Reed College Top Questions

Drum circle is kinda cool.

A pleasing lack of emphasis on sport. yet if you want to be active there is loads of choice. really excellent events on campus- Dragball, Fetishball and others. Always a buzzing party scene. Dating scene.....hmmmmmm. The generally high level of social awkwardness made this a bit of a problem. All of the tension, sexual and otherwise gets, usually gets released at Renn Fayre.

Reed has an incredible and amusing array of traditions. We kick off each year with a Noise Parade, which basically means that we get together, often dressed in masks, or only paint, and parade around campus, making noise however we can, banging on pots and pans, playing trumpets and bagpipes, and, well, riding bikes that have been lit on fire. Then we convene in the quad and have a massive, tribal dance party, with a Reed-historical-allegorically-charged play. There's also HumPlay, which occurs near the end of the spring semester each year. This "play" is purportedly a review session for the Humanities 110 (the class that all freshmen must take, on ancient Greece and Rome), and it is filled with raunchy humour, much nudity, and inspires much drunk, ever-so-nerdy bonding. Because we're in a room filled with pretty much the only other people on the planet who are going to get these jokes. And think they're funny. And for that, we're very lucky. Finally, there's the big one: Renn Fayre. Three days of school-sponsored bacchanalia, replete with thesis-burning, costume-wearing, crazy dancing, fireworks, a bug-eating contest, and a Glow Opera (wherein players outfitted in glowstick costumes perform in the dark to the amusement of students both under and "over" the influence). This weekend brings us all together to celebrate a successful year, to lay in the sun together without work hanging over our heads, to congratulate our graduating seniors, and to dance our asses off. It's basically our very own mini-Burning Man. It is, I think, one of the last places where people still party like that, without Dead shows or a decent Woodstock, we manage to recapture that spirit of celebration and camaraderie.

The week is for working, the weekend is for everything else. Off-campus parties are generally the best, though there are some rockin' events on-campus at times (see Stop Making Sense dance party). There aren't any frats or anything, thank god we don't need them to put together a good time. There's always something happening if you want; you just need a web of friends extensive enough to represent the puny Reed community to find out about them. There are also lots of performance events by students: a couple of improv comedy groups, some bands, a lot of theater that students do for classes. Something for everyone.

Reed does an excellent job of funding student bodies around campus to give back to the community. Reed will give you money if you want it to bake cookies to pass out for free. I'll just say now that one of my favorite things on campus is the MLLL (pronounced mill), or the Comic Book Reading Room. Which is basically a room filled with thousands of comic books and graphic novels. Any student can go in and read whenever they like (though nothing may leave the room). Even if you don't read comics now, you should read Transmetropolitan and Sandman (both are available for your viewing pleasure). CAVE, or Carnivorous Alternative to Vegetarian Eating, often provides free meat (burgers, ribs, etc.) at events around campus. Bagels and Shmear passes out free bagels. There are free cookies. Free ice cream. There's an apothecary with herbs and teas and spices on campus, all funded by Reed. There is so much you can get involved with, so much you can do around campus if you want to. Students do leave dorm doors open or unlocked. Again, at the beginning of the year, most people form groups with their dorm floor. It's easy to make friends here. Eh, not many athletic events and there's rarely school-wide hype. Guest speakers are awesome. Gray Fund is rather good at bringing people on campus that students find interesting. Last semester, Dan Savage spoke and I'm told that Cory Doctorow from BoingBoing spoke a year or two ago as well. Soon, Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret, will be speaking. Also, Kaul Auditorium on campus often hosts many classical musical performances. Students also give performances in the chapel occasionally. Reedies...are weird about dating becaues of how much time we spend studying. There's a lot of casual sex and there are people who have extremely close relationships, but not much 'dating'. Paideia happens at the end of winter break, a week before classes start. Students organize and teach their own classes on a wide variety of subjects. This year, there were classes on programming, a couple D&D campaigns, curry cooking, crafts, auto-repair, how to use the print shop, journaling, and the traditional underwater basket-weaving. It's great fun and a good way to ease back into Reed after a long break. Incidentally, winter break is incredibly long. This year, it lasted from December 14-January 28th. At the end of the year is Renn Fayre, which is nothing like a traditional Renaissance Fair. Basically, it's a huge celebration at the end of the year which results from the inevitable build up of stress. Reedies couldn't work as hard as they do without Renn Fayre at the end of the year. It's like a reward, for making it through the year. Each year, there is a theme around which people create projects. For example, the theme one year was Neverland and the Blue Bridge on campus was turned into a giant crocodile that you could walk through. Art installations, drugs, softball, revelry and so much more characterize Renn Fayre. There's usually a party going on every weekend, but rarely anything on school nights. They rarely get very wild or out of hand. There are no frats. No Greek life at Reed. Social life is more inclusive than exclusive here, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Last weekend I read comic books in the MLLL, did some homework, grabbed some Voodoo Donuts, visited Powells Books and walked around downtown with friends. Depending on your friends, you can do a lot on a Saturday night without drinking. You can stay inside and watch a movie, go downtown, go out to eat, read in the MLLL, study, party, etc. If your friends just want to get drunk, then I guess you're out of luck for social things.

Students always leave their doors open. The honor principle rules over everything. I met most of my friends in my dorm, in class, and through other people. Networking is easy at such a small school. Athletic events aren't very popular, but we have a huge bike culture here. Guest speakers are popular depending on the guest. This is expected. The dating scene is silly, because the people are awkward. But everyone is really nice and generally gets along. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I'm most likely working on homework. Otherwise I'd be asleep. We have Renn Fayre (campus-wide party), RAW, various improv groups' shows, concerts by students. We don't have fraternities or sororities and it makes the environment SO chill and easy. Parties are more focused on dancing than drinking, although people do drink a fair amount. If I'm not drinking on the weekend, I'm generally watching a movie or downtown with friends. Last weekend I partied and did homework. We generally go to thrift stores or restaurants or movies off campus.

The RKSK, or Reed Kommunal Shit Kollective, is one of the most active student organizations on campus. They give away free food, they supply crappy kid's bikes for people to use around campus, and there is even a kommie wheel chair that floats around campus. There are very few athletic events, but there are tons of guest speakers and interesting lectures. There are political science lectures nearly every week. The dating scene is kind of strange. Most people come to Reed because they're entirely awkward while feeling hip for being so, but this can create some of the weirdest dating scenarios ever experienced. It also makes it really fun. There aren't any sororities or fraternities, but there are parties every weekend. Whether student organization run, at an off-campus student's house, or at a dorm that just felt like having a party, there is always somewhere to go on the weekends. There are dance parties in the student union with themes like "American Apparel: Tight and Bright." If you're not drinking, the dance parties are always fun, the pool hall is always open, and the Gray Fund sponsors things like movie showings. Reed is only 15 minutes away from downtown Portland by $1.75 bus, so if you need to get off campus to escape the Reed bubble, it's not hard. There are parks, concerts, shopping, movies, art galleries, quirky restaurants...anything.

Renn Fayre is amazing. It's a three day party at the end of Spring Semester for the seniors. It kicks off with Thesis Parade, where all of the seniors burn their thesis drafts and march to Eliot to turn in their senior theses. It is truly an awesome sight. So much champagne is poured on them. There's music for the whole three day period, an academic department softball tournament, fireworks and glow opera. you won't really understand it until you spend a year here.

A popular group is Carbon Atoms, which is a DJ group that throws popular dance parties with good music. Groups that offer free food (like pies, bagels, icecream) are very popular. I'm a member of Dance Troupe, a dance team run by students only. We meet once a week to practice dancing and make choreographies, which we then perform at the Dance Concerts held at our school. We always get good feedback about our work. I met my closest friends through a friend of mine who lived on my floor my freshman year, and who noticed I didn't have any friends, so he introduced me to his. The dating scene isn't very good; it's hard to find people, and Reed couples are always marked as being awkward. They tend to spend time only with each other and drift away from any friends they have. Most people are single and unable to find what they are looking for here. We have no fraternities and sororities! People party usually on Friday and/or Saturday nights, but as one gets older one spends more of that time in the library, working. Last weekend I went to a Mustache Formal, where people who had had mustaches for Mustache Month shaved them off while dressed formally. Activities that don't involve drinking include going to dances, the pool hall, movie showings, out on the town to see movies or shows. Off campus I go shopping for food/clothes, and to eat at restaurants.

I don't know what the most popular groups/organizations/clubs/teams on campus are, but our only real team sports are Rugby and Ultimate Frisbee both of which are fairly popular. There are plenty of groups etc. for people to be a part of and they all seem fairly equally popular. I played Rugby last year, having no previous experience, and it was SO much fun. I just don't have the time this year. I'm not really involved in any other groups per say, but last year during Renn Fayre I helped Beer Nation sell tickets to the beer tent, and got a free t-shirt and free beer. That was pretty sweet too. Events are pretty popular, and sometimes people from the Portland area come to our events so events are usually pretty packed but not ever too packed. I met my closest friends mostly from living with them Freshman year, most of my friends are previous dormies. Although I do have a few friends who I've had classes with, or met through other friends. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am studying or taking a break from studying. Traditions/events that happen each year, sporadically the Doyle Owl shows up (not necessarily every year) and people go CRAZY and then it ends up in the possession of someone else. Renn Fayre is the other major event that happens at the end of the year. I can't even begin to explain Renn Fayre, except to say that it's the celebration of the seniors finishing their thesis and that the year is over. There are NO fraternities/sororities. Last weekend I studied, and went out and about in Portland-something I rarely do. There's usually plenty of school events and/or student events that don't involve drinking or that do (obviously not the school events unless you're over 21).