Reed College Reed College is a private and independent liberal arts college located in southeast Portland in the U . S . state of Oregon . Founded in 1908 , Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland ' s Eastmoreland neighborhood , featuring architecture based on the Tudor - Gothic style , and a forested canyon nature preserve at its center . Reed is known for its mandatory freshman humanities program , for its required senior - year thesis , as the only private undergraduate college with a primarily student - run nuclear reactor supporting its science programs , and for the unusually high proportion of graduates who go on to earn PhDs and other postgraduate degrees . History . The Reed Institute ( the legal name of the college ) was founded in 1908 , and Reed College held its first classes in 1911 . Reed is named for Oregon pioneers Simeon Gannett Reed and Amanda Reed . Simeon was an entrepreneur in trade on the Columbia River ; in his will he suggested that his wife could " devote some portion of my estate to benevolent objects , or to the cultivation , illustration , or development of the fine arts in the city of Portland , or to some other suitable purpose , which shall be of permanent value and contribute to the beauty of the city and to the intelligence , prosperity , and happiness of the inhabitants " . The first president of Reed ( 1910 – 1919 ) was William Trufant Foster , a former professor at Bates College and Bowdoin College in Maine . Contrary to popular belief , the college did not grow out of student revolts and experimentation , but out of a desire to provide a " more flexible , individualized approach to a rigorous liberal arts education " . Founded explicitly in reaction to the " prevailing model of East Coast , Ivy League education , " the college ' s lack of varsity athletics , fraternities , and exclusive social clubs – as well as its coeducational , nonsectarian , and egalitarian status – gave way to an intensely academic and intellectual college whose purpose was to devote itself to " the life of the mind , " that life being understood primarily as the academic life . The college has a reputation for progressivism . Distinguishing features . According to sociologist Burton Clark , Reed is one of the most unusual institutions of higher learning in the United States , featuring a traditional liberal arts and natural sciences curriculum . It requires freshmen to take Humanities 110 – an intensive introduction to the Classics , covering ancient Greece and Rome as well as the Bible and ancient Jewish history . Its program in the sciences is likewise unusual – Reed ' s TRIGA research reactor makes it the only school in the United States to have a nuclear reactor operated entirely by undergraduates . Reed also requires all students to complete a thesis ( a two - semester - long research project conducted under the guidance of professors ) during the senior year as a prerequisite of graduation , and passing a junior qualifying exam at the end of the junior year is a prerequisite to beginning the thesis . Upon completion of the senior thesis , students must also pass an oral exam that may encompass questions not only about the thesis , but also about any course previously taken . Reed maintains a 10 : 1 student - to - faculty ratio , and its small classes emphasize a " conference " style , in which the teacher often acts as a mediator for discussion rather than a lecturer . While large lecture - style classes exist , Reed emphasizes its smaller lab and conference sections . Although letter grades are given to students , grades are de - emphasized at Reed . According to the school , " [ s ] tudents are encouraged to focus on learning , not on grades . Students are evaluated rigorously , and semester grades are filed with the registrar , but by tradition , students do not receive standard grade reports . Papers and exams are generally returned to students with lengthy comments but without grades affixed . There is no dean ’ s list or honor roll per se , but students who maintain a GPA of 3 . 5 or above for an entire academic year receive academic commendations , which are noted on their transcripts , at the end of the spring semester . Many Reedies graduate without knowing either their cumulative GPA or their grades in individual classes . Reed also claims to have experienced very little grade inflation over the years , noting , for example , that only seven students graduated with a perfect 4 . 0 GPA in the period from 1983 to 2007 " . ( Transcripts are accompanied by a card explaining Reed ' s relatively tough grading system , so as to not penalize students applying to graduate schools . ) And though Reed does not award Latin honors to graduates , Reed does confer several awards for academic achievement at the time of commencement , including naming students to Phi Beta Kappa . Reed has no fraternities or sororities , and few NCAA sports teams , although physical education classes ( which range from kayaking to juggling ) are required for graduation . Reed also has several intercollegiate athletic clubs , most notably the Rugby , Ultimate Frisbee , and Soccer teams . Reed ' s ethical code is known as " The Honor Principle " . First introduced as an agreement to promote ethical academic behavior , with the explicit end of relieving the faculty of the burden of policing student behavior , the Honor Principle was extended to cover all aspects of student life . While inspired by traditional honor system s , Reed ' s Honor Principle differs from these in that it is a guide for ethical standards themselves , not just their enforcement . Under the Honor Principle , there are no codified rules governing behavior . Rather , the onus is on students individually and as a community to define which behaviors are acceptable and which are not . Discrete cases of grievance , known as " Honor Cases " , are adjudicated by a Judicial Board , which consists of twelve full - time students . There is also an " Honor Council , " which consists of students , faculty , and staff , designed to educate the community regarding the Honor Principle and mediate conflict between individuals . Academic program . Reed categorizes its academic program into five Divisions and the Humanities program . Overall , Reed offers five Humanities courses , twenty - six department majors , twelve interdisciplinary majors , six dual - degree programs with other colleges and universities , and programs for pre - medical and pre - veterinary students . Humanities program . Reed President Richard Scholz in 1922 called the educational program as a whole " an honest effort to disregard old historic rivalries and hostilities between the sciences and the arts , between professional and cultural subjects , and , . . . the formal chronological cleavage between the graduate and the undergraduate attitude of mind " . The Humanities program , which came into being in 1943 ( as the union of two year - long courses , one in " world " literature , the other in " world " history ) is one manifestation of this effort . One change to the program was the addition of a course in Chinese Civilization in 1995 . The faculty has also recently approved several significant changes to the introductory syllabus . These changes include expanding the parameters of the course to include more material regarding urban and cultural environments . Reed ' s Humanities program includes the mandatory freshman course " Introduction to Western Humanities " covering ancient Greek and Roman literature , history , art , religion , and philosophy . Sophomores , juniors , and seniors may take " Early Modern Europe " covering Renaissance thought and literature ; " Modern Humanities " covering the Enlightenment , the French Revolution , the Industrial Revolution , and Modernism , and / or " Foundations of Chinese Civilization " . There is also a Humanities Senior Symposium . Interdisciplinary and dual - degree programs . Reed also offers interdisciplinary programs in American studies , Environmental Studies , Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , Chemistry - Physics , Classics - Religion , Dance / Theatre , History - Literature , International and Comparative Policy Studies ( ICPS ) , Literature - Theatre , Mathematics - Economics , and Mathematics - Physics . Reed offers dual - degree programs in Computer Science ( with University of Washington ) , Engineering ( with Caltech , Columbia University , and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ) , Forestry or Environmental Management ( with Duke University ) , and Fine Art ( with the Pacific Northwest College of Art ) . Admissions and student demographics . Until the late 1990s , Reed accepted a larger percentage of total applicants than peer institutions – 76 % in 1996 . This led to high levels of attrition ( drop - outs ) during that period . Since then , the number of applicants for freshman admission has increased sharply . Since 2002 , Reed ' s attrition rate has moved toward that of peer institutions , and the five - year graduation rate ( 76 % for the 2004 / 05 entering class ) now exceeds the national average . The applicant pool for the class of 2013 was the third largest in Reed ' s history : 3 , 159 students applied and 1 , 225 were admitted , for an admission rate of 38 . 8 % . The admitted class of 2013 ' s average combined Math and Verbal SAT scores were 1407 ; the mean composite ACT score was 31 ; and the mean high school GPA was 4 . 034 . Reed ' s student body is 45 % male and 55 % female , and includes 22 % minority students : 3 % self - report as Black ( including African - American , African , and Afro - Caribbean ) ; 6 % as Hispanic ; 9 % as Asian , 2 % Native American , and 2 % Mixed / Other . Minority numbers include some of the 7 % international citizens ( 13 % of freshmen did not self - report their ethnicity ) . In the class of 2010 , 38 % of students are from the United States ' s West Coast ( California , Oregon , Washington ) , with the most coming from California . Tuition and finances . The total base cost for the 2012 – 13 academic year , including tuition , fees and room - and - board , is $ 55 , 920 . " For the 2011 – 12 academic year , the average financial aid package – including grants , loans , and work opportunities – is approximately $ 35 , 990 " . In 2011 – 12 about half of students received financial aid from the college . In 2004 ( the most recent data available ) , 1 . 4 % of Reed graduates defaulted on their student loans – below the national Cohort Default Rate average of 5 . 1 % . Reed ' s endowment as of June 30 , 2012 , was $ 439 . 7 million . Note , however , that in the economic downturn that began in late 2007 , Reed ' s total endowment declined from $ 455 million in June 2007 to $ 311 million in June 2009 . It remains somewhat below its 2007 peak value . Reputation . Rankings . In 1995 Reed College refused to participate in the " U . S . News and World Report " " best colleges " rankings , making it the first educational institution in the United States to refuse to participate in college rankings . According to Reed ' s Office of Admissions : " Rolling Stone " , in its October 16 , 1997 , issue , argued that Reed ' s rankings were artificially decreased by " U . S . News " after they stopped sending data to " U . S . News and World Report . " Nicholas Thompson reiterated this judgment in an article in " The Washington Monthly " in 2000 . Reed has also made the same claim . In discussing Reed ' s decision , President Colin Diver wrote in an article for the November 2005 issue of the " Atlantic Monthly , " " by far the most important consequence of sitting out the rankings game , however , is the freedom to pursue our own educational philosophy , not that of some news magazine . " " U . S News " maintains that their rankings are " a very legitimate tool for getting at a certain level of knowledge about colleges . " However , in 2005 Reed did submit statistics to The Princeton Review , and received first in Overall Undergraduate Academic Experience . In 2009 , The Princeton Review ranked Reed number two in " Best Classroom Experience " , number three in " Students Study the Most " , and number five in " Birkenstock - Wearing , Tree - Hugging , Clove - Smoking Vegetarians . " In 2006 , " Newsweek " magazine named Reed as one of twenty - five " New Ivies " , listing it among " the nation ' s elite colleges . " In 2012 , " Newsweek " ranked Reed the 15th " most rigorous " college in the nation . The guide to college admissions for About . com , moreover , places Reed as one of the top 10 liberal arts colleges in the country . Academic honors . Reed has produced the second - highest number of Rhodes scholars for any liberal arts college — 31 — as well as over fifty Fulbright Scholars , over sixty Watson Fellow s , and two MacArthur ( " Genius " ) Award winners . A very high proportion of Reed graduates go on to earn PhDs , particularly in the sciences , history , political science , and philosophy . Reed is third in percentage of its graduates who go on to earn PhDs in all disciplines , after only Caltech and Harvey Mudd . In 1961 , " Scientific American " declared that second only to Caltech , " This small college in Oregon has been far and away more productive of future scientists than any other institution in the U . S . " Reed is first in this percentage in biology , second in chemistry and humanities , third in history , foreign language s , and political science , fourth in the physical sciences , math and computer science , and science and engineering , fifth in physics and social sciences , sixth in anthropology , seventh in area and ethnic studies and linguistics , and eighth in English literature and the medical sciences . Reed ' s debating team , which had existed for only two years at the time , was awarded the first place sweepstakes trophy for Division II schools at the final tournament of the Northwest Forensics Conference in February 2004 . Loren Pope , former education editor for " The New York Times , " writes about Reed in " Colleges That Change Lives , " saying , " If you ' re a genuine intellectual , live the life of the mind , and want to learn for the sake of learning , the place most likely to empower you is not Harvard , Yale , Princeton , Chicago , or Stanford . It is the most intellectual college in the country — Reed in Portland , Oregon . " Political . Reed has a reputation for being politically left - wing . Whether in fact Reed ' s student body is more leftist than those of similar colleges is difficult to determine , but Reed ' s academic tradition of open and passionate debate often spills into the off - campus political arena and , combined with a tolerant social environment , often leads to the appearance of radical leftism . During the McCarthy era of the 1950s , then - President Duncan Ballantine fired Marxist philosopher Stanley Moore , a tenured professor , for his failure to cooperate with the House Un - American Activities Committee ( HUAC ) investigation . According to an article in the college ' s alumni magazine , " because of the decisive support expressed by Reed ' s faculty , students , and alumni for the three besieged teachers and for the principle of academic freedom , Reed College ' s experience with McCarthyism stands apart from that of most other American colleges and universities . Elsewhere in the academic world both tenured and untenured professors with alleged or admitted communist party ties were fired with relatively little fuss or protest . At Reed , however , opposition to the political interrogations of the teachers was so strong that some believed the campus was in danger of closure . " A statement of " regret " by the Reed administration and Board of Trustees was published in 1981 , formally revising the judgment of the 1954 trustees . In 1993 , then - President Steve Koblik invited Moore to visit the College , and in 1995 the last surviving member of the Board that fired Moore expressed his regret and apologized to him . Campus . The Reed College campus was established on a southeast Portland tract of land known in 1910 as Crystal Springs Farm , a part of the Ladd Estate , formed in the 1870s from original land claims . The college ' s grounds include of contiguous land , including a wooded wetland known as Reed Canyon . Portland architect A . E . Doyle developed a plan , never implemented in full , modeled on the University of Oxford ' s St . John ' s College . The original campus buildings ( including the Library , the Old Dorm Block , and what is now the primary administration building , Eliot Hall ) are brick Tudor Gothic buildings in a style similar to Ivy League campuses . In contrast , the science section of campus , including the physics , biology , and psychology ( originally chemistry ) buildings , were designed in the Modernist style . The Psychology Building , completed in 1949 , was designed by Modernist architect Pietro Belluschi at the same time as his celebrated Equitable Building in downtown Portland . The campus and buildings have undergone several phases of growth , and there are now 21 academic and administrative buildings and 18 residence halls . Since 2004 , Reed ' s campus has expanded to include adjacent properties beyond its historic boundaries , such as the Birchwood Apartments complex and former medical administrative offices on either side of SE 28th Avenue , and the Parker House , across SE Woodstock from Prexy . At the same time the Willard House ( donated to Reed in 1964 ) , across from the college ' s main entrance at SE Woodstock and SE Reed College Place , was converted from faculty housing to administrative use . Reed announced on July 13 , 2007 , that it had purchased the Rivelli farm , a tract of land south of the Garden House and west of Botsford Drive . Reed ’ s " immediate plans for the acquired property include housing a small number of students in the former Rivelli home during the 2007 – 08 academic year . Longer term , the college anticipates that it may seek to develop the northern portion of the property for additional student housing " . Residence halls . Reed houses about 1 , 000 students in 18 residence halls on campus and several college - owned houses and apartment buildings on or adjacent to campus . Residence halls on campus range from the traditional ( i . e . , Gothic Old Dorm Block , referred to as " ODB " ) to the eclectic ( e . g . , Anna Mann , a Tudor - style cottage built in the 1920s by Reed ' s founding architect A . E . Doyle , originally used as a women ' s hall , ) language houses ( Spanish , Russian , French , German , and Chinese ) , " temporary " housing , built in the 1960s ( Cross Canyon – Chittick , Woodbridge , McKinley , Griffin ) , to more recently built dorms ( Bragdon , Naito , Sullivan ) . There are also theme residence halls including everything from substance - free living to Arabic culture to a dorm for students interested in outdoors activities ( hiking , climbing , bicycling , kayaking , skiing , etc . ) . The college ' s least - loved complex ( as measured by applications to the College ' s housing lottery ) , MacNaughton and Foster - Scholz , is known on campus as " Asylum Block " because of its post - World War II modernist architecture and interior spaces dominated by long , straight corridors lined with identical doors , said by students to resemble that of an insane asylum . Until 2006 , it was thought that these residence halls had been designed by architect Pietro Belluschi . Under the 10 - year Campus Master Plan adopted in 2006 , Foster - Scholz is scheduled to be demolished and replaced , and MacNaughton to be remodeled . According to the master plan , " The College ' s goal is to provide housing on or adjacent to the campus that accommodates 75 % of the [ full - time ] student population . At present , the College provides on - campus housing for 838 students " . In Spring 2007 , the College broke ground on the construction of a new quadrangle called ( the Grove ) with four new residence halls ( Aspen , Sequoia , Sitka , Bidwell ) on the northwest side of the campus , which opened in Fall 2008 . A new Spanish House residence was completed . Together , the five new residences added 142 new beds . Reed Canyon . The Reed College Canyon , a natural area and national wildlife preserve , bisects the campus , separating the academic buildings from many of the residence halls ( the so - called " cross - canyon halls " ) . The canyon is filled by Crystal Creek Springs , a natural spring that drains into Johnson Creek . Canyon Day , a tradition dating back to 1915 , is held twice a year . On Canyon Day students and Reed neighbors join canyon crew workers to spend a day helping with restoration efforts . A landmark of the campus , the Blue Bridge , spans the canyon . It appears on almost every viewbook that the college circulates . This bridge replaced the unique cantilevered bridge that served in that spot between 1959 and 1991 , which " featured stressed plywood girders – the first time this construction had been used on a span of this size : a straight bridge long and high . It attracted great architectural interest during its lifetime " . The Blue Bridge was originally known as the " Cross Canyon Bridge " until student Rain Lynham bought and installed black lights in 1998 as decoration for Renn Fayre , the traditional end of year , campus - wide party , of which she was the organizer that year . The new look proved so popular with students and faculty alike that the original white bulbs were never replaced . A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning the canyon was opened in Fall 2008 . This bridge , dubbed the " Bouncy Bridge " by students , is long , about a third longer than the Blue Bridge , and " connect [ s ] the new north campus quad to Gray Campus Center , the student union , the library , and academic buildings on the south side of campus " . Douglas F . Cooley Gallery . Reed ' s Cooley Gallery is an internationally recognized contemporary art space located at the entrance to Reed ' s Hauser Library . It was established in 1988 as the result of a gift from Susan and Edward Cooley in honor of their late son . The Cooley Gallery has exhibited international artists such as Mona Hatoum , Al Held , David Reed and Gregory Crewdson as well as the contemporary art collection of Michael Ovitz . In pursuit of its mission to support the curriculum of the art , art history , and humanities programs at Reed , the gallery produces three or four exhibitions each year , along with lectures , colloquia , and artist visits . The gallery is currently under the directorship of Stephanie Snyder , who succeeded founding director Susan Fillin - Yeh in 2004 . Food services . The cafeteria , known simply as " Commons " , has a reputation for ecologically sustainable food services . The commons dining hall is operated by Bon Appétit , and food is purchased on an item - by - item basis . Suiting the student body , vegan and vegetarian dishes feature heavily on the menu . It is currently the only cafeteria on the small campus , with the exception of Caffe Paradiso , a small cafe on the other side of campus which also accepts board points . The Reed College Co - op is a theme residence located in Garden House , after many years on the first floor of MacNaughton Hall . It is the only campus dorm that is independent of the school ' s board plan . This residence houses ten students who purchase and prepare food together , sharing chores and conducting weekly , consensus - based meetings . It is a close community valuing sustainability , organic food , consensus - based decisions , self - government , music , and plants . The Paradox ( " Est . in the 80s " ) is a student - run cafe located on campus . In 2003 the Paradox opened a second cafe , dubbing it the " Paradox Lost " ( an allusion to John Milton ' s " Paradise Lost " ) , at the southern end of the biology building , in the space commonly called the " Bio Fishbowl " . The new north - campus dorms , which opened in Fall 2008 , feature yet another small cafe , dubbed " Cafe Paradiso " , thereby providing three coffee shops within a campus . This third shop is not student - run , but is handled instead by an outside catering service . Off - campus housing . Reed also has off - campus housing . Many houses in the Woodstock and Eastmoreland Portland neighborhoods are traditionally rented to Reed students . Icons and student life . Griffin . The official mascot of Reed is the griffin . In mythology , the griffin often pulled the chariot of the sun ; in canto 32 of Dante ' s " Commedia " the griffin is associated with the Tree of Knowledge . The griffin was featured on the coat - of - arms of founder Simeon Reed and is now on the official seal of Reed College . School color . The official school color of Reed is Richmond Rose . Over the years , institutional memory of this fact has faded and the color appearing on the school ' s publications and merchandise has darkened to a shade of maroon . The most common examples of " Richmond Rose " are the satin tapes securing the degree certificate inside a Reed College diploma . School song . The school song , " Fair Reed , " is sung to the tune of the 1912 popular song " Believe Me , if All Those Endearing Young Charms . " It was composed by former president William Trufant Foster shortly after Reed ' s founding , and is rarely heard today . Student nickname . Reed students and alumni referred to themselves as " Reedites " in the early years of the college . This term faded out in favor of the now ubiquitous " Reedie " after World War II . Around campus , prospective students are called " prospies " . Unofficial mottos and folklore . An unofficial motto of Reed is " Communism , Atheism , Free Love " , and can be found in the Reed College Bookstore on sweaters , t - shirts , etc . It was a label that the Reed community claimed from critics during the 1920s as a " tongue - in - cheek slogan " in reference to Reed ' s nonconformism . Reed ' s founding president William T . Foster ' s outspoken opposition against the entrance of the United States into World War I , as well as the college ' s support for feminism , its adherence to academic freedom ( i . e . , inviting a leader of the Socialist Party of America to speak on campus about the Russian Revolution ’ s potential impact on militarism , emancipation of women , and ending the persecution of Jews ) , and its nonsectarian status made the college a natural target for what was originally meant to be a pejorative slur . One of the unofficial symbols of Reed is the Doyle Owl , a roughly concrete statue that has been continuously stolen and re - stolen since 1913 . The on - campus folklore of events surrounding the Doyle Owl is sufficiently large that , in 1983 , a senior thesis was written on the topic of the Owl ' s oral history . The original Doyle Owl was almost certainly destroyed many years ago , but a number of replicas ( of varying degrees of quality ) remain in circulation , contributing to the frequency of its appearance . Paideia . Each January , before the beginning of second - semester classes , the campus holds an interim period called Paideia ( roughly drawn from the Greek , meaning ' education ' ) . Originally conceived and approved by the faculty in 1968 for unstructured independent study or " UIS , " Paideia ran for the full month of January from 1969 – 1981 , supervised by a committee of faculty , staff and students . This festival of learning takes the form of classes and seminars put on by anyone who wishes to teach , including students , professors , staff members , and outside educators invited on - campus by members of the Reed Community . The classes are intended to be informal , yet intellectual activities free of the usual academic pressure endemic to Reed . Many such classes are explicitly trivial ( one long - running tradition is to hold an underwater basket weaving class ) , while others are trivially academic ( such as " Giant Concrete Gnome Construction " , a class that , incidental to building monolithic gnome s , includes some content relating to the construction of pre - Christian monolith s ) . More structured classes ( such as martial arts seminars and mini - classes on obscure academic topics ) , tournaments , and film festivals round out the schedule , which is different every year . The objective of Paideia is not only to learn new ( possibly non - useful ) things , but to turn the tables on students and encourage them to teach . In his 2005 Stanford commencement lecture , Apple Computer founder and Reed dropout Steve Jobs credited a Reed calligraphy class for his focus on choosing quality typefaces for the Macintosh . While the full calligraphy course is no longer taught at Reed , Paideia usually features a short course on the subject . Renn Fayre . Renn Fayre is an annual three - day celebration at Reed with a different theme each year . Born in the 1960s as an actual renaissance fair , it has long since lost all connection to anachronism and the Renaissance , although its name has persisted . Renn Fayre commences with the Thesis Parade , where graduating seniors make a symbolic march to deliver their theses to the registrar and a fiery pit to burn the year ' s notes . Students , faculty , and staff gather at the entrance to the library where chaos and champagne get the party started . The parade commences when the senior class moves through the library and out through what was the library ' s original front entrance ( now an emergency exit ) . The Fayre runs from Friday to Sunday , beginning on the last day of classes for the spring semester . The week after Renn Fayre is Reading Week , in which no classes are held ; final examinations are held in the following week . Renn Fayre is often called the metaphorical explosion of the student body after a year of intense pressure . Traditions and events include bizarre art installations , bug - eating contests , the alumni Meat Smoke , a naked Slip ' n Slide , occasional motorized couches , fireworks , naked people painting themselves blue ( a tribute to the ancient Picts ) , a beer garden , the Glo Opera ( performed at night by actors covered in EL wire and glowsticks ) , lube wrestling , full - contact human chess , parachuters , castle - storming and bike - jousting by members of C . H . V . N . K . 666 , a fire - dancing performance by the Weapons of Mass Distraction ( the college ' s own Fire Troupe ) , a softball tournament of academic department teams , a feast contributed to by student - donated leftover board points , a cooking contest , and a general sense of mayhem . Serious injuries are rare , thanks in part to the non - profit White Bird Clinic , and the presence of student volunteers ( the " Karma Patrol " ) who stay sober , distribute bagels , and water , and promote the wellness of Renn Fayre participants , while " Border Patrol " sees to the exclusion of unauthorized visitors . Student participation is almost unanimous ; faculty and staff also attend some of the festivities . Alumni and authorized guests may also participate . Student organizations . According to Reed ' s website , each semester , a $ 130 student body fee " is collected from each full - time student by the business office , acting as agent for the student senate . The fee underwrites publication of the student newspaper and extracurricular activities , and partially supports the student union and ski cabin " . Student body funds ( totaling roughly $ 370 , 000 annually ) are distributed each semester to groups that place among the top 40 organizations in the semester ' s funding poll . The funding poll uses a voting system in which each organization provides a description that is ranked by each member of the student body with either ' top six ' , ' approve ' , ' no opinion ' , ' disapprove ' or ' deep six . ' These ranks are then tabulated by assigning numbers to each rank and summing across all voters . Afterwards , the top forty organizations present their budgets to the student body senate during Funding Circus . The following day the senate makes decisions about each budget in a process called Funding Hell . The school ' s student - run newspaper , " The Quest " , has been published since 1913 , and its radio station , KRRC , has been broadcasting , with a few interruptions , since 1955 . Although some that partner with outside groups such as Oxfam or Planned Parenthood are more structured , most organizations are highly informal . There is no formal process for forming a student organization at Reed ; a group of students ( or a single student ) announcing themselves as or just considering themselves a student organization is enough . Groups that want funding from the school ' s Student Activities office or Student Body Fees , however , must register with Student Activities or through the Student Senate . The Reed archive of comic books and graphic novel s , the MLLL ( Comic Book Reading Room ) , is well into its fourth decade , and Beer Nation , the student group that organizes and manages various beer garden s throughout the year and during Renn Fayre , has existed for many years . Some organizations , such as the Motorized Couch Collective – dedicated to installing motors and wheels into furniture – have become more Reed myth than reality in recent years . Reed has ample recreational facilities on campus , a ski cabin on Mount Hood , recreational clubs such as the Reed Outing Club ( ROC ) , and Club Sports ( with college - paid coaches ) , including ultimate frisbee , co - ed soccer , rugby , basketball , and squash . Notable alumni . Examples of alumni include Emilio Pucci , Larry Sanger , Gary Snyder , Howard Vollum , and Barry Hansen . Among those who attended but did not graduate from Reed are James Beard , Chris Langan , Ry Cooder , and Steve Jobs .