A core aspect of Reed that sets it apart from other institutions is the existence of the Honor Principle. While many colleges and universities have honor codes or statements clarifying the expected behavior of their community members, Reed leaves the interpretation of honor largely up to its community members. While the honor principle has no formal definition, the most common interpretation of the Honor Principle mentions that any action that causes unnecessary pain or discomfort to any member of the Reed community, group within the community, or to the community as a whole, is a violation of the Honor Principle. The Honor Council attempts to re-encapsulate what the Honor Principle means to the community at large every 20 years.
This code of conduct allows for the Reed community to develop our values together. Coming to an understanding of what honorable behavior is and what the Honor Principle means is a morally and intellectually challenging part of the Reed education. It is up to each member of the community to engage with the trust, as well as responsibility placed on them by the Honor Principle in order for the community to support everyone!
Below are some accounts about the honor principle from alum Andrei Stephens ’08 and current J-Board (Judicial Board) member Nicole Li ’25 respectively.
“The Honor Principle was a huge part of Reed when I was there. It permeated everything and was constantly reinforced. Professors would do things like give us a test on Monday and say it was due Saturday but to only spend 3 hours on it. They were able to do that because of the Honor Principle, it was understood. We all left food and electronics and anything else out in public spaces — if it wasn’t marked “K”, nobody would take it. You can test things that you can’t test in the absence of the Honor Principle. If you can’t cite sources directly or use the software that practitioners of your field would use because professors are worried about ‘cheating’, they can’t test the ability to use those tools effectively. The Honor Principle doesn’t mean never getting things wrong; it means that when you do get things wrong you did it from an honorable attempt to engage, and you take responsibility and seek to make things right. The assumption that in an argument all parties were engaging not to ‘be right’ but to probe the truth allowed us to learn more and deepen our perspectives in ways that we simply could not if we had different community expectations.
Unfortunately most of the world does not operate on the Honor Principle. I appreciate my time in the Reed community all the more because I know that we can speak openly with each other, and the assumption of good faith engagement drives our spaces.”
– Andrei Stephens ’08, self-proclaimed Honor Principle Zealot and President of the Alumni Board
“As a J-Board member and student, the Honor Principle is near and dear to my heart. It shows me how much trust we have in this community, and the immense amount of care we hold each other to. Its beauty lies in its ability to be flexible and capture not only individual perspectives of Honor, but the communities beliefs and culture. That is why it is extremely important to me that the Reed Community continue ongoing conversations around the Honor Principle, encouraging education to give incoming students the foundation to critique and reflect about their own relationships with the Honor Principle, and for older students and alumni to revisit how their understanding of the Honor Principle has changed.
In my life the Honor Principle goes beyond my role of J-Board, but thinking about the greater relationships I have with my peers, how we can support each other, and uplift the community. From an academic perspective I often think about Honor through making learning accessible and empowering for others in my other campus roles. Being able to live with the Honor Principle sparks a different type of purpose, a standard that you hold yourself to in hopes of building a strong and healthy community.”
– Nicole Li ’25, Student J-Board Member
As the Honor Principle exists only in the confines of the Reed community, I hope that this reminder of its principles and ideals encourages Reedies of all kinds to remember the values that connect us.
With honor,
Taliah Churchill ’25
