Sex and the College: Season 2, Episode 1

Welcome to the new year, and if you are a freshman, then welcome to Reed. If you are not familiar, I am Carrie, I write the Sex and the College column. Sex and the College is a column that explores love, sex, relationships and social life at Reed. This column is mostly based on personal experiences and observations around campus. If you have questions, thoughts or advice for others; send it to the Quest and I can add it to the column. 

I will begin from the end and end with the beginning. At the very end of the year, during spring, campus was alive for Renn Fayre—one last big gathering for the seniors. The campus changes a lot on RF weekend; staff and faculty slowly disappear, the conference room energy of the GCC rooms is covered up with decorations, and Reedies start to look happy for once. But to me, the biggest difference is in the number of couples that seem to spring up overnight. Everywhere you look, duos have overtaken the campus with their displays of affection. For some, it felt like it was the first expression of affection between the two. For others, it seemed like the culmination of a longer brewing affection, but in all cases, it was expressed publicly. Since public displays of affection are not a common sight around Reed campus, I couldn’t help but wonder, do we need MDMA to PDA? 

I think avoiding PDA is often a point of respect, which could even be an Honor Principle thing. So not making out in front of Commons at 9am is probably best for the community. But besides this general convention, the discrepancy between PDA during the school year as opposed to Renn Fayre may point to something else. There are parts of us that we do not share with the broader Reed body unless we have first let go of certain inhibitions, and one such inhibition seems to be appearing as part of a romantic couple. I think many Reedies are uncomfortable with being perceived as part of a two, an exclusive two, affectionate and public. So when events like Renn Fayre come around, it does not matter if you are perceived as such. Summer will come around and wash over the decisions made that one weekend. But of course, we are back on campus now; and many will have to live with the decisions made that weekend, and the twos broken up into ones.