Mr. Mitchell

1. What is your full name and date of birth?


Taylor Louis (Damien) Kaimanaokekai Mitchell. Damien isn't on my birth certificate, but it's my confirmation name, and I like it. It's in honor of St. Damien of Moloka'i, who is pretty sweet. Kaimanaokekai is my Hawaiian name, and it is translated literally as "Diamond of the sea." It is in reference to the sunlight sparkling off the ocean. I'm a sparkly person, apparently. I was born on May 27th.


2. What was your goofiest moment at CTY?


Goofiest moment at CTY? Every moment at CTY is a goofy moment. There is not a single moment that goes by that is not goofy. But I'm assuming you'd prefer a specific answer. Let's see. I tend to get pretty goofy at the dances. Also, activities that I haven't done more than ten minutes of preparation for get really goofy. Also, I would assume that I look goofy yelling at kids who don't use the crosswalk. As a student, I think that I was at my goofiest when I dressed up as a hula dancer (complete with coconut bra) for drag day and handed out lei (lei is the plural form of lei, fyi) to everyone, or when I wore a cassock (what priests wear) to all the dances. I actually ended up with a role during American Pie!


3. Which session do you prefer?


As a student, I preferred first session. I always went to first sessions, save for one summer, and they seemed to be more fun- fresh and exciting, and the staff had boundless energy. As a staff member, though, I find that I really enjoy second session. I'm certainly much more easily exhausted, but I'm also much more familiar with how things are run, so I don't need as much energy, i suppose. Also, by the time second session rolls around, I know my co-workers really well, and that makes things so much simpler.


4. How does LMU compare to Carlisle?


That's a hard question, my friend. Why don't you ask something simpler, like would I like to give up my legs or my arms? I did two years of Carlisle as a student, and it was wonderful. I would call it a completely authentic, traditional CTY experience, if not the MOST authentic, traditional CTY experience (Please don't get me started on Lancaster. Suffice to say I'm not a huge fan). It's a very large site, and it's been going on for ages, so everything is very established. They are very good at whimsical activities, and the dances are nothing short of fantastic. The Cannon is sweet. The traditions there are done in such a way that they are a constant presence, but it's not at all overbearing (Like a certain other site in PA). The site is only slightly bigger than LMU, but it seems a lot larger due to the way day to day things are handled. At CAR, you spend a lot of time independent of direct staff supervision and you aren't necessarily always together as a hall or class, so there is less of a sense of a whole site community, although you do develop closer one on one friendships with people that you don't live or go to class with, which is nice. On the other end of the spectrum, cliques tend to form. At LMU I got the sense that there was a fantastic sense of community- everyone knew each other at least by sight, and there was a sense of one-ness. Sounds tacky, I know, but it makes for a great session. The campuses are both beautiful. CAR's buildings are classic and dignified or modern and classy, in comparison to some of LMU's tacky 70's monstrosities, but I have to give LMU the slight edge, because it's got beautiful weather and Los Angeles is so much nicer than Nowhere, PA. LMU also has better food. So I suppose, after all this rambling, I will give LMU the win, ever so slightly over Carlisle. Its nicer, more loving, and prettier.


5. Which is your favorite and least favorite canon song?


A few words about the Canon: LMU is seriously lacking in many traditions that would be commonplace at other sites, and usually I don't mind, except for the dances. LMU Canon is a skeleton, and needs to be beefed up a bit. That being said, anytime I mention Canon, it's largely based off of the Carlislian Canon, with slight modifications.

First, I love American Pie, forever and forever. It's magic. I think the most special moment of my CTY career was hearing American Pie at my first dance as an RA. It was an intense, beautiful moment that was the epitome of all things CTY. It's hard to put into words, but it's something I very truly treasure.

But that's kind of a cop-out answer, isn't it? Let's see. There are tons of wonderful songs, many of which aren't played often anymore. Birdhouse in Your Soul, Brimful of Asha, EOTW (I KNOW ALL THE WORDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!), Blister in the Sun, and Barbie Girl are all marvelous. I think that my favorite, though, would have to be Nightswimming by REM. It's not played at LMU (something I would like to change!), but it's a beautiful, slow song that, with Forever Young always reminds me of Nevermores and CTY relationships.


I'm afraid to tell you my least favorite song, because I dont' want to start a mass. Oh hell, I have nothing to hide. I HATE STAIRWAY. HATE IT. It's so long, and so unnecessary. It just cheapens American Pie. I will fight to the death for the rest of the canon, but that can go. Do you know what that song is? That's my go to the bathroom, run to the office to pick up mail, get a drink of water so I can get my voice back so I can shout during American Pie. That's what that song is to me. Go ahead. Judge me. I just don't love it. I show up for the last minute of it, and everything is fine.


6. Do you enjoy nerdy things like Star Wars, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter, etc.?


Of course I enjoy nerdy things. I go to a Great Books College. I am spending four years reading exclusively the Western Canon- no textbooks, no nothing. It's spectacular. Apart from that, I am your run of the mill nerd, with a focus in Cooking, Crafting, and Catholicism. I'm particularly nerdy about Catholicism. It's a passion of mine.


7. What is the most trouble you've gotten into as an RA?


I always get in trouble. There was that time that I locked my kids in their rooms because they wouldn't be quiet after lights out, and that time that I made them eat only bread and water because they took too long in the omelet line, and that time that I made them run laps while conjugating Latin verbs because they weren't paying attention in class. Honestly, I don't know why they keep re-hiring me.


8. Do RAs have strange discussions in the way CTYers do?


 RA's, when not actively supervising you, or intensely preparing to actively supervise you, usually talk about you. We know all of your secrets, and share them openly among us. Ever wonder why, when you run into RAs while you are with your class, we clam up really quickly and start talking about how nice the weather is? Because we were talking about you. That is literally all we do.


9. If you were to conquer LMU, which dorm would be your fortress, which two RAs (one male, one female) would you enlist, and which buildings would you seize first?


I think that Rosecrans would be the easiest to defend, owing to the sole entrance/exit (which also makes the dorm incredibly easy to patrol!). Sullivan would be useful due to the fact that it houses the office, the supply rooms, and the nurse. Also copy machines, which are of vital importance. Huesman, which wasn't used last year, has a Chapel in it, which is a plus in my eyes. I think I'd have to go with Rosecrans, although if the office were moved to Huesman, it would be my pick.

I don't know which RAs I would pick. Why am I limited to two? Dane would be a shoe-in, but Christian is a boxer or something equally frightening. I think Philip or Chucho would be the best though. Chucho would be incredibly entertaining, and Philip probably could create battle machines in his sleep. Of the girls, I think I would pick Kendra. She's the scariest, although Sophia and Newby could give her a run for her money.

Actually, I'd be fine with whoever. Everyone would be awesome. I'm not picky.

Chuchosity

Chucho's soooo nice!

1. What is your full name and date of birth?

Jesús Adrián Pérez Cuesy, born November 30th, 1990. I know! My name is long! Here in México we use up to two names, our father's last name and our mother's last name.

2. Is it strange attending CTY as a student and then enforcing the rules as an RA?

I wouldn't say strange. From the day that my CTY experience as a student was over, I knew that I wanted to be an RA. At Monterrey site, most of the students were older (16-17) and we got along really well with the RA's! I was only kind of afraid that my students wouldn't like me or that they would give me a hard time with lights out (not that I did that when I was a student right? Lol!) but nothing of that happened! It was awesome! :) I'm not fond of rules, but when I was a student, I realized that rules @ CTY had a reason of being... So it was simple to follow them, and I had one of the best experiences of my life! So when enforcing them, I just tried to make students see that I believed in the rules and that they were really easy to follow! :)

3. What was your favorite item of food at the cafeteria?

Iced tea! Jaja does that count!? I just loved it! And I miss it so much now... :/

4. Which CTY tradition is your favorite?

Hmm... To be honest, I'm not very into traditions... When I was a student, since it was Monterrey's first year, and half of the students were from México and only half of them knew english, traditions were not very important... (And just fyi, we all had an awesome time enjoying things as they came! So I would advice you not to obsess with traditions...) The only tradition I remember we enforced was the American Pie dance... That I'll never forget! :) Though we didn't scream "orgy" at the end... Which honestly, I liked better! Ok... So... Now is the part when I fear to be taken as "rebel" that "doesn't stick to the CTY student codes" and that "doesn't enforce tradition as he should"... But I'm trying to be honest here... Die, live, sex, more, has been going on for MANY years now... But orgy... I just think it's a lil' too much!

Oreo's Comment: Sage Virtanen should listen to this answer ^

5. Which session do you prefer?

You'll probably get the same answer from most RA's here! First session you aren't tired at all, second you are close to passing out from fatigue! But I think both are just as meaningful and encouraging... They are different in many many things! And differences are what make things unique and irreplaceable... I'm just glad I was able to work both sessions... And I would love to work both sessions again! :)

6. Did you ever play pranks on students or RAs this year? if so, what?

Jajaja why do you ask ME this question? Do I look like someone who likes people to get punked!? (Rhethorical question!)
I did prank Erik! :D Jaja it was so funny! I should've played pranks on more people more often! But I'll keep it in mind for next year! In the meanwhile I'll tell you bout Erik! Lol!
So all the RA's decided to go to Santa Monica one morning just to chill you know!? So once we were there, most of us went shopping! And while some bought flip flops, shorts, hats and dresses, guess what I bought!? A whopee cushion! XD
We were going back and everyone was bragging bout their clothes and I thought: "Man! Am I ever going to grow up!?" (Btw! The answer to that is "NO"!) :)
So well! We were at the posts for social time that night! I was with Patrice at the Fountain and Erik was at the door of Doheny! So we called him to come over to the fountain, and when he was sitting down, (whopee cushion sound) he farted! XD
Jajajaja that was pretty funny! :)

7. Do you like such nerdy CTY things like Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, Monty Python, etc.?

I do like nerdy CTY things... I like nerdy things... I like "intellectual" things such as art cinema and stuff... But I also like many other things! :) I try to find something positive everywhere... So it's not hard to like movies from Casablanca to Transformers, and it's not hard to like things from skateboarding to game theory! ;) I just try to enjoy everything! :) But I do like nerdy CTY things! :P

8. Did you ever lose your patience when it came to your hall?

NEVER! And that could be considered quite amazing cause I'm not the most tolerant individual! But here's the thing! The only thing that gets on my nerves is human stupidity! And even though students at CTY are not always standing for the T, (let's face it! You know it too! Lol! XD ) they're very far away from what I consider human stupidity! ;)

9. If you were to conquer LMU, which dorm would be your fortress, which two RAs (one male, one female) would you enlist, and which buildings would you seize first?

Jaja that's a strange question! :P
Humm... I would choose Rosecrans as my fortress just because that's the building I got used to! I would chose Justin (pretty strong) and Sofia, (did you ever see her Tae Kwon Do kicks!? O.O Lol!) and I would seize Sullivan just because the main office was there! :

Top o' the Mornin'!

'Ello, world. This time, I had the pleasure of interviewing the wonderful Amy Coleman, my RA from last year.

1. What is your full name and date of birth?

Amy Maria Coleman / December 4th 1988

2. Which session do you prefer?

This has nothing to do with the students, but I would honestly say session 2. Yes, you are a bit more tired/brain-dead, but you are more comfortable on campus, you are more confident (especially as a first time RA) and you have a better idea of what works and what doesn't.


3. What do RAs do when they're alone together?

Obviously we devote a considerable amount of time to co-ordinating and planning activities for the good of the camp. Apart from that...we Sporcle! This year, Dane, Will Kelly and I were very competitive sporclers.

4. Do you think you're an Irish cliché? Do you say "Top o' the mornin'!"?

In fact I have never met a single person who says 'Top o' the mornin' except in a hilarious movie called 'Leap Year' which you should definitely see for a comical view of Ireland as a really backwards country whose electricity supply can't cope w/ American cellphones. Amy Adams plugs in her blackberry and the electricity goes out. This is a common occurrence in Ireland actually.
I think I am a mixture of Taylor Swift and Glinda from Wicked. I know my students and co-workers would agree.
But I do love Lucky Charms.


5. Who is your favorite Irish celebrity?

One of my favourite bands, Snow Patrol, are Irish but for entertainment purposes I would say 'Jedward' who are twin boys from Dublin who think they can sing. Must-see.

6. What is your favorite and least favorite canon song?

My favourite is definitely definitely American Pie. I LOVE it. I love the traditions and dancing in the middle with everybody and I love talking to new RAs afterwards once they have experienced their first American Pie.
I don't really think I have a least favourite. I don't really like songs that I don't know the words to though.


7. What was your favorite activity you ran this year?
I have two.

During second session Jess Newby and I ran a daily called American Pie 101 where we taught and sang the lyrics of American Pie, co-run with the amazing Claire Baradat, which was great because it involved singing (see Taylor Swift answer above) and also American Pie.
I also did Wicked Appreciation with Dane which was terrific because Dane painted green is one of my favourite things.

8. Where is your favorite place to go within LMU?

As you have probably noticed, I generally have problems picking favourites. I am quite indecisive. I really like going on the bluff as it's peaceful and you can get an awesome view of a Storequest off Lincoln Blvd.
But I love going to the pool too. In Ireland I rarely get to spend time outdoors as it's constantly raining so swimming outside in hot weather is a huge luxury for me.

9. Has any of your halls ever spread a rumor about you, particularly *wink wink* the girls of 2010 Session 2?

No, I don't know what you are talking about?

10. If you were to conquer LMU, which dorm would be your fortress, which two RAs (one male, one female) would you enlist, and which buildings would you seize first?

Sullivan would definitely be my fortress. I wouldn't get distracted washing my hands/looking at myself in the mirror like Victor may in Doheny, and I would have a wealth of weaponry and staples at hand.
The two RAs I would choose would be Dane and Jess Newby and we would seize Doheny first.

Victor (Hugo) Rivera!

I actually got another interview. That was…unexpected. As you probably know, Victor was one of the coolest RAs at LMU this year (my roommate Stella and I made a point of bother -- er, hanging out with him whenever we got the chance). Enjoy his interview, CTYers!

1. What is your full name and date of birth?

Victor Rivera, and November 21, 1990.

2. What were your first thoughts about CTY?

Like, as an organization? I thought it was a summer academic camp for gifted students. But that's boring. When I stepped onto campus and actually was a part of CTY, I thought it was super cool and had awesome weather, awesome kids, and awesome food. I was right on most counts. Not on one. (The food one). The food was okay. (I got tired of the food pretty quickly). But I can't cook for myself, so I wasn't complaining. I was not okay with how rarely they made corn-dogs. They made it twice that I knew of, which I felt counted as teasing. If they made more corn-dogs in the cafeteria, I'd have been a lot happier. If I had to change one thing about LMU, it would be the number of time they served corn-dogs.

3. Are there any canon songs that you particularly like, and are there any that you don't like?

I'm generally fine with the canon songs, but there's just one in particular that sends me into flashbacks of my days as a DJ: Sandstorm. It's typically a last-resort for DJs, since it'll buy you a few extra minutes and people love dancing to it for some reason (even though a good chunk of it is silence). But I like the canon songs. My favorite one is the Cupid Shuffle, because I'm really good at following directions and even kicking it, if I need to (you need to, in the Cupid Shuffle). Even though it's not a canon, I wish we'd played the Party Rock Anthem more often, because I didn't hear that enough this summer.

4. Which session do you prefer?

Well, both have their ups and downs. First session, I've energy but I'm also still getting my bearings. Second session, I'm exhausted but I know the ins and outs of the campus and administration. If I had to pick one, I'd say first session, just because waking up at 7 am is just a little bit less of a misery. And I'm not bored of the food yet. But if they served corn-dogs every day of second session, then I would pick second session every time. I hope someone from the cafeteria is reading this and taking notes.

5. What was your favorite activity that you ran?

I really wanted to yell at students for an hour and make them do all sorts of miserable exercises, so I did that. But instead of calling it "Victor's Happy Time" I called it "Boot Camp." Second Session, a bunch of kids signed up for it and even asked me to repeat the activity the next week. I have no idea why. Apparently running laps and doing squats, pushups, planks, and jumping-jacks is enjoyable for some people. Masochists. But who am I to deny happiness to those around me?

6. Do you consider yourself a "nerd"?

I'm pretty nerdy. I'm an English major, which means I spend hours a day with my nose in a book or three. I play video games still, my hallway was Megaman-themed during the second session, I go to a nerdy college, and I just re-watched the original Star Wars trilogy this summer. By myself. So, yeah, I'm a nerd. And lonely, from the sound of it.

7. What was your most awkward moment in either session?

Probably second session, when I was a floater for the Weekly activities. I helped out the Harry Potter activity, which was immediately awkward when the students realized that I knew nothing about HP. "Name your favorite character, and they can't be the main ones." "Uhhh...like, the snake from the Chamber of Secrets was cool." "You mean the Basilisk?" Or, "What color was Ginny's pet Pygmy Puff [I had to google that name]?" "Um, wasn't it a tabby cat?" It got really bad. Later on, we were reading our fortunes and the students told me that I was going to be run over by a bus. And an elephant. And I got the big black dog that Harry got. And also that I would develop severe depression and my wife would die at an early age. So, you know, happy things. To top it off, I got called a mudblood. AND a squib. Which I'm pretty sure are derogatory terms. Thanks for reminding me of that. Now I'm sad again.

8. Do you like Harry Potter, Monty Python, The Princess Bride, and other things CTY celebrates?

As you can tell, Harry Potter isn't my favorite series (though I've read all the books). I love the Princess Bride, but I haven't seen enough Monty Python to be able to say I like it or I dislike it (but I do get references to them). I actually just saw The Princess Bride on TV the other night. Again, I was alone. This is depressing. I guess you could say I have crippling self-confidence issues of unusual size! Wayooo, Princess Bride tie-in!! *sob*

9. If you were to conquer LMU, which dorm would be your fortress, which two RAs (one male, one female) would you enlist, and which buildings would you seize first?

I would hole up in Doheny for the sinks in each room, which I feel would come really in handy if I needed to wash my hands and I was in a room. I would pick Jordan and Divya as my two RAs, because they are lightweight and could be thrown moderate distances to distract people in case I needed to make a quick escape (love you guys!). I would seize Sullivan in order to gain access to RA Heaven, in case I need to make a battering ram out of 3 pool noodles, half a roll of duct tape, a beach ball, and some glitter

A Candid interview with Dane

A peek into the inner workings of Dane's mind, provided by me, Oreo. If any other RAs wish to be interviewed PLEASE message me. Or I'll probably message you first. Either way.

Anyway, enjoy!

Let us begin!

Q: What is your full name and date of birth?

Dane Alexander Holding / January 5, 1988

Q: What inspired you to become an RA?

My sister is actually an off again on again instructor for Crafting the Essay first session at LOS. She started working as an RA in either LAN or JHU, so, when I'd mentioned that I needed a summer job, she suggested that I work as an RA for CTY.

Q: Whoaaa, is her name Danette Holding?

Her name is actually Cory, unfortunately. It would be weird if she were named Danette, because she was born before me. I would hate to be her male derivative.

Q: How does it feel to be consecrated in CTY history FOREVER? And how did you do it?

It's hard to answer this question because I don't really want to sound narcissistic, because right now I'm ambivalent about my quasi-fame. Back when people screamed "Hi Dane" every time people walked by me it was pretty irritating. Luckily that's toned down since 2008-2009, and I can live my life without being perpetually badgered by students.

I think the reason that I became CTY famous was by befriending a number of traditionalists the first year, most notably a gentleman by the name of Van Melikian. I think he was almost the sole driving force behind the initial "Hi Dane" movement. Other than that, I ran a couple of activities that were well received, like "The Gulag" and "Battle Royale," both of which are now out of rotation largely due to the "no throwing things at people" rules. I also ran "Bananaphone Appreciation" for the first time ever second session in 2008, which was also remarkably well received by the students who participated.

tldr: I made friends with the right people and ran some cool activities.

This gentleman on television is wearing a single hulk hand.

Q: What are your reasons behind nixing Bananarchy? Do you LIKE tearing apart tradition?

Truth? I was bored with it. It's not like it's a difficult thing to run, so if another staffer had felt passionately about it they easily could have run the exact same activity that I had.

I would have happily run it if a large group of students had pushed me to do so. After all, the program needs to cater to the students. As it stood, only you and Stella [Jensen-Roberts] showed strong interest in seeing it run again, and I'm not going to run an activity if only two students are really excited about it.

Another issue I saw with Bananarchy is that it's an activity that relies primarily on surprise, and you can't surprise students and staffers who have seen you run an activity every session for four years. If you let it go for a year, it helps to revitalize to a certain extent.

When I run the same activities over and over and over again, they tend to stagnate or I grow bored with it, which can cause me to be lazy in both preparation for and operation of the activity. If I try and bring in new and exciting activities, I keep up my own interest in the program which keeps up my level of energy when I run them. It's sort of selfish, but I wouldn't want to subject 30-40 students to an activity that requires a lot of energy when I'm not willing to run it with the same level of passion that I might have a few years ago, because that cheats you guys out of a daily that might otherwise be spent in another awesome activity.

So here's my philosophy on tradition. I think that, ultimately, every camp experience should be unique. Every year, tens of new staffers and hundreds of new campers come to the LMU CTY site, and if, instead of accepting their new ideas and allowing the program to grow, we fetter them with a bunch of old traditions and ideas and explanations of how things were and how things should work, we aren't succeeding in our mission to create an environment in which everyone's thoughts and ideas are valuable. Sure, some of them might not be as effective as past ideas, but without trying something new, the program would never grow in any kind of meaningful way. This doesn't mean that I don't think that traditions should have a place in the grand scape of CTY, I just think that, as a group, CTY students and staff alike should always be looking towards innovating within the program.

So instead of giving that daily slot to Banarchy, I chose something else. Who knows, maybe I'll get nostalgic and run it next year. Or, if there's a strong interest from the students, I will run it.

After all, this is just as much the student's program as it is mine, if not more so. I'd be willing to listen to any suggestions students might have in regards to activities.

Wow, that was actually convincing!

Q: Which session do you prefer?

I'm going to preface this by saying that it has nothing to do with the students at the site.

I feel like both sessions have their perks, but on the whole I tend to have more energy to invest into activities during first session. The added fatigue of having already done 3 weeks tends to wear on my overall performance by second session. So with that in mind, I tend to favor first session because I don't feel like passing out every moment of the day.

However, the staff tends to have developed a better dynamic and a better understanding of how the site works by second session, which can be a huge boon to the way in which the site operates. If there's a way in which second session is superior from a staff perspective, it's that.

Q: In your opinion, who was a worse Tsar, Nicholas I or Nicholas II? Have there been any good Tsars?

Let me preface this by saying that, in order to be Tsar of Russia, you have to do some questionable things. Nicholas I was quite nefarious; but even if he lost the Crimean War terribly at least he was somewhat effective. He made the effort; which is way more than I can say for Nicholas II.

Nicholas II, in contrast, sat on his hands while hundreds of thousands of Russian peasants were slaughtered on the war front and his country was slowly picked apart by Revolutionary parties. He wrote journal entries about birds and tea while his entire empire crumbled around him. Sure, he tried to go and take direct control of Russian forces, but in the meantime he left his country in the hands of Alexandra and Rasputin, both of whom ran the country into the ground. Things had gotten so out of hand that even the likes of Witte and Stolypin couldn't save the country at that point.

And as far as "good Tsars" go, I'm not really too convinced that you could pick one out and say that they were innately "good." Alexander II certainly seemed to harbor some good intentions; for instance he liberated the serfs and reformed army protocol. Peter the Great did a lot that seems nefarious through a twentieth century lens, but at the same time he had the somewhat noble intention to bring Russia up to snuff with the rest of Russia. Did he institute ridiculous things like "The Beard Tax," in the interest of the rest of Europe? Yes. Was his heart in the right place and is he generally viewed as one of the great Russian Tsars? I believe so.

Q: Do you think oatmeal cookies should be outlawed at LMU?

Absolutely. They are the worst crime ever perpetrated against humanity.

That's meant to be hyperbolic, by the way.

Ok, last question.

Q: If you were to conquer LMU, which dorm would be your fortress, which two RAs (one male, one female) would you enlist, and which buildings would you seize first?

The obvious fortress choice would be Rosecrans, because it's built like an indecipherable labyrinth. If you close the door to the stairs no invading force would be able to get to the second or third floors. The minotaur that probably roams the halls would be a nice defense as well.

If I were to choose two RA's to help me, they would be Levon and Amy.

Early campaigns would be waged against Desmond and Huesman, due to their proximity to Rosecrans. Huesman would serve as a staging point for an assault against Doheny and Sullivan, and I guess I would move on to the academic buildings from there.

Thank you, Dane, for humoring me!