in the Mengites' eventual defeat at the hands of the superior Dermites.

One RA at 08.1, Wes, had a band (The Wes Side) named after him that played at the talent show as the last performance.

Tradition

Loudonville was one of the youngest sites; it opened in its present location in 2002. As a result, tradition was somewhat variable, due to the site's young age and the near-absence of returners in recent years. Positions were practically nonexistent. The three in existence (at Session 1) are:

Dan the Man's Sunglasses

See Hall of Fame. The current holder did not return to 08.1.

• 2005: Dan the Man
• 2006: Dan
• 2007: Will

The Deck of Cards

A deck of cards made of stray cards found around campus, traditionally passed from a nevermore to a squirrel. It is difficult to know when this position was actually begun because such a long time passes between each new holder of the deck.

Emperor/Empress

A nevermore position charged with maintaining Loudonville's tradition.

Session 1

• Becca (LOU.08.1)
• (Dan) (LOU was closed before Dan could take his position, but he would have been the Emperor for LOU.09.1)

Session 2

(Starting at Hamilton College and ending in Loudonville):

• Lyn
• Griff
• Andy, "Spork"
• Emily
• Max
• Pippa
• Hugh, then to Mittman (Unfortunately, Hugh was unable to return to Session 2 and had to pass the triphallus to Mittman during the school year.)
• Julia
• Catrina
• Christie
• Allison. The Loudonville site was tragically closed before she could come to power. She would have been the Empress of 2009.

Loudonville did, however, have a well-defined Canon and a number of traditional films shown on weekends.

Students

• Aaron Kroeber 07.1.LOGC
• Austin P. 06.1
• Charlie McGeorge 05.1
• Christie B.
• Cordelia 08.2.IROB
• CTYgirl 07.1
• Emily L. 07.2
• Flippylittledolphin 07.1, 08.1
• Georgiaphoboia 07.1
• Greatgreencoat 08.1.EXIT
• Hannah Jiang-Fan 06.1.INBS, 07.1.BIOL
• iamthequeenofmaoiwin 06.1, 07.1
• Jennifer Lin 08.2 BSEN
• Jessica D.
• Juliadomna 2002, 2003
• KaiYotiC 07.2
• Kakofonous 07.1, 08.1
• Kattheawesome 07.1, 08.2
• laur 02.1, 03.1, 04.1
• LordZeebmork 07.1
• Mr.gn 08.1
• Pahhwenaz 08.1.LOGC
• Paulkimpaul
• Rourke 06.2, 07.2
• Starr 04.1
• Tori M. 08.2
• Waansleyvark 02.1, 03.1, 04.1
• Zimzil 02.1, 03.1, 04.1