President’s speeches, letters, and articles
Subject: Reed College Hazing Policy Update
June 20, 2025
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
I am writing to inform you of an update to the college’s hazing policy.
The policy update is necessary in order for the college to maintain compliance with the Stop Campus Hazing Act. Briefly, this federal law requires colleges and universities to prohibit hazing, to address reports of hazing within student organizations, and to educate their campus communities on the identification and prevention of hazing within student organizations. Reed has prohibited hazing as defined by and required under Oregon state law since 2019. The current policy update reflects an expansion of the definition of hazing under the Stop Campus Hazing Act. Notably, the act expands the types of harm that constitute hazing, as well as the definition of a student organization.
Following the enactment of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, and in consultation with the President’s staff and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, the college convened a workgroup of students and staff who met during spring semester to make recommendations regarding the college’s compliance with the act. Several of these recommendations, including increased community-wide training opportunities and student leader-focused trainings, will be implemented over the course of the upcoming academic year.
The workgroup also recommended updates to the Reed College hazing policy, as well as student organization accountability procedures. In consultation with the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, the workgroup gathered feedback on these drafts from faculty whose service last year aligned with student-related policy and procedure.
The recommended policy updates have been adopted and are effective immediately.
The draft student organization accountability procedures, however, represent an important opportunity for robust community engagement and utilization of the college’s established community legislation process. Therefore, the workgroup will reconvene this fall to share the draft procedures, gather feedback, explore updates that will be most reflective of the specific needs of our campus community, and present the procedures via the community legislation process.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Chris Toutain, Martha A. Darling Dean of Students, at toutainc@reed.edu; 503-517-4842; or Leo Cruz, Assistant Dean for Student Rights & Responsibilities, at lcruz@reed.edu; 503-517-4055.
Sincerely,
Audrey
Audrey Bilger
President
Reed College