Dear Reader,
The Grail is your newsmagazine.
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We hope you, our reader, will help us on our journey to redefine what student publications can and should be.
Love,
The Editors
Brendan Sorrell, Clara Rice, Jordan Yu, Lauren Cooper, & Vikram Chan-Herur
News & Features
When the Mountaineering Club pulled up to the Ozone climbing area last Saturday I eagerly awaited my first view of the jagged basalt rocks, hidden within a forested area. We clambered out of the van and surveyed the rocks, thought about which routes we wanted to climb, set up our gear and talked excitedly about the promise of the day.
Paideia went punk. Junior physics major Julia Selker organized Punkdeia at an off campus house the Wednesday of Paideia 2014. Completely autonomous from Reed, Punkdeia was a daylong progression of Paideia-style classes, several of which would likely not have been approved by the administration. But first some history. Julia was embroiled in the controversy that racked Paideia last year.
As Paideia Czar for the 2013 Paideia, Julia had been responsible for all of Paideia. She collected and went through the proposed classes and met with Community Safety and Facilities Services who looked for safety hazards and ensured that no buildings or trees would be damaged. The CSO check was pretty rudimentary. They made sure the liquor courses would check for IDs and the teacher of the straight razor class wasn’t a budding Sweeney Todd.
The monumental Paideia schedule dominated the GCC Lobby from January 18th until the first day of classes, directing knowledge-seekers to an exhaustive list of educational and recreational opportunities. One of the week’s events, however, appeared nowhere on the list.
On January 24th, the Friday of Paideia, alumnus Richard Milsom led an unofficial, unsanctioned “Entheogenesis Seminar” in the Student Union. Participants discussed legal issues surrounding psychoactive drugs used for spiritual purposes, or entheogens. Conversation focused especially on the 2006 Supreme Court case UDV v. Gonzalez — in which the Court unanimously upheld a religious movement’s right to the sacramental use of ayahuasca, a Schedule I substance — and its implications for religious freedom and drug policy in America.
The Grail spoke to Mr. Milsom a week later about his past, his class, and his motives in holding it even though he had been denied permission by the Paideia czars.
Graceful Grousings
De Sastre
We are Alexis Angulo ’16 and Mia Uribe Kozlovsky ’16. We’re starting column focused on Reedie fashion. As you’ve probably observed, Reedies tend to be eclectic in their fashion choices and usually can’t be found in your typical collegiate sweatpants and Ugg boots. So if you see us around, tell us whaddup, and we’ll be happy to take your picture and hear the story about what you chose to put on your body today. Have fun deciphering why we called it “De Sastre,” and we can’t wait to see you in two weeks.
Burn After Reading
Dissident Gardens
By Jonathan Lethem
Doubleday, 384 pp.
Jonathan Lethem’s latest novel, Dissident Gardens, weaves together Communism, socialism, hippieism and even the Occupy movement — the threads of dissent in American culture — only to have them unravel. His characters seem unconcerned with maintaining their objective ideological identities if they appear to be at odds with their personal aspirations.
Astral Projections
I’m sure you’re all feeling relieved with the sun in Aquarius and out of restrictive Capricorn. No more oppressive families and back to good ol’ academic masochism. On top of this rejuvenating freedom, Venus finally ended its retrograde on January 31st, which means that your stifled love life has hopes of taking off again.