Forbes left out of Street initiative

On Sept. 17, the Inter-Club Council (ICC) offered the Class of 2008 a chance to dine at an assigned eating club through the new initiative, "A Taste of Prospect." Students who had signed up from Forbes College, however, were accidentally left out of the program due to an oversight.

The glitch was discovered early that day when the students who had signed up from Forbes College learned they had not been added to the roster.

"I take responsibility for [the oversight]," J.W. Victor '05, president of the ICC and Quadrangle Club and in charge of the program, said in an email.

Victor said he first recognized his mistake when Alison Cook, Forbes College administrator, contacted him.

When he had received the names of the interested freshmen, he compiled them into a master list without checking to make sure students from every college were included.

"When the program filled up, I assumed that the Forbes list had been added," Victor explained. Victor said he quickly took steps to rectify the problem. While he could not get the Forbes freshmen into the already-planned dinner that night, Victor contacted all of them to assure them they would be guaranteed a spot in the program if a second run were planned. If there is no second round, he said he "would personally make sure they had the opportunity to eat in a club, even if it was outside of the program."

Most students and administrators said the oversight had minor consequences. Neither Forbes master Elizabeth Lunbeck nor Forbes dean John Hodgson was even aware of the issue.

For some freshmen, the night was a first experience at the Street; for others, a chance to see another side of the clubs, beyond Thursday and Saturday parties; and for all involved, a welcome break from their dining hall meals.

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Some Forbes students who were not able to participate, however, were dissatisfied. One Forbes freshman who did not sign up said her "friend signed up for it and was rather disappointed."

Emily Anull '08 said there was never any "formal announcement or apology" so she had not realized the problem affected more than a few people.

Victor said it was unsurprising that the program would have bumps the first time around, "but on the whole, this program ran fairly smoothly."

For the first round, students signed up for "A Taste of Prospect" through their residential colleges. Victor said — if the event occurred again — he "would like to see [the] sign-up take place online . . . This would streamline the process and cut down on the possibility of error."