Mythbusters: Reed College Edition is back with a vengeance to try to stomp out more myths. This time, we “dig deep” to uncover an automobile mystery, investigate Doyle Owl airborne appearances, and introduce an often-forgotten type of Reed student. Before we get started, I want to mention that all of the posts on the Res Life are written by current students. If you have a question or concern about anything we write, please let us know. All of the bloggers are open to constructive criticism and feedback! Now, without further ado, let’s get started…
- MYTH: “Is a British sports car really buried beneath the Hauser Library?” This myth was brought to our attention by Robin Tovey ’97, the Assistant Director of Alumni & Parent Relations. Long story really short, during the mid-eighties a Reedie left his green MG Midget in the care of his friends, the car grew gross and dilapidated with neglect, and then the Reed friends decided to bury it at the bottom of the construction site where a new addition to the library was being built. For the full story with all of the juicy details online at the Reed Magazine. The truth? While the pranksters remain infamous alumnus who swear this myth is actually a piece of history, many community members share their skepticism. Towny Angell, Reed’s facilities operations director since 1989, “doubts that a bunch of guys with shovels could have dug a hole so neat, so square, and so fast.” Check out these photos and decide for yourself.
- MYTH: “Remember when the Doyle Owl was airlifted from the top of the thesis tower via helicopter?” Since its debut in 1913, the Doyle Owl has turned meek Reedie scholars into frenzied fanatic for decades, regardless of its multiple fake reincarnations. What’s a Doyle Owl? Are you kidding me? For a full history of the Doyle Owl, I would recommend checking out this article from the Admissions office. Anyway, according to CollegeToolkit.com (admittedly not a very reliable resource), the Doyle Owl once appeared via airlift above the library. The truth? Our beloved Owl has suffered many cruel and unusual treatments, such as being covered in barbed wire or coated with Crisco to avoid capture, so I would not be surprised if this myth was a reality. However, Reedies tend to aggrandize the lore surrounding the Doyle Owl. Until further evidence appears, we can’t bust this myth!
- MYTH: “Reed is only for undergrads.” Walking around campus, a typical Prospie would see groups of young people of an average age between 18 and 22 eating in Commons, sitting outside of the Paradox, or rushing off to class. This is typical of a school with over 98% of students pursuing an undergraduate degree. But what about the other <2% of Reed students? The truth? Reed offers a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, more commonly referred to as MALS. I personally do not know much about the MALS program since the MALS students take specialized classes different from the undergrad curriculum, but the Reed website describes the program as, “intended for those students who wish to pursue interdisciplinary graduate work in a rigorous program that is both flexible and diverse.” I first found out about MALS when I was drooling over the incredible classes they offer for the graduate program. You can check them out if you click here, and then you’ll know what I am talking about.
Have a myth in mind that you want to share? Interested in providing more clues behind our not-quite-solved mysteries? Leave a comment below or shoot us an email at res.life@reed.edu!
