The Caf has plenty of tables to sit at, but a few of the tables seem to be designated for members of certain sports teams. Students have observed that the Caf has a table for football players, a table for the men’s soccer team, a table for the swim team, as well as a few more team-designated tables.
“I remember the time that I accidentally sat at the cross country table the first semester of my freshman year,” said a sophomore majoring in English. “I had no idea that the cross country team usually sits there, so when a group of them showed up and seemed very surprised and annoyed to find me sitting there, I felt pretty awkward. I never made the mistake of taking their table again.”
While these tables aren’t officially designated for any one group, it can still be uncomfortable to eat your lunch there if you are not on that team.
“Sitting at the football table with a few of my friends was an awkward rookie mistake I once made. It’s not like the football players will kick you out, but they will give you a look before walking away,” said a junior, reflecting upon his freshman year.
“I wish there weren’t team tables in the Caf. We should be comfortable to sit wherever we’d like. The football table, [which is in front of the brick wall divider and faces the buffet and food lines], is just such a convenient spot to eat and run during the busy lunch hour. I want to be able to sit there without feeling awkward,” the junior continued.
Some Foresters, like the junior commenting on the table of football players, are not fans of the team-designated tables. Others, including both students who sit at those unofficial team tables and nonathletes, disagree with the junior.
“I can see why the sports teams tables exist in the Caf,” said a member of the cross country team who often sits at one of the team-designated tables. “Some teammates are good friends with each other and just want to eat together. And it’s convenient to eat at the same spot, so you can easily find each other.
“The only reason why you’d get a weird look if [you are not a member of the sport team and] you sit at a team’s table is because humans are creatures of habit. There’s nothing rude about that,” the cross country runner said.
The Caf has plenty of tables. Some are just habitually occupied by certain athletes. Since Lake Forest has fewer than 1,600 students, some features of the College can be reminiscent of high school, including the unofficial team Caf tables and the fact that many students know each other.
With about 420 varsity athletes on campus, one in four Lake Forest students are on a sports team. It will be interesting to see if the trend of sitting at an unofficial team table continues through the years.
