Los Angeles

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Los Angeles
CroppedChapel.jpg
Looking out over Sunken Gardens at Sacred Heart Chapel at LMU
Site Information
CollegeLoyola Marymount University
LocationLos Angeles, California
Years of Operation????-present
Avg. Number of Students380
Courses Offered
HumanitiesLatin I | Etymologies | Logic | Ethics | Philosophy of Mind | Law and Politics in US History | International Politics | Cognitive Psychology
WritingCrafting the Essay | Popular Culture
MathCryptology | Probability and Game Theory | Mathematical Logic | Set Theory
Computer ScienceFundamentals of Computer Science
ScienceIntro to Biomed | FPHS Biology | FPHS Chemistry | Electrical Engineering | FPHS Physics | Paleobiology
Canon
Upper Canon"American Pie" | "Stairway to Heaven" | "End of the World" | "Sandstorm" | "Dragostea Din Tei" | "Istanbul" | " "The Time Warp" | "Forever Young" | Nightswimming" | "Leaving on a Jet Plane" | "Seasons of Love"
Lower Canon"Blister in the Sun" | "Thriller" | "YMCA" | "Don't Stop Believing" | "Baby Got Back" | "Every Time We Touch" | "Cotton-Eyed Joe" | "Cha Cha Slide (remix)" | "Stacy's Mom"
Site Specifics
Games and ActivitiesTalent Show | The Game | Kemps | Silent Football | Blammo | Egyptian Ratscrew
MoviesAlice in Wonderland | Dark Side of Oz
Famous StaffThe Borings | Dane Holding
See The Essential CTY for cross-site articles.
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Location

The LMU site is located, as one may guess, at Loyola Marymount University in western Los Angeles. It is about three miles from LAX International Airport; the Conning Tower is barely visible from some parts of the campus. As LMU is a jesuit school, there is a bell tower and a chapel. Student life tends to be centered around the Doheny, Sullivan, and Huesman Courtyards. Most classes are located within the area of Ignatian Circle.

Overview

The weather at LMU is sunny, for the most part, though the coastal climate leads to a few overcast days. Mornings and evenings can be a little cooler than the daytime. The campus is extremely beautiful, though CTY activities are confined to a very small part of it. LMU has many beautiful fountains, and a large library. Students live very close together, and eat in the campus cafeteria. There is a Jamba Juice on-campus, but it is rarely open.

LMU has always been a kind of black sheep with traditions, not keeping many (to the dismay of easterners). Though "It's the End of the World as We Know It" was a staple at the LA venues(LMU and, before that, the University of Redlands) in the early 1990s, it died out sometime in the mid-1990s. A kid named Michael Sherwood brought an incredible passion and zeal to tradition in the summer of 2001. In that summer, and through no easy means, he revived interest in REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)', and brought 'Stairway', Gay Dad, and Radiohead to the site. Suddenly, there was light and energy. The abysmal food tasted better, the sky was bluer, the girls were wearing less clothing. Also working in 2001 to revive tradition was a former Lancaster student, who had become a Young Students Instructor. He DJ'd the dances, helping to bring REM's 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)' and the associated dance tradition to LMU. He also worked to bring Passionfruit to Los Angeles. 'Forever Young' was not only on said instructor's computer, it was played at the proper time during each of the unfortunately small number of dances that summer.

Though 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)', and 'Stairway' stuck, LMU tradition was once again stuck in a rut. With the advent of 08.1, Silent Football, Blammo, and Wanna buy a duck were all added to the traditional game repetoire of several first-sessioners. While RA awareness of Canon lagged, a reform had begun. On the other hand, session 2 tradition thrived under the caretaking of the Zoe, and her companions. The majority of this traditionalist group nevermored out in 2007, leaving tradition to a few younger students for 2008.

There are three dances per session. The first two are held on Fridays, and the last one is held on Thursday. There is always a Casino Night, some form of Water Day, and a Talent Show. Drag Day occurs, though the staff doesn't acknowledge it as an official event. Nevermores and Nomores observe Passionfruit early on the last morning of the session. On the last day of every second session, someone manages to dump something into Doheny Fountain, such as Jello powder, Tang, or liquid soap.

The site is considered moderately strict. Students must be escorted everywhere by a CTY staff member, unless RAs are posted. Halls were required to eat breakfast together, starting in the summer of 2003. RAs function on a rotation schedule during dinner so that students may move freely between the dining hall and their dorms. Up until 2003, there was no formal programming on Sunday afternoons. Now, students attend Non-Mandatory Fun (a name coined by RA Tom Ryan in summer 2003,) or other themed weekend activities, on Sunday afternoons. Student halls may order pizza, Chinese, or Thai for dinner on Fridays and/or Saturdays. Weekend off-campus trips, with RA supervision, can include Ralph's or Bristol Farms (supermarkets), Viva Fresh (a Mexican Restaurant), Bowling, Subway, or Taco Bell. Jamba Juice is only open for a select number of hours each day, and only during class time, so usually Jamba Juice is a class treat given during the week. In 2008, several classes also ordered In-'N-Out.

Students are forbidden from speaking to participants in other programs; the precedent set for this policy is due to rash interactions with other camps including (the notorious) guitar camp, various LMU sports camps, foreign camps, and the annual church retreat.

Given the university's proximity to the ocean (just 3 miles), the weather is moderate during the day and cool at night. Students and staff alike are advised to bring long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and a sweatshirt. They will never need a rain coat, as it rarely rains in Los Angeles between May and November. Humidity is seldom an issue and RAs and students need not worry about rain plans, unlike CTY participants on the East Coast.

The food is mediocre, with multiple instances of diarrhea and food poisoning throughout the years. Students are advised to bring alternative food stuffs to the site. Cup-of-Noodles and Ramen can both be filled with hot water in the cafeteria, and are a sodium-rich alternative to the bizarre cafeteria food. It is suggested that you avoid the soup, as it is the liquid form of the previous day's dinner. While stomachache runs rampant in the first week, most people adjust to the food by the second week. The nurse suspects that this has something to do with the amount of grease in the main courses, and recommends eating things such as sandwiches.

Buildings

CTY Office Building

The staff and medical office for CTY are housed in Sullivan Hall, which neighbors Doheny Hall and Huesman Hall. Students stay in Sullivan Hall when they are sick, or during intersession. The Commuter Lounge is also located in Sullivan. Students that are picked up and dropped off must sign in and out in Sullivan. Sullivan Courtyard is the location of the dances, and is well-lit at night by several street-lights that automatically turn on.

Class Buildings

Recently, the majority of CTY LMU classes were in Saint Robert's Hall and the Foley Annex, both of which are in Ignatian Circle. Classes are also known to be held in Pereira Hall of Engineering. Classrooms are high-tech, and most have Media Center options such as an in-ceiling projector connected to the instructor's computer, and a surround-sound system.

  • Saint Robert's Hall is a big, old, and beautiful three-floor building located next to Sunken Gardens and Regent's Terrace. The windows are large and have nice views.
  • The Foley Annex is a one-floor temporary building. Both the building and classrooms have an industrial feel to them, with white walls. Classrooms have few windows. Class breaks for Foley Annex are in Regent's Terrace. The building tends to be on the cold side.
  • Pereira Hall is a little more out-of-the way, and has two stories. The second floor is not wheelchair accessible. Breaks are taken in an adjacent courtyard.

Dorms

The dorms at LMU are air-conditioned, and usually don't have lounges. Rooms have two beds, and two wardrobes. Beds are extra-long twin sized, and loft-style. There are desks in each room, each with a built-in desk lamp. The dorms are highly concentrated in a small area of campus, and it is a short walk from any dorm to any place where CTY students are allowed to be. There is an RA for each hallway of the dorms in use. Usually, RAs will theme the hallway and add decorations. Each dorm has some kind of courtyard, though Desmond and Rosecrans share a courtyard.


  • Huesman Hall

Located next to Doheny and Sullivan, Huesman is a one-story girls' dorm. There is room for 4 halls total in Huesman. It is a Men's dorm in the schoolyear, and has urinals. There are no mirrors or sinks in the rooms. There are two bathrooms, and each has only two toilet stalls. The showers have solid doors and curtains, with a changing area in between. Huesman can get a little hot, so it is wise to bring a fan.

  • Doheny Hall

Doheny Hall is a three-story boys' dorm, located in between Huesman Hall and Sullivan Hall, in the center of the action at CTY. There are no urinals in the bathrooms. Each room has a mirror and sink. The closets smell weird.

  • Desmond Hall

A large, three-story girls' dorm, Desmond is a short walk away from Doheney Courtyard. It has no urinals, and each room has a mirror and sink. There are very nice large windows. The showers have doors, but no changing area. The temperature in Desmond is pretty good. Desmond fits roughly 9 halls, with three on each floor.

  • Rosecrans Hall

A three-story boys' dorm, Rosecrans is the mirror image of Desmond. Desmond and Rosecrans share a courtyard, and both feature large windows. Rosecrans fits roughly 9 halls, with three on each floor.

  • Whelan Hall

Most recently used as a girls' dorm in the summer of 2006, Whelan is behind Desmond and Rosecrans. It has three stories and three wings, and a potential to hold 9 halls. There are mirrors in the rooms, but no sinks. The showers have no walls or doors, but only curtains. In more recent years, Whelan was occupied by other camps, such as the Guitar Camp.

RAs

  • LMU was home to the legendary Boring Brothers and, of course, Tom Ryan. Now, Jason Boring is the only Boring Brother at LMU, and is Dean of Residential Life.
  • Tommy Smith was an RA at LMU through the late 90s and early 2000s. He instituted "More Active Than Sleep (But you Probably Won't Break a Sweat)". Jesse Boring picked up the activity, then passing the torch to a former resident-turned-RA named Jessie Seiler. In 08.1, Jason Boring ran the activity.
  • In 07.1, there was an activity called "Give Jason [Boring] a Mohawk." Even though his mohawk was made by hyper CTYers, it ended up looking rather good.
  • 06.1 to Present, an awesome RA, and now SRA Christian (Alias C-Bad) is worshipped.
  • In 08.1, the RA for the CODE B boys, named Dane Holding, was an active part of several new traditions, including Bananaphone and "HI DANE."

Activities

Afternoon activities take the form of weeklies and dailies. At the beginning of the week, one weekly and four dailies are chosen by each student. After the activities are chosen, as student isn't allowed to change their mind. Weekly activities happen as soon as class is over, every weekday. The same weekly is taken all week. Daily activites happen after daily activities, Monday through Thursday. A different daily activity is taken each day. Both kinds of weekday activities last an hour.

Weekend activities usually begin in the afternoon, around one o' clock. They can have a theme, such as Carnival or Time Travel Day. Students spend their afternoons at weekend activities, then return to their halls. On Saturday evening, there is an evening activity as well. This activity tends to be Movie Night on the first weekend, and Casino Night on the second weekend.

History

Years

2003
Mary Rieg led a cadre of students with bullhorns and yelling one-liners such as "BUSH CAN'T READ; WHY SHOULD WE?"

2004
'Enmity Bracelets', made of chains and spiky metal objects, decorated the ankles and wrists of many LMU-ers. 'How to be a Central American Dictator' led raids on other afternoon groups such as 'Guerilla Warfare', wearing stylish red headbands and wielding water balloons. 'Down With the Man' started protests against every other activity held that day. CTY Protesting is another quirky favorite. Protesters wrote and yelled made-up slogans such as "Make friends, not bracelets!", and of course, the highly original "LAME!" The original Robot Wars activities also happened in 2004.

2006
During session 1, the instructor and TA of the International Politics class (both former RAs themselves at Saratoga Springs, and LMU and Malibu, respectively) ran CTY protesting, leading two dozen students in rounds of protesting several activities that day, such as Quidditch, Paper Flower Making, and Silent Reading. One student, dubbed Bill Clinton, shouted "up with facism!" into a bullhorn.

2007
The tradition of Protest continued in 07.1, with not only "Protest Rally" as the last daily, but also "Paparazzi," a photo-taking activity of similar origins.

Traditions

Robot Wars and Robot Wars II were two duels originally staged between RAs Tom Ryan and Geoff Graham. Encased in cardboard armor, they clashed together in apocalyptic combat to the heavy beat of Rammstein. Tom Ryan explained that the activity originated back in summer 2004 due to two factors: one, the intrigue surrounding the concept of hippies walking around Oberlin College campus playing bad German techno music; and, then-office manager Jen Lockett complaining about having to dispose of cardboard boxes.

Gluing Stuff to RAs is also a common activity, with various RAs given the wonderful task of being the gluee. Tom Ryan also created this activity in summer 2005 when RAs were instructed to limit activities to existing supplies in RA Heaven.

Current

Reacurring Activities

Silent Reading: True to its name, it just gives students time to kick back and read. A more exciting form of Silent Reading is known as "Extreme Silent Reading", and involves more reading and silence than the original activity.

Music Practice is available as a weekly all three weeks of every session. Though there is no limit on the number of students allowed, the music practice rooms contain few pianos. There are four pianos, and two are in the same room. All of the pianos are out of tune. Though there was a piano in the cafeteria through 2003, students no longer have this luxury. Usually enough pianists join the activity that each can only play once each week. It is suggested that pianists don't plan on practicing.

Weekend Activities

Wet and Wild Day is a weekend activity that usually takes place on the first Saturday. There is a "Dry Area" for students who go read magazines, play cards, sit down for games of Silent Football, or attempt to do cartwheels on the lawn. RAs can be seen roaming about the "Wet Side" with heavy-duty water guns and hoses. Students usually have to make do with flimsy plastic cups that they fill up with water, or sponges. Kiddie pools and hoses are also sometimes utilized.

Movie Night happens on the evening of the first Saturday. Students flock to Sullivan Courtyard to sit on towels and blankets and watch a PG-rated movie.

Talent Show occurs on the second Saturday. Students play instruments, juggle, recite poetry, act, sing, and show off many other great talents. Famous acts include "Eating Cereal off of Jesse Boring", Shabes' rendition of "Genie in a Bottle" (07.2), and the boy who juggled Rubik's Cubes while solving them. (06.1) Each Talent Show has one song dedicated to the Nevermores, during which they come up in front of the stage and sway.

Casino Night takes place that evening. Some people play card games for Casino Night Money, while others run around doing weird and crazy deeds the RAs tell them to do for 'money'. A couple of people get 'married', and several of them get 'divorced'. At the end of Casino Night, halls are ranked by the amount of 'money' they have, and choose in order of amount of money from a list of prizes such as duct taping an RA of their choice to a tree.

Non-Mandatory Fun is the general name for Sunday afternoon activities. Although it is mandatory for students to attend, it isn't mandatory that they have fun. They are allowed to read or sit around. In 2007 it was rechristened "Mandatory Fun" by Jason Boring because the staff wishes to encourage as much fun as possible. Sometimes, Mandatory Fun is themed.

There is no activity Sunday evening. Instead, students attend Study Hall.

By Session
  • In 06.2 the order of weekend activities was:
    • First Saturday: Quiz Bowl & Movie Night
    • First Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun with a Carnival theme
    • Second Saturday: Talent Show & Casino Night
    • Second Sunday: Wet & Wild Water Day


  • In 07.1 the order of weekend activities was:
    • First Saturday: Quiz Bowl & Movie Night
    • First Sunday: Wet & Wild Water Day
    • Second Saturday: Talent Show & Casino Night
    • Second Sunday: Non-Mandatory Fun with a Carnival theme


  • In 07.2 the order of weekend activities was:
    • First Saturday: CTY Olympics & Movie Night
    • First Sunday: Wet 'n Wild Water Day
    • Second Saturday: Talent Show & Casino Night
    • Second Sunday: Mandatory Fun
  • In 08.1 the order of weekend activities was:
    • First Saturday: Time Travel Day & Movie Night
    • First Sunday: Hydrophilia Day (Wet 'n Wild Day)
    • Second Saturday: International Day & Casino Night
    • Second Sunday: Talent Show


(In 08.1, CTY didn't have access to Sunken Gardens, the large grassy area where many CTY events are traditionally held. Instead, weekend activities were held on the Mall)

Dances

Dances take place on Fridays and the last Thursday of each session. Though they were in Rosecrans Courtyard in 2005, they are now held in Sullivan Courtyard. CTYers typically take an hour to begin dancing, but eventually most people do dance. A stage is usually built on the inside edge of Sullivan Courtyard. This stage has the speakers mounted on it, and a DJ sits behind it, putting together music lists. Students are rarely allowed behind the stage, as there are wires from the speakers over which they could possibly trip.

Despite the social atmosphere, several students can be seen at each dance sitting around near Doheny Fountain. These people are usually playing cards and solving Rubik's cubes. During 2006, they were sitting on or even behind the walls around Sullivan Academic Center and RAs like JZ and Jason and Mike had to run around making them dance. During 2007, some were seen programming calculators during the dances. In 2008, a few of these people chose to blast an alternative selection of music from their iPod speakers, while sitting next to Doheny Fountain. This was in protest to the pop and rap music being played at the dance.

LMU dances do have "American Pie", "It's the End of the World As We Know It", and "Stairway to Heaven" at every dance, along with other Canon. Every dance ends with an RA or SRA standing on the stage and yelling, "Go home! Nobody loves you!"

2006
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was semi-canon during 06.2, where people formed a conga line that went in a spiral. Chants of "HARDER HARDER HARDER HARDER!" and sometimes "FASTER FASTER FASTER FASTER!" could be heard after the usual "die die die die live live live live sex sex sex sex more more more more!" during session 1. People pointed fingers at the Biomedical people. In session 2, a similar thing happened, with the Chemistry students in the lead.
2007
07.1 brought new songs into the Canon, including "Dragostea Din Tei." The only afterdance was held by a group of eight girls, who chanted "CTY you have a nice butt." Surrounding people stared, and did not join in. LMU has instituted the "ORGY" chant after the "more more more more" chant of American Pie.
2008
The tradition of shouting "ORGY" at the end of the normal American Pie Chant was continued into 2008.1, mostly by Petr (No that's not a spelling mistake) Sharetskiy, and his Latin class. "Don't Stop Believin,'" by Journey, way played at every dance, and may be working its way into Upper Canon. Jason Boring was in the center of the mob during American Pie, singing the words loudly, but covering his ears and closing his eyes during the chant. Also, during session one, there was an increased interest in Glowstringing, led by Lizzy H., Sarah Sch., and Josh Q. These students practiced Glowstringing during social time until a daily activity entitled "Raving" was created. All three of these students performed with their glowsticks at the first dance, and began teaching other students.

Courses

There are a multitude of courses offered, though Humanities and Science courses are the majority. LMU was the first site to offer Electrical Engineering.

As of 2008, LMU offers the following classes:

Humanities Courses

Writing Courses

Math Courses

Computer Science Courses

Science Courses

Enemies

Our enemies on campus include, but are not limited to the following camps.

A basketball camp for kids between the ages of 8 and eighteen, Kobe Camp is known for containing an impressive amount of brickheads who basically do not know 2+2. These idiots cut in line, and eat everything in sight, even the inedible potatoes.

LMU runs several sports camps for kids over the summer. While the majority of the attending kids are aged 4-10, the camps accept kids up to age 14. This leads to there being thousands of little kids who eat nothing but jello and cookies for lunch. These guys outnumber the potatoes, and that's saying something. Also, never give these ragamuffins your tabasco sauce. If they've run out, it's a good thing. It means they can't terrorize anyone else.

  • Camp for the Disabled
  • ESL Camp- Foreign Students


However, our #1 enemy, is not a camp, not a person, not a rule, not a large Jello driven explosive that we hid somewhere in Rosecrans, no, it is the POTATO! The potato, the ubiquitous food of the LMU cafeteria, used to be delivered in large trucks, however, as of 08.1, these trucks no longer came, however, the potatoes just kept coming. Between 07 and 08, a large machine was installed in the rear of the cafeteria, it's purpose unknown, until now. At the loss of many compatriots, we have discovered that this fiendish machine is actually a Potato Generator. *More classified info to be released as the author sees fit*

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