Reed College is investigating a complaint alleging that a long-running fall tradition, which this year and in previous years involved some naked students, created a hostile learning environment for victims of sexual assault, The Oregonian reported.
The complaint was filed with the college by an unidentified member of its community, and alleges a violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the federal gender-equity law that prohibits sex discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds.
A Reed spokesman told the newspaper that the complaint stemmed from an annual ritual that takes place before the first lecture in a humanities course that is required of all freshmen. Juniors and seniors convene outside the building and demand that freshmen offer up “libations” for the gods. The students pour coffee and other drinks on the ground in the hopes of being granted good luck for the academic year.
While some students showed up dressed as gods, others came naked, and the spokesman said some students have also appeared naked in past years. John R. Kroger, the college’s president, wrote in an e-mail to the campus cited by the newspaper that freshmen could not enter the building without encountering those students, who were yelling and gesticulating.
In his e-mail, Mr. Kroger wrote that he was “sure the students in question believed they were engaged in harmless fun,” but he said that “the conduct of the nude students caused deep distress to some members of our community.” He wrote that once the college completed its investigation, it would take whatever steps were necessary to ensure a safe environment for students and employees.