residence life Archives

Expectation: Zero

Last updated on March 24th, 2017 at 06:59 pm

Okay Dee, thoughts: how is this year thus far comparing to last?

In the background, the din of Social Time peters in and out. Directly across from us, tiny Jeremy serenades swooning CTY girls on his violin. Around the waterless fountain – there is a drought going on – a score of students meander; laughing and talking and flirting, all within various degrees of social grace, from adroit to yammering.

I thought it a loaded question. How difficult could it be to surmount the year previous? It was the year of The Swine Flu, when we sent nearly half the student body packing for coughs and toasty foreheads. Entire halls, decimated as H1N1 floated from room to room, ruining the three weeks these students spend an entire year looking forward to.

Last year we lost Trench Dodgeball. The same year leadership changed to incapable and inexperienced hands, and relations between administrators were – to say the least – venomous. In my mind, the more appropriate question was, Is this year worse in any way–

“I had so much more fun last year than I’m having now,” Dee said, cutting my thread like Sister Fate.

A literal double-take.

I thought it sarcasm, but the response was so immediate, so filled with absolute, unwavering conviction, that it couldn’t be anything but.

I didn’t respond right away. I couldn’t, and Dee took my silence as prompting:

“Last year, I felt like I found my best friends right away, you know? I got comfortable with our crew so quick. There was always someone to talk to. I expected to find it again this year, but I don’t feel like I connected with anyone.

“I only came back this year because my first session last year was so great. If this session was my first ever, I don’t think I would have returned.” Dee shrugged. “But, I really like my girls this session, at least.”

That’s weird, I joked.

She laughed. “Right? I actually enjoy spending time with them, and they want to hang out with me. So there’s that…”

We talked more, but I’m distracted by this pitfall, which seemed as obvious as a Warner Brothers cartoon: loaded with ACME product placement and talking animals, and the disguised sand trap set by the foolhardy yet indestructible coyote for our hero, the rabbit. I thought it went without saying: if you return to the CTY program, leave your expectations of the summer back home. There is no room for them, not this summer, this site, with this set of staff members. Even if you find yourself surrounded by fellow returners, don’t expect to recreate the experiences of yore. It won’t take.

Dynamics change – even the relationship between you and your bestest bosom buddy will be different. You will not pick up right where you left off, because neither of you are there. Not anymore; sometime during the 315 days of Normalcy, you both walked away, without a backwards glance. That’s the way it is, the way it must be.

Preserve those memories like butterflies, tacked behind glass. They’re nice to display, nice to look at, but you don’t take them out, urging them to beat their wings to admire their flight. It won’t happen, and to try is torturous. Memory is fickle and unreliable. It plays tricks, it dulls, it softens around the edges with every turn in your fingers. It can transform a mediocre evening into an idyllic day dream, or a flailing relationship into the one-that-got-away.

Do not return with expectation. And contrary to the verbiage, not doing is an active activity.

Remind yourself the session will not be the same.

Demand yourself to return with fresh eyes, untainted by what you loved or hated the year before.

Treat each student, each dance, each activity like an island, existing only unto itself, free of past connotations, and no promise of the future.

Attack the summer with a blank canvas, and let the new relationships color you as they will. It won’t be the same picture, but that’s not to say it won’t be beautiful or special or wonderful. It’ll just be different.

I told Dee, I wish we talked about this earlier. I wish we had this conversation before CTY started.

She said she does too.

If I did, though, who’s to say she would follow the advice? Forgetting how wonderful something is isn’t like flipping a switch, ON/OFF, ON/OFF. It takes a degree of coldness to write off the past, to lock it behind glass. It’s so much easier to hope I’m wrong, that things can be as they were, nearly perfect in that CTY bubble.

Even as I write this, I still hope. That someday, any day, a returner will seek me out, and tell me I was wrong about everything here. That you can recreate, and things can be as you imagined them before.

I hope it happens.

Photo Credit: cjacky2221

notes

The “U” Rock Tradition

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:05 pm

Cobie, in his old-soul, understated-fashion, raised his hand.

“I’d like to say something,” he announced. He had thick curly hair and the gaze of Julio Aparcio. He turned his matador eyes to his hall mates.

“I think we all need to give Chris a hand for laying down the law on some European kids at breakfast.” He started clapping. A quick “Yeah!” sounded, followed by hearty applause. Until that moment, sitting amongst my 13 charges for this session, a circle of cheering 13- to 15-year-olds, I did not realize how badly I wanted the recognition.

I was 24-years-old. I had seen the world, jumped out of a plane, bungee jumped, moved from one American coast to the other with an idyllic dream and little else. I achieved many of the things liked-minded men set out to do, and it mattered very little to me if these students hated me, admired me, or were completely indifferent.

But to say right then – my butt sore from dorm-style, barely-there carpeting and olfactory senses offended by this gaggle of unshowered teenagers – to say their looks of admiration didn’t leave warm and fuzzies, would be a lie. It was my reward for standing up to half-a-dozen European language students who tried butting ahead of my meeker students at the breakfast line, and I welcomed it.

Just like that I was an addict, hooked after my first taste. I knew I’d do anything to keep that respect. I knew I never wanted to let them down.

The event brought to mind the tradition of the “U Rock.” At the start of the daily RA staff meetings at the Center for Talented Youth in Los Angeles, one staff member presents the U Rock to another staff member. The rock appears as follows: a rock, about the size of a grapefruit. With a “U” painted on one face, in green. It is awarded to someone who displays extraordinary action the day previous, or who deserves recognition for their devotion in their roles as RA’s. The next day, the current wielder of the U Rock recognizes a new RA, and the rock makes its way around the staff.

By second session, the “U Rule” is introduced, which follows the same guidelines. It appears as follows: a wooden ruler. Scribed hastily on the back, in a blue Bic pen: “U rule.”

When the U Rock is first introduced, considerable thought is usually put into who its newest heir will be. The newest member of the club should prominently stand out from the rest of the plebes, the Balto of the pack, so to speak. Perhaps they dealt with a particularly unruly student in a constructive way. Or their Daily Activity from the day previous was extremely creative, executed with razor precision. Whatever the reason, the point is, there was meaning in the U Rock. You felt pride, even if it was just a twinge or a tickle. It felt good to be recognized, and consciously or unconsciously, it reinforced the behavior that earned you the recognition in the first place.

No one admits as much, of course (and as long as the tradition of the U Rock continues, it’s doubtful anyone will.) After all, the U Rock really is nothing more than a pat on the head, albeit, a heavy handed pat, that you have to schlep four flights of stairs to the meeting room the next day.

By the time the U Rule got introduced to the game, however, the U Rock had lost its momentum, a stalled car at the bottom of a trough. There were several reasons for this:

The Introduction of the U Rule – with two mementos recognizing good behavior, the value was reduced by half. It was the first law of economics: supply up, demand down.
Lowering of the Standard – the bar previously set for the U Rock was dramatically lowered, for a variety of reasons: tiredness in the staff, laziness in reflecting on who really deserved the recognition, or the desire to recognize friends over the deserving. E.g., “I want to give it to Stacy, for taking care of my hall while I was at weekend duty,” (a duty everyone performs, and required by the job) or “I want to give this to James, because he’s a good friend.”
“Who hasn’t gotten it yet?” – the desire to give the U Rock to a member of the staff not because they earned it, but because they haven’t received it yet, pervades the tradition every year. This is likely the guiltiest culprit behind nerfing the value of the U Rock.

The U Rock becomes worthless in the face of these culminated reasons. Its intended effect – to recognize good behavior, to reinforce the behavior, and to inspire others to follow suit – is null. What started out as a subtle yet powerful reward starts tip-toeing along the “everyone’s a winner, everyone get a medal” line, a perpetuation of the sort of emotional coddling that leaves young adults unprepared for the challenges yet to come.

It begs the question: does the U Rock serve its function? Is it still a worthy tradition to uphold at CTY LOS when its value is slowly but inevitably reduced to nil?

Before Cobie raised his hand, I thought not. Since then, I’ve realized this: if the U Rock only sincerely recognized one person in six weeks of CTY, it’d be worth it. If it acknowledged one stellar act of courage or kindness in six weeks that otherwise would have gone unnoticed, then the practice should carry on. Qualities like courage and kindness aren’t necessarily inherent – they can be encouraged and cultivated, and genuine respect is a powerful agent for this growth. It sets the stage for that next act of courage or kindness, when it’s more difficult, when the stakes are higher. For the sake of building this foundation in even one individual’s life, yes, more than ever, the U Rock is a tradition worth upholding.

Photo Credit: all2gethernow

notes

Run “Extreme Climbing” at the Center for Talented Youth

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:05 pm

Xtreme Climbing will challenge students physically, mentally, and emotionally as they try to conquer bouldering problems designed for beginners.

RA’s needed: 2

Supplies: Basic climbing or Parkour knowledge

Location: Everywhere

Description: Leave the chalk bag, but don’t forget your bouldering skills. (If you’re looking to cut down on the number of students, make lots of references to climbing stairs: “Make like Rocky! You’ll be a star amongst the stairs! First one up wins!”

*Host this activity on the third week of CTY, to minimize time students have to repeat the exercises while at camp.

Pre-Activity Talking Points:

1. Each bouldering problem takes time, so you must move quickly. Students must hustle and obey all directions.

2. The disclaimer: what you do at this activity cannot be repeated at any time while at CTY. A possible consequence of doing so is dismissal; the administration allows RA’s to run this activity because they control the environment. John Hopkins or the Center for Talented Youth is not liable for anything you attempt at home, in your own time.

3. Although it may seem otherwise, this activity is more about technique than strength. Technique will take you places strength cannot.

4. Finally, the end objective of Xtreme Climbing is for you to walk away with your eyes opened. Too often, we walk through our environments without ever seeing anything. After this activity, we hope you no longer just see a bench, a street lamp, or stairs. We hope you see problems, and have the desire to solve them.

The Step Master

Location: Stairs to the side of Rosecrans

Description: Using just your arms, one arm at a time, work your way up the stairwell until you reach the top step. When you’ve reached it, drop down into the arms of the spotter.

Talking Points: Keep the arms locked at an 180 degree angle. This is a resting position. Bending the arm works the muscles and wastes energy. Teach the students that STRAIGHT ARM = REST, BENT = WORK. Also, if comfortable with DYNO’s (Dynamic Movements) feel free to let stronger students experiment: with both hands on a ledge, launch their bodies onto the next higher step.

Details:

1. RA’s must spot carefully this first activity – often a student will go for a grip and miss by the edge their fingernails. Spot from the hips, not the armpits, to prevent injuries.

2. Many of the female students haven’t developed the upper body strength to do this yet; encourage them that the bouldering problems later on rely more on technique.

3. Keep the line moving quickly.

Traversing

Location: Wall and Bicycle Parking Spots (U-shaped) Behind Rosecrans

Description: Traverse (sideways movement) through and around obstacles.

Talking Points: When encountering a problem set, the objective is to find or create the simplest, most elegant solution – the one that expels the least amount of energy. The objective in traversing is to use the least amount of motion, the fastest route, and the smallest number of steps.

Details

The Wall

1. Hands clutch the rail, feet planted firmly on the wall.

2. Students shuffle to their right, across the wall.

Bicycle Parking Spots

1. Students must traverse through or around the U-shaped Bicycle Parking Spots without touching the ground.

2. DO NOT LET STUDENTS WALK ACROSS THE TOPS OF THE PARKING SPOTS.

Advanced: The Loop

1. Sit on the ground, inside of the Bicycle Parking Spot.

2. With palms facing towards the body (like doing a chin-up) lift your body off the floor.

3. From this position, swing outside of the U-shape, and get back to your original starting position without touching the ground.

Heel Hooking

Location: Far side of Rosecrans

Description: Teach the principles of Heel Hooking from a suspended position.

Talking Points: The heel hook is a versatile and advanced climbing technique that, once mastered, can greatly reduce the tension and stress on the arm muscles.

Details

1. Hang from the railing, and with a short swing, get the legs onto the ledge, beneath the railing.

2. Show each individual student the correct positioning for the heel hook (just the heel should rest lightly on the ledge, not the calf.)

3. Shimmy or shuffle across the ledge, leading with the feet, following with the hands.

Benches

Location: Picnic and High-backed benches behind the Berlin Wall and outside of Jamba Juice

Description: From a lying position on the bench, crawl underneath it, then back over the top, and return to your original position without touching the floor.

Talking Points: Definitely an activity that relies more on technique than strength; with proper technique, most reasonably fit students should complete this activity.

Details

1. Start in the lying position, and warn students about hitting the metal struts underneath the bench.

2. Almost always lead with the foot first – if you heel hook beneath the bench, then again on the backside of the bench before moving the body, this is very easy. If you don’t, it’s very difficult.

3. At the last step, make sure only one leg is over the back of the bench, NOT BOTH. With BOTH LEGS over the back of the bench, it’s nearly impossible to get the rest of the body over. One leg first, then let the BODY follow.

Conclusion

Reiterate the key points from the beginning of the activity:

1. None of these exercises should be repeated outside of this activity.

2. The objective isn’t to build strength or necessarily learn technique, but to look at your environment a little differently.

How You Can Build on This Activity/Other Ideas

If time permits, try:

1. Flag poles

2. Upside down stair climbing (there’s a great spot behind Doheny Hall to do this)

3. CTY-sanctioned Parkour activities

The biggest difficulty is keeping students occupied and interested while they’re waiting for their turn. To ameliorate this problem, streamline the waiting process, split up into activities everyone can participate in at the same time, or actively encourage students to cheer on their friends and hall mates.

Photo Credit: Tran Nikki Chau

notes

Running “Casino Night” at The Center for Talented Youth

Last updated on November 2nd, 2021 at 05:17 pm

Casino Night at John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth is a beloved weekend activity across most sites. The event is typically held on the second Saturday evening of each session. This guide was compiled thanks to some great CTY RA’s from the LOS site: Eric Anderson, Westin Brake, John Battipaglia, Laurel Reisig, and Alex Lee.

Photo Credits: Brandi Hume

Right-click here to download guide as a .pdf file.

Constraints Relative to this Guide

Student Body: 300+ students

RA Staff: 24 – 26 RA’s

Physical Constraints: Large outdoor area, enough to hold 10 table games and space for students to walk around.

Games

Blackjack – Students love blackjack. Devote five or six tables to blackjack. Set the minimum bet to $10. Use a two deck shoe, and arm the dealer with a large bank for payouts.

2. No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em – Four tables; add a fifth if space accommodates.
3. Craps – A popular game. Its proper title is Alley Craps; a simplified version of Craps. See Crap rules below. One table is good, add a second if space accommodates. The table must be placed against the wall, and a “wall apparatus” should be constructed and installed prior to the start of Casino Night. Use a large bank for payouts.

4. Roulette – Extremely popular. A roulette wheel can be purchased at Target for approximately $50, and is well worth the investment. Keep the game simple and accessible for casual players. Only allow 1:1 bets (red or black) and number bets (payout 35:1.) See Roulette Rules below. Create a payout sheet for every possible bet from $10 to $200. Use a large bank for payouts.

5. Horse Racing – Extremely popular. At horse racing times, add two bankers because payouts from horse racing gained a lot of traffic at the table. Students can only purchase tickets for one horse, two tickets maximum per horse.
Session One payouts were 10:1.
Session Two payouts were 5:1.
At Session One, the Horse Racing game was much more lucrative, therefore more popular. Decide how popular you want the event to be. Tickets were priced at $50 each. See Horse Racing Rules.

6. Temp Agency – A great activity for students who want to earn money for their halls, but don’t enjoy gambling. RA’s come up with tasks for the students to perform, e.g. sing a song, perform a dance, carry notes between RA’s, annoy another RA, etc. For their efforts, students are awarded money at the discretion of the RA (usually between $20 – $100.)

Rules

General – These rules apply to most games, and ensure smooth transactions and minimize cheating. Adjust according to your needs.
1. All students must place a rock or chip on every bet. Remember to call for final bets and ensure rocks/chips are in place before dealing a card, rolling dice, or spinning the wheel.
2. Collect all losses before starting payouts.
Craps – To start, choose the first player to roll the dice. The person rolling the dice is called the shooter and must bet for the game to continue. Others will bet on the shooter’s play.
Establish the point by having the shooter roll the dice. If they roll 2, 3 or 12 they have shot craps and lost. Play goes to the next shooter. If the shooter rolls 7 or 11, called a natural, they win and shoot again. Any other amount is the point.
Bet on whether the shooter will pass, (roll the point again before rolling 7) or not pass, (rolling 7 before rolling the point.) Formal games will allow other bets, but the basic bet in craps is the “Pass/Do Not Pass” bet.
Roll the dice repeatedly until the shooter either rolls a 7 or the point. If the shooter does not pass then play passes to a new shooter. If the shooter passes, he rolls again for a new point.
The Min/Max for Craps is: $20/$200
Min/Max amount of people at table: 8
Roulette – Have players start by setting some chips on top of the number or numbers that you have selected. These chips will be bought at the roulette table (chip exchange is explained below). Call for all bets and then set the ball into motion. To do this, spin the wheel, and then throw the ball in the opposite direction. Any bets placed after the ball has been released will not be honored. (Different types of bets pay different odds. Some of these bets are listed below.) As the number selected becomes visible, call it out.
When players decide to leave the table they can then cash in their chips for money.
If we run out of colored chips, players can bet cash but only on the 1:1 payouts. Make sure they place rocks on top of their bets.

The Bets

The straight-up bet, a bet placed on a single number. If you choose the winning number, you will be paid at 35 to 1 odds. ONE NUMBER pays 35-1

There are many bets on a roulette table that pay 1:1 (an amount equal to your bet). To make it easier on yourself, only accept color bets. These are bets on red or black, and they are easy to manage.

If you want to, feel free to include column bets or other 1:1 bets as well. A column bet is a bet placed at the bottom of a column of 12 numbers. It pays 2 to 1. Odd-number or even-number bets are similar to color bets, and they pay out 1:1. You do not need to include these bets or accept them unless you feel comfortable to doing so.

The Min/Max bet for Roulette is: $10/$200.

4. Horse Racing – takes place every half hour, and is signaled by the starting horn. Horses will advance to predetermined destinations based upon the number of completed shots made to each corresponding horse. Students will shoot sponges into paint buckets, and if they miss the shot the student will bring the sponge back to the shooting line and try again until they make it. Each shot made will be equivalent to one space, and ten spaces will determine the winner.
Money

General

1. Create a template for money on an 8½ X 11 sheet of paper.
2. Use different colored paper for various denominations.
3. A nice touch is to use Administrative Staff faces for the face on the bills.

Use $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills. Do not use a $5 bill; payouts will be simpler.
For Total Casino Money, use one ream of paper (500 sheets) per denomination.
$8,000 per hall was the perfect amount. That broke down to 40 (bills) X $100, 50 X $50, 50 X $20, 50 X $10, per hall.
Place the money into envelopes, and give to RA’s to distribute evenly amongst their students.
The bills that were used the most were $50 and $100 because those were used for Horse Racing payouts, so consider making extra of those.

VIP Section

General

Create a separate section for the “High Rollers” of the night.

You have to pay to get into this section, but benefits include: a higher min/max, a server for the tables, and free food/drink.

Print VIP passes to get into this “High Roller” section.

Set the price for VIP passes to $200 throughout the night. Consider offering reduced prices during the first 45 minutes and last 30 minutes to motivate people to buy them. Bouncers can take responsibility for fluctuating depending on the popularity of the VIP section.
Assign a VIP Bouncer to this post. When students go to the VIP bouncer, the bouncer can make students do a task for them in order to gain access.
The VIP Bouncer should know to look for Fake VIP Passes sold to students by the Swindler, who sells these passes at a reduced rate. If the VIP Bouncer is presented a fake pass, he can ask the student to perform a task (similar to Temp Agency) in order to gain entrance.

Food

15 bottles of soda (five cokes, five sprite, five mountain dew), 7 bags of Doritos, 2 big bags of M&M’s, and 10 boxes of Nilla wafers. This is the perfect amount for the above mentioned student body.
Two food stations are necessary: one in the VIP, a second on the floor. At the floor, food is $10 a cup, beverages are free. At the VIP, all food and beverages are complimentary.
Don’t forget water stations at both VIP and floor.
Buy 500 plastic cups to hold both food and drink. Napkins and bowls are unnecessary.

The Main Event

A “main event” typically concludes Casino Night, which students are allowed to bet on. It’s a great last event, and a chance to bring Halls together before the end of the evening. Outlined below is The Boxing Match, a typical main event at CTY-LOS.
Preparations

Create a “ring” in a central location.

Choose two boxers, two coaches amongst the RA’s. Choose RA’s who know how to play up the event.

Decide either who will win the event (a “rigged” match) or a “Robot Wars” style of competition – the RA’s must rip cardboard off one another.

Accessories – this may include costumes, head gear, robes, gloves, etc. For gloves, pillows tied around hands work, as well as large sponges saran wrapped around fists. Make sure you remind the boxers to bring their costumes to Casino Night and keep them aside until the match takes place.

Betting

Give RA’s an envelope to place the money their Hall collected throughout Casino Night. Write on the envelope: TOTAL, BET, ON WHO? RA’s must fill out this information before turned into the bank.
Halls can bet as much as they’ve earned on ONE boxer. They can also choose to bet nothing.

Miscellaneous Notes

Let the match go three rounds
Have someone who could do lively commentary on the bullhorn. Ex. Zeke in 2009, Richard in 2010.
Announce The Boxers before bets are placed, to build anticipation.

Set-Up

Set-up requires a significant amount of time. Consider starting set-up at 3 p.m. (cutting out of Saturday’s afternoon activity – arrange with the other committee.) This seems like way too much time, it’s not. You still need time to set-up, eat, and change. Start early.
Prepare all table games inside Tupperware containers (bank, cards, dice, rocks, etc.) and labeled them with the games to increase the speed of set-up. When RA’s arrive to the event, they can pick up their respective containers at the Bank.
Hold a 20-minute instructional meeting to teach RA’s how to deal, 1-2 days prior to Casino Night, post-RA morning meeting. For both sessions, some RA’s were unfamiliar with their respective games, contrary to what they thought. It will also keep rules consistent across tables. Ex. dealers unfamiliar with doubling down, splitting, and pushes.
Cut money the first week – it takes forever.
Ask RAs for their prizes during the first week, so supply requests can be completed early.
Turn supply requests in early – you will have last minute additions.

General

Click here to download the “Activities and Rules” Master sheet (downloads a Word document) – a list of all the rules for games listed above. Feel free to change as needed and distribute to RA’s; please respect the original’s author’s time by including credit to them.
Some students remarked Casino Night had too “serious” of an atmosphere. Ways to alleviate this issue:

More table games (blackjack, hold ‘em games) to include more students

Communicate to dealers to make an effort to include “fringe students” in the games

Casino Night Members must be proactive about making sure their dealers are aware of all the game’s rules.

Post maps and dealer posts at every table prior to the event. Pit Bosses should carry a copy of the map and dealer posts on them as they float.
Place butcher paper or tablecloths over the tables. Allows you to write the minimums for the tables write on the table.
We initially considered streaming online poker games and projecting it against the spiral stairwell, but the projector was never set-up. This proved to be a blessing in disguise; that area must be clear traffic.
Music – we streamed Frank Sinatra on Pandora throughout the night, and it worked perfectly. Definitely do this again, but considering turning down the volume when announcing for Horse Racing. Don’t forget to ask Conferences for an audio cable (3 mm Aux cable) during set-up.
Casino Night requires a lot of dedication and foresight. On the committee, include at least one CTY returner and RA’s who really want to set the bar high.
Security was necessary – one VIP Bouncer, two jailers – one to secure jail, one to bring students to the jail. The jailers can just be the SRAs who are walking around.
Take into consideration prizes for your budget. Ideas for non-monetary prizes:
- Decorate an RA before a dance
- Duct tape and water balloon an RA
- Shave an RA’s beard or head
- Have an RA serve your hall for dinner
- Bedtime story from an RA
Resist the temptation to do “money drops,” (aka, “Let it Rain!”) It’s a disaster.
Encourage students and RAs to dress up for this event.

How to Build on this Weekend Activity

Create a template for the bills (denominations in $10, $20, $50, $100.) Leave blank circles for the faces, so different staff members can be Photoshopped onto the bill. E-mail the template to the author to be shared along with other Casino Night information.
Create new templates – addendums to this guide, so to speak. Necessary templates include:
- Cheating: For Students – an announcement to discourage students from cheating
- Cheating: For RA’s – how cheating affects the integrity of Casino Night, and ways to engage students in a discussion about cheating
- Posts – list of various posts, within time blocks
Brainstorm other activities and games for students to participate in. The games listed above appear to work the best for LOS, but will vary across sites. Included below are some ideas; if marked with an asterisk, the game was tried but unpopular at LOS:
- 5-Card Draw
- Big 2*
- Spoons
- Bingo*
- Rock Paper Scissors
- Kissing Booth
- Wedding Chapel
Brainstorm new and creative prizes that won’t overdraw the Residence Life budget.

Final Note

This guide outlines many aspects of Casino Night. If properly used, it saves RA’s a great deal of headache and time. Please use the time saved to think of new, creative additions to Casino Night. Help build John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth into a program students never forget.