Reed College Top Questions

reed is not a campus with sororities, fraternities, or a large athletic program. most students get their exercise from riding bikes around. instead there are much geekier annual activities that are popular and attract many reedies. there is the noise parade at the beginning of the year, which is exactly like it sounds: reedies parade around the campus making as much noise as possible with pots and pans, bells, fireworks, shopping carts, and their voices while wearing outrageous costumes. there are several dances a year, which are not really as popular. also, there is RAW (reed arts week), nitrogen day (celebrating the most prolific element in our atmosphere), the hum play (satirizing the mandatory humanities 110 course), and of course renn fayre, the annual weekend-long, campus-wide celebration for graduating seniors.

Beer Nation and the Rugby teams tend to be the loudest groups on campus, but generally there aren't a lot of groups, or else they are very small. Students are generally too absorbed with academic works and demands to spend much time on outside, extracurricular activities. Athletic events are not popular. Guest speakers are. The theatre is kind of lame. Dating at Reed is risky business: everyone knows everyone or else someone who does. There is not hiding or slipping into the cracks. Awake at 2AM and you're definitely doing homework or writing a paper. No frats or sororities. I did my homework last weekend and had dinner out with my boyfriend. Off campus I study in coffeeshops, go to the gorge for a hike, catch a bite to eat at a restaurant, or visit one of the many parks or gardens in Portland.

The campus is always aflutter with activities. Most that people don't have time to go to, but tons, nonetheless. Tons of lectures by interesting people of all academic walks, lots of dances, parties, and general festiveness. Of course, there is also Renn Fayre. The blow out, drug addled, stress fueled end of year party. Dorm life is fun and a great place to socialize. The dating scene leaves something to be desired. Reed is such a small school that even if you can find someone you like, you'll probably be stepping on some toes if you act on it. Girls get vicious over boys, since the ratio is about 60-40 female/male. It's fierce competition. It's a good place to date around lightly, but a hard place to have a healthy, sane, monogamous relationship- though this is still possible, and there are a few couples who have been together for as long as anyone can remember.

The most well-known groups on campus: the frisbee and rugby teams for men and women (our only sports teams), RKSK (Reed Kommunal Shit Kollective, which provides toys and kids' bikes and random things for our shared enjoyment), and maybe Queer Alliance (for gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals as well as those allied with them). I'm involved with SEEDS, the community service organization on campus. They link students up with continuous or one-day service projects like cleaning up parks, tutoring to kids, helping build structures, cooking meals for the needy, etc. The two biggest traditions that happen each year are probably RAW and Renn Fayre. RAW is Reed Arts Week in March, where students create artistic projects fitting the theme of the week and display them around campus. Guest speakers also get involved. The theme two years ago was Ego and this year's theme is Ghosts. Renn Fayre is the weekend-long party after classes let out and before finals, beginning with Thesis Parade in which seniors turn in their theses and everyone congregates outside the library beating drums and spraying champagne and getting showered in confetti and just generally (and drunkenly) making merry. Renn Fayre features a lot of projects created by students that fit the year's theme (this year's is The Dawn of Time), different musical groups come to play, a lot of drugs are often consumed, and certain traditions like Glow Opera and Picting occur (can't give too much away!). There is no Greek system at Reed, and I think everyone is quite glad of it. On the weekends, if you aren't interested in drinking or doing drugs (though you can always attend parties and not take part in those things), there are almost always events happening somewhere on campus, or you can go into Portland and find something there. Portland has some cool music venues, lots of interesting neighborhoods, some great parks, loads of restaurants, even a zoo!

One of the most popular groups/organizations is RKSK, which is Reed's "kommunist" group. They put on many traditions, such as "Knoise Parade" and provide free things at events. Athletics is not very popular at all, but there are certain students who are into soccer and frisbee. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am either leaving the library (because the library closes at 2:30), finishing the last of my homework, or watching "America's Next Top Model" on youtube in my dorm because I can't sleep. Last weekend I finished my Humanities paper and went shopping with a few people in downtown Portland. While many students drink, I am one of the people that does not, and this has been easy to do at Reed. At most parties, alcohol is present, but there is no pressure to drink.

We like sharing bicycles and intellectual masturbation.