SCOD is Here For You
By the Student Committee on Diversity
As someone with many jobs, I often find myself listing out the numerous hats I wear. While I love what I do, I always dread explaining one of them over and over… “SCOD? Is that another Reed acronym I have to memorize?” my freshman residents ask. The answer is yes: I’m the SCOD Chair for this semester, and “SCOD” stands for the Student Committee on Diversity.
So what even is SCOD? SCOD is one of Senate’s many committees, and the committee is made up of Senators and other individuals appointed by the Appointments Committee: Dina Equbazgi ‘28, Sima Fasihi ‘28, Justin Sotomayor ‘27, Lucy Knight-King ‘26, and Palloma Araujo ‘26, as of this semester. I can tell that they care deeply about the work that we do, and I’m really grateful to have such a wonderful team.
During our weekly meetings, we’ve been focusing on revamping SCOD from the ground up. We’re doing the structural work to figure out what we want the committee to be, the kinds of resources we can offer, and how we can best communicate with the wider student body. Historically, SCOD has met every other week and has planned some events for Reedies of color alongside meeting occasionally with the Office of Institutional Diversity when possible. This year, we’re working on taking a more active role.
SCOD acts as a bridge between OID and the rest of the Reed community, especially the student body. OID can sometimes feel distant or inaccessible, and we’re here to close that gap. If you have concerns, feedback, or general thoughts about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Reed—whether those concerns are related to general climate or in response to a specific event—you can share them with us. We’ll bring your perspectives directly to OID and communicate on your behalf, as we’re working to set up consistent meetings with them.
We recently launched a feedback form (scan the QR code below!) where you can submit these comments, ideas, or concerns! We review every response at our weekly meetings, so your input will not be ignored. To be clear, this form is not the same as a Bias Incident Report where you would report specific instances of bias, but rather it acts as a more informal space to share what’s on your mind regarding DEI-related issues on campus.
While “diversity” in SCOD’s name applies to a wide range of identities such as gender, socioeconomic status, religion, etc., the committee has historically focused specifically on racial diversity and belonging at Reed. We’re committed to continuing and expanding that work this year.
We’re also excited to announce our first event of the semester! Join us for a movie night on October 29th at 5:00pm in Biology 19, where we’ll be watching Mississippi Masala (1991), directed by Mira Nair and starring Denzel Washington. It’s a romantic drama set in Mississippi that explores colorism, interracial relationships between South Asian and Black Americans, and themes of displacement and assimilation, all through the lens of a love story. All are invited, so please come by to meet us SCOD members, enjoy some pizza and snacks, and watch a meaningful yet fun film!
If you’d like to stay up to date on what SCOD is doing and get to know the committee better, please follow us on Instagram at @reedscod! If you have any questions for us, please feel free to reach out to me personally, DM us on Instagram, or utilize the feedback form. Thank you so much for reading and taking interest in the work that we do!