Welcome to Reed

The Quest team would like to formally welcome you to Reed —as well as shamelessly promote our publication— offering you not only free readership, but the opportunity to participate and make your voice heard. We, the Queditors, encourage interested Reedies to drop by the Quoffice (located in the GCC basement to the right of the stairs when descending) on Monday nights from 5:00pm-6:00pm to introduce themselves and get to know us. We are interested in articles of all varieties, ranging from hard-hitting scoops to satire and everything in between. In addition to prose, the Quest also publishes poetry, photography, and comics. 

In order to get your year jumpstarted, we have carefully curated some essential information for your reference and convenience that any new Reedie might find helpful in navigating their college adventure!

At Reed, we love acronyms. To get around campus as quickly as possible, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the following list of acronyms:

Gray Campus Center … GCC

Performance Arts Building … PAB

Educational Technology Center … ETC

Health & Counseling Center … HCC

Dorothy Johansen House … DOJO

Student Union … SU

Sports Center … The Cage

Foster-Scholz-Macnaughton … FSM 

Peer Mentoring Program … PMP

House Advisor … HA

Orientation & Wayfinding Leader … OWL

Multicultural Source Center … MRC

International Student Services ... ISS 

Center for Life Beyond Reed … CLBR

Commons hours can be found on their website, along with a variety of other arcane knowledge accessible only to those who dare seek it, like future special menus up to six days in advance. On weekdays, Commons serves breakfast from 7:30am-10:30am, lunch from 11:00am-4:00pm, dinner from 5:00pm-7:00pm, and “Late Night” from 7:00pm-10:00pm. You may ask yourself, “Is ‘Late Night’ a mysterious fourth meal?” It is not; it is just extended grill hours, plus pizza on Fridays. On weekends, Commons provides brunch from 10:00am-2:30pm and dinner from 5:00pm-7:00pm. These hours change during holidays and breaks, so be sure to check the website. Also be sure to never miss grilled cheese and tomato soup on Mondays.

Once upon a time, in a land right where you are standing while reading this (presumably), the Marketplace used to be a beacon of light in the dark night, offering us provisions until the wee hours (2:00am). Now, Marketplace is open until 9:00pm, a blow to the already early hour of 10:00pm rationed to us yesteryear. We mourn our loss and recognize that Homer’s Hut is open in the basement of GCC until the witching hour (2:00am), although it does not accept board points.

Adjusting to the climate in Portland is not for the faint of heart. Whether you come from a heat-domed and hellish desert (like dear writer Piper…) or the more temperate climate found on the Cali coastline (hi, it’s Chloe), you’ll make missteps while adjusting. Layering is a skill best learned sooner rather than later, although the first weeks of school typically offer spotty sunshine soothing to the soul. Flannels are a good choice, as a puffer is easily added over, or a hoodie under. Pants are best long, especially on days with downpour. Long johns keep the heat in. Although dorky, they are invisible under a pair of cargos. Shoe preferences vary by wearer, but to those innocent to wet socks, robust boots may help maintain innocence (this is why I got platform Docs - Louis). If you’re from somewhere that gets even a bit of snow (like my east-coaster self - Madeleine) do not expect any semblance of snow-preparedness from the great city of Portland. The whole city will shut down, meaning a few snow days at Reed, which admittedly are super fun. Finally, a word to the wise, umbrellas are item-a non-grata on campus, and all True Reedies ditch theirs by the second semester (the Seattleite in me will get you, so lock in - Anie). However, even those most hardened by the weather conditions will admit the value of a good raincoat. Investment here pays off. 

We have many traditions on campus, and you’ll probably never fully understand all of them even if you’re very involved. Go to Pool Hall, go to Noize Parade, and go to the other crap you hear about. When you’re not swamped in HUM 110 readings, coax yourself out of your dorm with the possibility of Socialization, which all Reedies benefit greatly from. Go to balls, and if you hear about a Thing, go to the Thing with a friend, and not just the friend you heard about the Thing from but also maybe two others for good measure. When you go to a Thing, share locations even if the Thing is on campus, and make sure to check on your friends with generous regularity. 

HUM 110 is peak Reed tradition. Everyone goes through it their freshman year (trust and believe whether you like it or not - Anie), it is definitely the class that bonds every freshman. Think of it as a crash course in nailing your skills for Reed’s ever-loving conference-style discussions where everyone’s tossing around ideas and making big brain moves. HUM 110 has your back when it comes to writing - whether it’s mastering your ideal essay or making your arguments pop. We wish you luck in this class, and make sure you bring it on day one. Try: instead of loathing its existence, think of it as a nice way to connect with the rest of your freshman comrades (though a piece of advice– do not start romantic relationships with any of your fellow HUMies - Madeleine)!

Reed also has a PE requirement, —which is kind of like an evil twin of HUM 110 in that everyone has to suffer through it— but instead of learning, you mostly just get sore and occasionally sustain minor injuries. All Reedies have to take six quarters of PE (or equivalent) to graduate, which their advisor sometimes forgets to tell them. Of these six quarters, a maximum of two can be from self-directed or non-instructional PE classes like running, while the rest must be from instructional classes. The best way to engage with the PE requirement is to spend every moment of your time seething with rage at its existence, since this will motivate you to get through it with the most dignity and least distraction from the academic classes you (more or less… - Piper) actually want to take. More pragmatically, plan your non-instructional credits for a semester with an especially heavy course load (if you go to the gym already, take strength training! -Chloe). It would be embarrassing to have to take an extra semester simply because you left all your PE requirements until the last minute (aka me with my 3 quarters of P.E. left as a Senior -Anie) of your college career.

If you’re a transfer (like dear writer Piper) or foreign exchange, you may find yourself in a weird position. You come with a background of whatever school or country’s culture you came from (in dear writer’s case, an all-girls back east… good grief!) and suddenly you’re at Reed and Reed is Reed-y and you’re not sure what to do. Fear not! Reed is great, and as a transfer, I find myself exceptionally passionate about Reed and its Reed-y-ness. Do all the freshman crap (sorry freshmen) like Noize Parade so you don’t miss out on that so-called formative experience, and be loud and proud about the fact that you are a capital-T Transfer or foreign exchange student. Go to transfer and foreign exchange events and collect as many phone numbers as possible. Give yourself grace in adjusting to Reed and its culture (we all make missteps and temporary Amish-style shunning isn’t all that bad), and remember that when in Rome, do as the Romans do, unless that goes against your moral/religious beliefs, or it’s just plain bad for your health (if you’re a transfer, you can also hit up dear writer Piper with questions at her email, because she checks that and loves to give advice wherever applicable).

At the end of the day, just remember to have fun, study hard, and not do too many drugs– it will fry your brain. Wait! We didn’t say that. Who typed that? What the hell? We can’t delete that? Chloe, can you troubleshoot this? …Piper, it’s coming from your computer…

Seriously, someone fix this before it goes to print.