Student Life Communications
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Dear students,
The transition to an in-person college experience can be filled with lots of energy and excitement, while, at the same time, be challenging and distressing. The norms and expectations about how we conduct ourselves in honorable ways might not be known in practice, especially for individuals for whom this is the first time on campus. It is important to prioritize learning to be in community with each other, leaning into differences, ensuring that every member of our community understands and is treated like they belong here, and remembering that we extend grace in difficult times when we see individuals struggling in our community.
We expect this academic year will be different than any year you’ve experienced in your educational journey. It is a year of learning, connecting, and engaging. While we know you possess the skills to do that, we recognize too that those skills need a bit of fine-tuning. We all need to practice–and practice with patience and grace–to elevate and enhance our skills toward being a collective community. These skills help us achieve the community values we aspire to fulfill.
We know that not everyone will act honorably and concerns will need to be addressed. That stated, the college is aware of and directly addressing several concerns since the start of this week, ranging from graffiti on campus to mental health symptoms to alcohol usage to Title IX allegations. While these are not new issues for college campuses or for our Reed community, we would like to share a few notes of processes and resources below as a way to continue to support your transition to campus life.
Please reach out to us (student-life@reed.edu) if you have any questions or need support. We are here to support your successful semester and academic year ahead.
Tawana Parks
Martha A. Darling Dean of Students
Karnell “Dr.K” McConnell-Black, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Life
Resources and Process
Graffiti Removal Process- The facilities department has a protocol for removing graffiti, banners, or signage from campus. Graffiti appearing on concrete, stone, brick or other building structures and flatwork will be removed immediately. Specifically, if it is a defamatory/personal messaging, hate speech or other attacks on marginalized groups or individuals, and/or contains vulgar text and or graphics. If you have specific questions about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Student Life Office to discuss.
- Together All: Together All is a safe, online community to share feelings anonymously and get support to improve mental health and wellbeing. In the community people support each other, safely monitored by licensed and registered mental health practitioners. Click here to register, or click here for help notes and FAQ.
- Reed Counseling Hotline is available 24/7 and can be reached at 866-432-1224 (Frequently Asked Questions)
- Reed Nurse Hotline: 800-214-4469; When the Health and Counseling Center is closed, students can access free medical advice and consultation through Fonemed, which is staffed by registered nurses. When your call is answered, you will be triaged by a nurse. Once they receive the necessary information, you will receive a call back within 30 minutes. You may be connected with a nurse immediately depending on the severity of your symptoms.
- What to Do in an Alcohol or Drug Emergency? If you think a person has had too much alcohol or other drugs, call for help. Alcohol poisoning and other drug overdoses can kill. You will not get in trouble for helping a friend. Unintentional drug overdose is the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States, just behind automobile crashes: don't risk a friend's life. Call 911. If this emergency is occurring on the Reed campus, also call Community Safety at 503-788-6666. Be confident in your decision to get help. Caring enough is never wrong. *It’s helpful to have this number in your phone contacts for easy reference if you need to utilize it for help.
- Crisis Services & Advocacy for Survivors & Allies - The SHARE program has confidential advocates available to help with support, resources, and options. Services may be provided by email, phone, text, Zoom, or other messaging apps. Advocates are legally prohibited from disclosing information shared with them (exception: abuse of a child currently under 18 years of age). Contact advocates@reed.edu or Rowan Frost frostr@reed.edu, 503-517-7966.
- Title IX & Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Misconduct: Reed has two policies governing discrimination on the basis of sex: the Title IX Policy, and the Discriminatory Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy (DHSM). These policies detail and explicitly prohibit specific forms of harassment and encourage the reporting of these prohibited behaviors. Reed College will work to prevent prohibited behaviors, to take steps to reduce the risk of their recurrence, and to correct any discriminatory effects on a complainant or others.
- Community Safety provides campus and safety services 24 hours a day, including emergency response, door unlocks, and escort services. Community Safety has trained staff available to receive and respond to safety and security concerns. They can be reached via phone 503.517.5355 (non-emergency), 503-849-8678 (text), and 503-788-6666 (EMERGENCY)