Start of FOP Delayed By Hurricane Edouard

The Freshman Dean's Office delayed the start of the First-Year Outdoor Program for one day for fear Hurricane Edouard would rain out the trip.

When students arrived for the start of FOP last Monday, they were informed that they would stay in Thayer Hall for the night until the threatening weather cleared, Dean of Freshman Elizabeth S. Nathans said yesterday.

Nathans said that when the decision was made, weather forecasts for many of the sites where FOP trips were to take place called for gale-force winds and torrential rain.

"It was the only call we could make," Nathans said.

Many FOP participants said they had not been concerned by the weather but were not upset by the delay.

"When we came here, they told us it would be delayed by a day, so we just hung out," John K. Ballantyne '00 said. "The trip was cut short by a day, but it was a good time."

While students seemed basically unconcerned, the same could not necessarily be said of their parents. FOP participant Jennifer S. Stager '00 said her mother "flipped out" about the approaching hurricane before she left for the trip and faxed a typed list of questions about it to the Freshman Dean's Office.

"They responded and said the trip would be postponed for a day," Stager said. "The fax calmed her down."

Nathans said the FOP steering committee responded quickly to the problem and planned a set of activities for the students.

The committee arranged for the students to stay in Thayer Hall, and Harvard Dining Services managed to feed approximately 350 students on short notice on Labor Day, Nathans said.

The FOP committee organized group games, a sing-along in the Science Center and, for some lucky participants, field trips to local ice cream parlors.

Stager said she didn't mind the delay, but said that it turned out to be unnecessary.

"We asked the people when we got to New Hampshire what the weather was like, and they said it had been perfectly nice," she said. "It was probably rainier here.

"They responded and said the trip would be postponed for a day," Stager said. "The fax calmed her down."

Nathans said the FOP steering committee responded quickly to the problem and planned a set of activities for the students.

The committee arranged for the students to stay in Thayer Hall, and Harvard Dining Services managed to feed approximately 350 students on short notice on Labor Day, Nathans said.

The FOP committee organized group games, a sing-along in the Science Center and, for some lucky participants, field trips to local ice cream parlors.

Stager said she didn't mind the delay, but said that it turned out to be unnecessary.

"We asked the people when we got to New Hampshire what the weather was like, and they said it had been perfectly nice," she said. "It was probably rainier here.