From the Princeton Weekly Bulletin, November 24, 1997
At Forbes College, call 1-800-CIF-ELLI
By Pam Hersh
"Just Say No?"
Not when it comes to helping his kids, says Tony Cifelli, building
supervisor of Forbes College.
When Cifelli refers to "his kids," he means all the students who have ever resided in his "home" -- Forbes. Each year he introduces himself to the students and tells them to call Tony ("1-800-CIF-ELLI," quipped a student) if they need "anything at all."
"Anything" includes everything related to Forbes building maintenance -- plumbing, electrical and construction, as well as a variety of other needs, such as a friend to talk to, a study break snack or even a little help with an Italian class.
"I am there for my kids," Cifelli says. "My goal is to have the students be happy. And the most important part of doing that is to keep the building in the best possible shape, so the students feel at home. I know how lonely it can be for the new students who are away from home for the first time. I want to make it as easy as possible for them."
Far from family at 17
At age 17, Cifelli himself took a job in Switzerland far from his friends and family in his native Cifelli, Italy. After working in the construction trade in Switzerland for eight years, he immigrated to Princeton 23 years ago. His father-in-law Sam Pirone worked at the University and suggested Cifelli apply for a job in building services.
Although he could speak no English, Cifelli's energy and dedication transcended the language barrier, and he joined the University in 1975. Since his appointment as building supervisor of Forbes College in 1981, he has had "the great pleasure" of building relationships with the students living in his building, many of whom write to him after graduation and visit with him during Reunions weekend.
An honorary member of two Princeton classes, 1988 and 1997, Cifelli never has been able to attend any Reunions weekend festivities, not even a P-rade. "I would love to participate, but my priority is to be at Forbes College to make sure everything is going smoothly," he said. "Forbes is the headquarters of the 50th Reunion celebration, and people need to know that I am here to respond to any crisis that might occur." Cifelli works from 5:00 a.m. to midnight every day throughout the week of Reunions and graduation.
The greatest challenge of Reunions is cleaning the students' rooms in three days, so they can serve as guest rooms for returning alumni. Cifelli has a stack of letters from returning alumni thanking him for the "remarkable," "amazing" condition of the rooms.
Three renovations
During Cifelli's tenure, Forbes has undergone three renovations: in 1984 when the Princeton Inn became Forbes College, in 1995, and just this past summer in 1997. And Forbes has a unique geographic attribute: it is the only residential college bisected by the two Princetons, borough and township. Double the towns does not mean double the pleasure or double the fun for Cifelli. When it comes to renovation, it means double the permits and double the inspections.
Better behaved these days
According to legend, in the 1920s when Princeton Inn was a private hotel, the dual municipal status of the building also meant double the opportunities for a drink. "Tradition has it," says Cifelli, "that the inn was able to get around municipal liquor sales restrictions by having two bars, one in the borough, one in the township -- when residents couldn't legally buy a drink in one, they could just cross the room to buy a drink in the other."
Cifelli acknowledges that some drinking still goes on among residents, but he believes that in general students are "better behaved these days than in the past. We have fewer problems with the trashing of facilities. Plus, the kids try to be very helpful to me; they even offer to help shovel the ice and snow. Best of all, my kids never are too busy to say thank you."
Cifelli's family at Forbes Colleges also allows him to go home to his other family in Lawrenceville, where he likes to do for his wife and his recently married daughter what he does at Forbes: "Fix things and make people happy." When asked if he does any-thing just for himself, Cifelli said he loves to garden. He grows all sorts of vegetables -- to be consumed by the members of both his families.
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