Forbes College
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The Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. '70 College is one of the six 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 in honor of his son, Steve. Steve's daughter, Catherine Forbes '99, was a member of Forbes College while attending Princeton.
The college consists of two main parts, each with a subsection: The Main Inn and its subsidiary New Wing, and the Addition, with its Annex. In addition, a two-story house adjacent to Forbes, 99 Alexander Street (nicknamed "the Pink House"), houses ten sophomore women every year. 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-story 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 was noted for outstanding Sunday brunch. However, that has changed with the general reform of the dining hall system. Students from the five other residential colleges, Rockefeller College, Mathey College, Whitman College, Butler College, and Wilson College, as well as the Graduate College, used to go out of their way to eat brunch at Forbes. Forbes is also closest to the late-night snack mecca, Wawa ("the Wa"). Forbes also hosts many events like its famous "casino night" and the first 90s night party in Princeton University history.
Many Forbesians feel neglected by the university as it continually renovates other colleges and completes the construction of Whitman College. With inadequate housing for those living in the addition and poor commons areas, many residents launched a protest against Nancy Malkiel during an informational tour about 4-year colleges concerning the lack of attention given to the college. Problems such as sewage flooding in the Addition and basement flooding in the library have caused much frustration. The walkway through Spelman, which many use to enter campus from Forbes, continually pools with a few inches of water every rainfall.
Today's Forbesians typically (still) 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.
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