Forbes College, Princeton University
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The Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. '70 College is one of the five residential colleges that house all freshmen and sophomores at Princeton University. The College was a gift to the school by Malcolm S. Forbes Sr. '41 in 1984. The college consists of two parts, each with a subsection: The Main Inn and its subsidiary New Wing, and the Addition, with its Annex. The Main Inn and its New Wing were originally part of The Princeton Inn, a hotel built in 1924-25, in a colonial fieldstone style. It was a popular among parents visiting their sons (and young ladies visiting students at the all-male university). The New Wing was added in 1946, built of red brick. To the south of the main in the hotel's owners built a two-storey cinderblock Annex for its staff. The hotel was acquired by the university in 1970, and a very plain brown-brick Addition (designed by J. Robert Hillier '59) was built connecting the Annex and the Main Inn. From 1970 to 1983 the hotel was called the Princeton Inn College, which cultivated a unique campus culture: residents were called "Innmates", T-shirts with the slogan "Die For the INN" (an intramural sports battle cry) remain in circulation. Forbes is also said to foster a more closely-knit community and social life, as a result of its isolation. The Forbes College Addition includes a single-sex floor, colloquially named "The Nunnery," one of only two in the Princeton University residential colleges.
Forbes is relatively far from the rest of the Princeton campus, isolating it from other residences. Forbesians will claim that its amenities more than make up for the distance. These include private bathrooms for many of the suites (for rooms in the former hotel portions, plus a few in the Addition), and a dining hall, library, theater, and café that can be reached without ever going outdoors. The dining hall is noted for outstanding Sunday brunch. Students from the four other residential colleges, Rockefeller College, Mathey College, Butler College, and Wilson College, as well as the Graduate College, will go out of their way to eat brunch at Forbes. Forbes is also closest to the late-night snack mecca, Wawa ("the Wa").
Today's Forbesians typically laud the aforementioned Sunday brunch, easy access to sledding opportunities afforded by the nearby golf course, and the lack of a Public Safety presence felt occasionally by other residential colleges. Though sophomores may end up in any of the eating clubs, a large number typically sign into either Quad or Terrace.
