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Virtual Tour

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Reed College Virtual Tour

Are you applying to reed explore the campus using the virtual tour below..

Virtual tours are a great way to refresh your memory or to preview an on-site tour of Reed College.

Why a Virtual Tour?

At the beginning of your college search, a virtual tour can be a beneficial tool to explore the campus before your visit. When you do visit the campus, be sure to talk to current students about their experiences. A student perspective is a helpful way to gauge your future experience when attending Reed. Already took an on-campus tour? It's inevitable. All of your college tours will blend, and you might forget the appearance of Reed College's library, dorms, or cafeteria. Use the virtual tour to jog your memory! With the interactive mapping tool below you can even explore the area surrounding the campus.

Use the resources below to start your virtual tour.

Using the Map

Click and drag the little orange person to a location on the map. Locations with panoramas appear as blue lines or blue dots when moving the orange person. The blue dots are panoramic views that you may swivel. The blue lines are paths that you can navigate along.

Panoramic View

You can "pan" or "swivel" the camera around by clicking on the image and dragging your mouse or finger. If you see a white arrow on the picture, you can click or tap on it to move in the direction of the arrow. This will also update the location of the little orange person on the map so you can get a better sense of where you are and what direction you are facing.

Continue Your Research on Reed

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Reed Comes to You

Throughout the year, we visit high schools across the country, host special receptions, and attend college fairs. Join our mailing list to receive invites to future Reed Comes to You events in your area.

We also encourage you to visit campus or connect with us virtually ! We offer many events designed to help you get to know Reed and ace your college search and application.

Explore Our College Search and Application Events

Virtual Interviews

An interview is a casual conversation with an admission counselor or student intern that lets us get to know you better. It's also a chance for you to talk one-on-one with a Reed representative, so feel free to ask us questions!

An interview is an optional component of the Reed application process. Interviews are open to high school seniors and transfer students. Students must be attending school in the US or studying abroad as US citizens. Select international students will be invited to interview after submitting an application.

Sign Up for a Virtual Interview

Receptions and College Fairs

Reed   receptions are a great way to get to know Reed, meet our team, and mingle with other prospective Reedies. If you're not seeing any events in your region, please check back—we'll be adding more in the coming weeks.

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Transfer Student Deadlines and Decision Dates

First-year applicants may choose between two application platforms to submit an application form and required supplemental material. Reed is a member of the Coalition for College, a group of over 150 colleges and universities ( coalitionforcollegeaccess.org ). Reed is also a member of the Common Application, a consortium of more than 800 colleges and universities ( commonapp.org ). Both applications may be submitted online beginning August 1. Students should not submit more than one of these applications in a given year. Reed has no preference for which application is selected.

Transfer applicants may use the Common Application platform ( commonapp.org ).

Application procedures for first-year and transfer students are addressed in the following sections, and detailed instructions are available at the Reed Admission website. The Office of Admission may limit the reapplication process for a candidate. Prospective students with questions about the college and the admission process, or with requests for special consideration, may call the Office of Admission at 503-777-7511 or 800-547-4750, or send email to [email protected] . The Reed Admission website is reed.edu/apply .

First-Year Students

Applicants seeking admission to Reed as first-year students must submit the application form and Reed supplement via the Coalition Application or the Common Application, a counselor recommendation, official high school and college transcripts for all schools attended (whether or not credit for those courses transfers to Reed), and two recommendations from teachers in different core academic disciplines (English, mathematics, science, a non-English language, history, or social studies). Recommendations are also accepted from any instructor of a College Board Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) course, or from any college professor who has taught the applicant in a credit-bearing course, including fine arts or theory of knowledge courses.

If applying for financial aid, the college requires both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is due at the time of application. See note about changes to the FAFSA, below.* Students interested in receiving federal aid only do not need to complete the CSS Profile. Late applications for financial aid may not be considered for institutional funding. Inaccurate reporting of financial information by the student or parent may disqualify the student from receiving institutional funding. The Office of Financial Aid may request additional materials from any applicant.

Reed will not require or use testing results from the SAT or ACT in admission review for the fall 2024 admission cycle for domestic students in a public or independent school curriculum. Students in a homeschool curriculum may choose to submit the SAT and/or ACT for consideration in admission review. With the exception of homeschool applicants who have chosen to submit test scores, Reed will not review or use SAT or ACT scores in the admission process. However, applicants are welcome and encouraged to submit test scores for future analysis.

The Admission Committee will reevaluate this policy after the fall 2024 cycle and may require applicants to submit test scores for fall 2025 and beyond. If this happens, Reed will require applicants to submit the results of either the SAT or ACT entrance examination. There is no preference for one examination over the other.

Students are encouraged to submit their IB, AP, and/or SAT II (subject tests), as that data may enhance an applicant’s candidacy.

All matriculating first-year students are required to send an official copy of their final high school transcript showing graduation date to the Office of Admission by July 15. Alternatively, students may send a copy of their GED results or state certification. Enrollment is contingent upon successful completion of high school.

An admission interview is required for students attending early college high school programs or graduating early.

The Office of Admission may request additional materials or activity from or waive certain requirements for any applicant.

Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents should read the additional information in the “ International Citizens ” section under “ Admission Policies .”

Early Decision

Early Decision is a binding admission process and an excellent option for first-year applicants who decide that Reed is their first-choice college. Students who are certain that they will attend Reed if admitted are encouraged to apply as Early Decision candidates. There is no Early Decision option for transfer applicants.

Students applying under one of the Early Decision plans may submit nonbinding applications to other institutions; if admitted to Reed, Early Decision candidates must immediately withdraw all other college applications and must not initiate any new applications, or Reed will withdraw all offers of admission.

A student may not apply to more than one institution as an Early Decision candidate. With Early Decision applicants, the Admission Committee will offer or deny admission or postpone a decision (to reconsider the application in the Regular Decision round). Early Decision candidates whose applications are denied may not submit another application for the same year. Early Decision candidates whose applications are postponed to Regular Decision admission are encouraged to add supporting application materials.

Early Decision students will receive one of their top two choices of residence hall. There is no difference between the financial support students receive as an Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision applicant. All admitted students receive Reed’s best financial support regardless of decision round.

Early Decision I (ED I): Candidates applying under ED I must submit application materials by November 1. If the CSS Profile is on file in the financial aid office by November 1, admitted students will be notified of their aid eligibility shortly after receiving the admission decision. See note about changes to the FAFSA, below.* Students admitted at this time are expected to submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 within two weeks of receiving their notification of admission or within 10 days of receiving their financial aid award, whichever is later. A confirmation deposit of $400 is due by June 1. The offer of admission to an Early Decision I candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of all academic work in progress.

Early Decision II (ED II): Candidates applying under ED II must submit application materials by December 20 and are strongly encouraged to submit fall semester or first trimester grades, if available. If the CSS Profile is on file in the financial aid office by December 20, admitted students will be notified of their aid eligibility shortly after receiving the admission decision. See note about changes to the FAFSA, below.* Students admitted at this time are expected to submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 within two weeks of receiving their notification of admission or within 10 days of receiving their financial aid award, whichever is later. A confirmation deposit of $400 is due by June 1. The offer of admission to an Early Decision II candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of all academic work in progress.

Early Action

Early Action is the earliest general round and the favored option for students who prefer a nonbinding admission process. Candidates for Early Action admission should submit their application by November 1 for consideration for fall entrance. Admitted students who have submitted all required financial aid documentation by the deadline will receive financial aid notifications in March. Reed subscribes to the National Candidate Reply Date of May 1; admitted Early Action students must notify the college of their intent to enroll and submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 by May 1 and a confirmation deposit of $400 by June 1. The offer of admission to an Early Action candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of all academic work in progress and the submission of a deposit to Reed.

Regular Decision

Regular Decision is a nonbinding admission process. Candidates for Regular Decision admission should submit their application by January 15 for consideration for fall entrance. The expected mail date of admission decisions for on-time and complete applications is April 1. Admitted students who have submitted all required financial aid documentation by the deadline will receive financial aid notifications on a rolling basis.

Reed subscribes to the National Candidates Reply Date of May 1; admitted Regular Decision students must notify the college of their intent to enroll and submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 by May 1 and a confirmation deposit of $400 by June 1. The offer of admission to a Regular Decision candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of all academic work in progress and the submission of a deposit to Reed.

*Due to significant FAFSA changes, the 2024-25 FAFSA will not be available until December 2023. Reed will estimate eligibility based on the CSS Profile. Once available, the FAFSA will be required to finalize aid eligibility.

A student must apply as a transfer applicant rather than a first-year applicant if they have graduated from high school or the equivalent, and, by the time of enrollment at Reed, have:

• Enrolled in one or more classes at an accredited institution of higher learning (even if the student withdrew from any or all of the classes) after completing a high school diploma or equivalent, or
• Completed one or more terms (a quarter or a semester) as a full-time student at an accredited institution of higher learning, or
• Received financial aid at an accredited institution of higher learning, or
• Earned a minimum of six Reed units (24 semester or 36 quarter hours) of allowable transfer credit. One Reed unit is the equivalent of four semester hours or six quarter hours.

Transfer applicants must use the Common Application to submit their application form and supplement. They must also submit a College Report (rather than a counselor recommendation), an official high school transcript showing graduation date (students who did not graduate from high school but earned a GED must submit both the high school transcript and GED test results), official transcripts from all secondary schools and colleges attended (whether or not credit for those courses transfers to Reed), and one letter of recommendation from a college instructor. An additional recommendation may be from a high school instructor, a college instructor, or an employer. If the student is applying for financial aid, the college requires both the FAFSA (domestic students only) and the CSS Profile in order to award institutional funding.

The Office of Admission may request additional materials or activity (such as an interview) from any applicant or waive certain requirements. The offer of admission to a transfer candidate is contingent upon successful completion of current college work.

Standardized test results (SAT or ACT) that transfer applicants have already taken may be submitted with the application.

Results of additional tests such as IB, AP, and/or SAT II (subject tests) are optional and encouraged.

For students who are international and either do not speak English at home or attend schools where the language of instruction is not English, the college requires the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System assessment (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test. In some cases, a student may also submit the results of the SAT or ACT.

Each admitted transfer applicant will be given a preliminary analysis of transfer credit. Courses are evaluated in light of their applicability toward a liberal arts degree and in the context of the Reed College curriculum. Credit is not awarded for professional, technical, vocational, or remedial courses. Class standing (first-year or sophomore) is determined by the number of units approved by Reed for transfer. Reed requires two full years (15 units, or 60 semester hours) completed in residence at Reed to obtain the degree. Upon receipt of the final college transcripts, the registrar’s office will prepare a final credit evaluation for each transfer enrollee. Junior class standing at Reed is granted only with the approval of the intended major department.

To facilitate the transition between colleges, each transfer student is assigned an academic adviser with whom to consult before registration. The adviser will help arrange the student’s program of study, taking into account the student’s previous college work, the student’s educational goals, and Reed’s distribution requirements.

To receive full consideration, transfer applicants should submit application materials to the Office of Admission by the March 1 priority deadline or the May 1 regular deadline. These deadlines are especially important for those candidates who intend to apply for financial aid. Students may continue to submit applications after May 1 and will receive consideration if room is available.

If the FAFSA (domestic students only) and the CSS Profile are on file in the financial aid office by March 1 or May 1, admitted students will receive financial aid notifications shortly after receiving the admission decision, generally within two weeks.

Admitted transfers must notify the college of their intent to enroll and submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 within 21 days of receiving the offer of admission. All enrolling transfer students are required to send final official college transcripts to the Office of Admission before registering at the college.

Non-U.S. citizens planning to transfer to Reed should be sure to read the information in the “ International Citizens ” section under “ Admission Policies .”

Spring/Midyear Transfer

Candidates for spring/midyear transfer admission should submit their application by November 15 for consideration for spring entrance. Admitted students who have submitted all required financial aid documentation by the deadline will receive financial aid notifications shortly after receiving the admission decision, generally within two weeks. Admitted spring/midyear transfer students must notify the college of their intent to enroll and submit a nonrefundable $400 enrollment deposit 10 days after notification of admission or 10 days after receipt of financial aid notification, whichever is later.

The offer of admission to a spring/midyear transfer candidate is contingent upon the successful completion of all academic work in progress.

Admission Policies

In considering the needs of Reed applicants, the college follows the admission policies stated here. Requests for special consideration should be discussed with the Office of Admission.

Transfer Credit for Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment: Credit and Noncredit

Prematriculation credit is credit earned for academic work prior to enrolling at Reed College. It includes:

• Regular college courses completed while in high school or as a non-degree-seeking student after high school graduation but prior to matriculating at Reed. These courses must appear on an official transcript from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution and meet Reed’s standards for transfer. They may apply toward Reed’s group and division requirements.
• Advanced Placement (AP) credit, International Baccalaureate (IB) credit, or other exam credit. These credits may not apply towards Reed’s group, division, major, or minor requirements.

Students may receive up to eight total units of prematriculation credit. Those eight units may be from regular college courses, exam credit, or a combination of both. The successful transfer of prematriculation credit does not affect class standing at Reed. Students who successfully transfer prematriculation credit are still classified as first-year students and must participate in the Humanities 110 requirement.

Credit is allowed on the basis of some College Board Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations. For departments that grant credit for AP and IB exams, scores of four or five are required for AP, and scores of five and above are required for IB Higher Level exams.

A current list of scores accepted for credit can be found on our website at reed.edu/apply/guide-to-applying/first-year/index.html#college-credit .

For information regarding transfer credit and cross-registration, please see Academic Policies    in the “ The Educational Program   ” section of this catalog.

Campus Visits and Events

The Office of Admission recommends that prospective students initiate personal contact with the college in person and/or online. One way of accomplishing this is through virtual or in-person visits and events. The admission visits and events calendar may be found online at reed.edu/apply/visit . Many events feature Reed faculty. To be connected with Reed faculty outside of an event, please contact the Office of Admission.

Virtual visits are offered throughout the year and include virtual information sessions, virtual one-on-one meetings and interviews, virtual campus tours, and special events. Students may also view recordings of past virtual sessions and other original content on the college’s YouTube channel .

Prospective students may also register for an on-campus visit. While on campus, students may be able to take part in a general information session, interview with an admission counselor or student admission intern, tour the campus, attend classes, eat in the dining hall, and spend the night in a residence hall.

Parents are encouraged to attend the information session and tour. Classroom visits are available for high school seniors only and may be scheduled through the Office of Admission. When available, hosted overnight accommodations in a residence hall are open to high school seniors for one night, Sunday through Thursday, when classes are in session. The Office of Admission requests two weeks’ notice from students who plan to interview or spend the night on campus. Generally, overnight visits during the month of April are reserved for admitted students.

Visits are most productive on weekdays during the regular school year, when classes are in session. They may be arranged through the Office of Admission, which is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. (Pacific time) except for major holidays and college event days. The office is also open on weekdays in the summer and on selected Saturday mornings in the fall and spring semesters.

The Office of Admission hosts campus events throughout the year. Please visit reed.edu/apply/visit to view the most current list of events.

During an interview, a prospective student can ask questions and learn more about the college in a relaxed setting, while an admission counselor, student admission intern, or alumni representative has an opportunity to learn more about the student and share about Reed. The latest information about interview deadlines for first-year applicants is available online at reed.edu/apply/guide-to-applying/first-year .

Interviews are offered virtually and on campus throughout the year. Students may also choose to interview with an admission counselor visiting their area or an admission alumni representative. Off-campus interviews are typically offered between October and April.

Interviews are encouraged for admission but are not required.

Deferred Entrance

First-year students may request to defer entrance for one year once they have made their nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $400 by May 1. Students intending to defer must pay their second deposit by June 1. Students granted deferred admission must confirm their intent to enroll by submitting a third and final $400 confirmation deposit by January 10 of the following year. Deposits are credited toward tuition.

Transfer students are generally not eligible for deferred entrance except in the case of military or religious service or medical necessity (documentation may be required). Only in rare cases is deferred entrance available for students admitted from the waitlist.

The priority deadline for deferred entrance requests is May 15. Students who wish to request deferred entrance must write to the vice president and dean of admission and financial aid, providing a detailed plan for the deferral year. Deferral requests will not be considered without an enrollment deposit.

If the deferral request is approved, the deposits will reserve a place in the desired entering class and will be applied toward the student’s first-semester tuition at Reed. A student granted deferred admission must agree not to enroll at another college or university as a full- or part-time student, nor to apply to other colleges or universities during the deferral year.

Students who defer can expect a similar financial aid package, should their financial circumstances remain consistent, but Reed does not guarantee financial aid awards. The financial aid application process must be completed annually and by the deadline to determine eligibility for financial aid.

Historically, around 50% of deferral requests are approved. If the deferral request is not granted, Reed anticipates the student will enroll in the upcoming fall. If the student chooses to forfeit enrollment after May 1, deposits will not be refunded.

Rescinding Admission

The National Association for College Admission Counseling reports various reasons that colleges and universities rescind admission offers, including final grades, disciplinary issues, missed deadlines, and falsification of application information. In rare cases, the vice president and dean of admission and financial aid will make the difficult decision to rescind an admission offer for reasons described above, for other reasons, or in other cases where the student is in violation of Reed’s Honor Principle. Reed may or may not disclose the reasons for this decision to any party. The decision is never taken lightly and the college always offers the student an opportunity to explain circumstances or to provide new information before the offer of admission is rescinded.

Out of respect for the privacy of the individual, Reed will not comment on the specifics that lead to a rescission. The college works diligently to build each entering class in line with its educational mission.

Applicants Graduating from High School Early

The Admission Committee will consider applications from exceptionally qualified high school students who wish to enter Reed before they turn 17 years of age. These applicants should have an outstanding high school record and have exhausted the educational opportunities available to them at their high school.

Applicants who, if admitted, would enter Reed prior to turning 17 years of age will follow the standard first-year application process, with one exception. These applicants are required to have an admission interview. In addition, applicants must be sure to address in the application why they are seeking admission to Reed prior to turning 17 years of age.

Applicants who intend to apply for financial aid should note that federal regulations require that students receive a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent, such as the General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or other state-sanctioned test or diploma-equivalency certificate, in order to be eligible to receive federal financial aid.

Students at Early College Programs

Students who enroll in early college programs are required to complete the application for admission and interview with a faculty member and admission staff member as part of their application review process.

International Citizens

Reed encourages applications from qualified international citizens seeking a broad and rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences. The Admission Committee pays particular attention to the applicant’s ability to read, write, and understand English, since the substance of Reed’s courses and the style in which they are conducted demand a high degree of proficiency in the language.

Students must submit the application form and Reed supplement via either the Coalition Application or the Common Application, a counselor recommendation, a complete secondary school transcript (including predicted A-level results, where relevant), a secondary school report, and two teacher recommendations.

For students who are international and either do not speak English at home or attend schools where the language of instruction is not English, the college recommends the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System assessment (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test. The college will also accept the SAT or the ACT as a replacement for the English proficiency verification. These tests should be taken before January preceding the academic year for which admission is sought.

More information about admission and financial aid for international citizens can be found at reed.edu/apply/guide-to-applying/international/index.html . Any questions about application status, timing, or unusual circumstances should be sent to the Office of Admission at [email protected] .

To apply for financial aid, submit the CSS Profile by the appropriate deadline according to the table at the beginning of the admission section, and a complete International Student Certification of Finances form through the secure document submission portal of the Reed College Office of Financial Aid. Documentation of resources on a Certification of Finances form is necessary before Reed can issue the I-20 form to admitted students.

Homeschooled Students

Homeschooled applicants must submit the application form and Reed supplement through the Common Application or the Coalition Application. Reed has no preference for which application is selected.

Homeschooled applicants who intend to apply for financial aid should note that federal regulations require that students receive a high school diploma or recognized equivalent, such as a General Education Development (GED) certificate, other state-sanctioned test or diploma-equivalency certificate, or state certification in order to be eligible to receive federal financial aid.

Students who meet their state’s requirement for homeschooling at the secondary level may have an alternative to the high school diploma. This alternative is a certification stating that the student has the academic qualifications necessary for a high school diploma as approved by the state. The student must be above the age of compulsory education in the home state. A copy of this certification must be submitted to Reed’s financial aid office in order to establish federal aid eligibility.

In order to help us best assess the student’s readiness to attend Reed, the homeschooled applicant must include the following with the application:

• Official transcripts of any high school or college work undertaken or completed;
• A letter of reference from a tutor, evaluator, or teacher who is not a family member;
• The School Report. Parents are often instrumental in the homeschooling process and may complete the School Report, if applicable.

In order to strengthen the application, we recommend:

• An interview, either on or off campus, with an admission counselor. Interviews are generally available from July through December for first-year applicants and through February for transfer applicants.
• Two academic references are preferred. If it is difficult to obtain references from two academic sources, a second letter of reference may come from an employer, supervisor, or any non-family member who can address important personal qualities such as responsibility, creativity, discipline, and initiative.
• Submission of the ACT or SAT. While not required, the college recognizes that traditional comparable metrics may not be available for homeschooled students. As a result, Reed considers the ACT or SAT should homeschooled students include test scores in the application.

Nontraditional Students

Reed welcomes the diversity of age and experience that nontraditional students bring to campus. The college welcomes applications from students who have been away from school for a time but wish to begin or resume college studies toward a bachelor’s degree.

The Reed curriculum and community offer an atmosphere of serious learning appropriate for the mature student who plans to pursue a full-time program. Reed encourages students who have been out of school for more than three years to take college courses before applying to support their body of academic work.

Reed participates in the Osher Reentry Scholarship Program. The program offers annual scholarships of up to $5,000 to support students aged 25-50 who have experienced a cumulative gap in their education of five or more years; are at the undergraduate level and pursuing their first baccalaureate degree; anticipate workforce participation for a significant period of time after graduation; demonstrate financial need; and show academic promise and a commitment to obtaining their degree.

For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected] .

Reapplication

Students who applied to Reed and did not enroll may reapply using their past submitted application and under the following conditions:

• Reed keeps first-year applications on file for two years. If a reapplying student does not have an application on file, they must complete a new application.
• The reapplying student must request reactivation of their file by emailing [email protected] . If that request is granted, the Office of Admission will inform the reapplying student of any required new materials that need to be submitted.
• A reapplying student who was originally placed on the waitlist or denied will be allowed to reapply to Reed as a transfer applicant only after completing at least one semester of college coursework (or the equivalent of four Reed units). More than one semester of college coursework will significantly increase the likelihood of admission.
• A reapplying student should include a letter detailing what they have done since previously applying.
• The Office of Admission may limit the number of times a student applies for admission.

Readmission

Readmission refers to students who have been degree-seeking students at Reed in the past and who wish to reenter the college. Readmission is processed by the registrar’s office; see the section on “ Academic Policies: Leave of Absence and Withdrawal from the College    .”  

The waitlist refers to applicants who are not immediately granted admission to Reed but may be admitted at a later date. Applicants who are placed on the waitlist are asked to share their plans with the college; a waitlisted applicant may indicate a preference to remain on the waitlist for future consideration or indicate a desire not to be considered at a later date.

If an applicant accepts a position on the waitlist, that applicant may submit additional materials, though it is not required that they do so.

Applicants on the waitlist may be considered for admission to Reed until waitlist activity concludes for the year. Applicants will be informed by email when waitlist activity is complete.

Reed is unable to accommodate requests to discuss specific details about individual admission decisions. Our selection process involves a careful and holistic review of each completed application received. Unless new and compelling information is presented, it is unlikely that an admission decision will be reversed.

For an appeal to have merit, it must bring to light new and substantive information regarding academic performance and/or information pertaining to extenuating circumstances that were not discussed in the application. All appeals can be submitted to [email protected] .

Special Admission Groups

Persons not enrolled full time at Reed may audit courses with the written permission of the instructor, but are restricted to no more than two courses in any academic year. Applications for auditing are due August 1 for fall courses and November 15 for spring courses.

Audited courses are not recorded on the college transcript. Auditors will not be permitted in classes that are overenrolled, capped, or filled, nor in any Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) classes. They have the privilege of active participation in the class only when the instructor grants permission. They may have access to materials relevant to the course with the written permission of the instructor. The fee for auditing is $100 per course, per semester. Auditors in laboratory and studio courses may be required to pay an additional fee.

Auditors are not matriculated students and, as a result, do not have access to student, campus, or community services. Examples include but are not limited to clubs, organizations, residence halls, events, medical resources, the dining hall, student spaces, affinity groups, financial services, student budgets, recreational facilities, athletic teams, or any other campus or student service.

Auditors are subject to the policies listed under “ Rescinding Admission ,” and may be dismissed from attending Reed classes at any time.

Auditing physical education classes is not permitted. Students who are not currently enrolled and who have recently completed a Reed thesis but need additional PE credit to graduate may register for PE and must pay the audit fee. The approval of the instructor and the Director of Athletics, Fitness, and Outdoor Programs is required.

Full-time Reed students, faculty, staff members, and the spouses or domestic partners of full-time faculty and staff members may audit courses without charge. Written approval of the appropriate instructor and faculty adviser is required. The form for auditing a class is available in the Office of Admission.

Visiting Students

Visiting students-students who wish to spend a semester or a year at Reed while working toward a degree from another college or university-may apply for admission as a visiting student. The application for visiting students is housed on the website of the International Programs Office, under “Exchange students at Reed.” Applicants must submit the application form, their most recent transcript, one letter of recommendation from a faculty member, a letter of endorsement from the applicant’s home school, and a copy of the photo page of the applicant’s passport.

Visiting student applications should be filed by April 30 for fall entrance, or by October 30 for spring entrance. Although visiting students are not eligible for financial aid, they may be able to find employment on or off campus.

Visiting students are subject to the policies listed under “ Rescinding Admission ,” and may be dismissed from attending Reed classes at any time.

On-campus housing may be arranged on a space-available basis. Visiting students who wish to stay at Reed beyond the year allotted must apply for regular transfer admission through the Common Application. More details on this program are available from the International Programs Office or the Office of Admission.

Special Students (Nondegree Students)

Those other than visiting students who wish to take one or more courses at Reed but who do not wish to attend full time or work toward a Reed degree may apply for admission as special, nondegree students. Access to college facilities is determined on a case-by-case basis and may change without notification. While they are not eligible for financial aid, they may be able to obtain employment on or off campus. They should file a Special Student application, available from the Office of Admission, before June 1 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester. Fees are assessed on a per-unit basis and are listed with college costs.

Special students are subject to the policies listed under “ Rescinding Admission ,” and may be dismissed from attending Reed classes at any time.

Young Scholars Program

The Young Scholars program allows high school seniors to study concurrently at Reed. The program provides a unique opportunity each year for approximately 16 students from the metropolitan area who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and a commitment to serious study in a rigorous college setting. Eligible students must have exhausted high school curriculum options in a subject of interest, or be able to demonstrate a serious and sustained interest in a subject not offered at the high school.

An applicant must be concurrently enrolled at least half time in high school. If spaces are available after all qualified seniors have been accommodated, junior applicants may occasionally be accepted to the program. Young Scholars must commit to taking Reed coursework for the full academic year and complete the same course requirements as Reed undergraduates, and are awarded Reed credit for work successfully completed. Continued participation in the program for the second semester is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the first and the recommendation of the professor. A scholarship covers all tuition costs; student expenses include a $100 fee per semester plus books and transportation.

Admission to the Young Scholars program is highly competitive. Applications and recommendations are due by April 1 for fall admission and December 1 for spring. Information on the program and course options, along with application materials, is available at reed.edu/young_scholars . Please direct inquiries to [email protected] .

Young Scholars are subject to the policies listed under “ Rescinding Admission ,” and may be dismissed from attending Reed classes at any time. Access to college facilities is determined on a case-by-case basis and may change without notification.

Contact Information

You may reach the Office of Admission by phone at 503-777-7511 or 800-547-4750, by email at [email protected] , or by mail at Office of Admission, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland OR 97202-8199. Information about the application and admission process can be found at reed.edu/apply .

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Reed College

General Information

2023-2024 tuition, enrollment statistics, admission requirements, sports and athletics, majors/degrees conferred.

-d denotes that program is also offered through distance education.

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Reed Research Reactor

Reed reactor visitor information.

A reactor student staff member leading a tour. Credit: Reed Alumni Association

[ In-Person Visits and Tours  | Virtual Tours and Activities |  Labs and Demonstrations  | Mail ]

In-Person Visits and Tours

We offer free in-person tours and labs to educational groups. If you would like to visit the reactor for a tour and/or a lab please fill out a Tour Request Form . We will try to get back to you within 3 business days. Please give us at least a week's notice for requested tour dates, otherwise we may not be able to accomodate your tour. For more information email us at [email protected] . Note: In general, we do not offer tours to individual members of the public, or groups that are not associated with educational institutions or programs fulfilling an educational mission. 

The tour lasts about 1 hour, and covers a wide range of topics, such as the basics of reactor physics, our operator training program, and the research we do. Tours can easily be tailored for many different age groups and levels of education, from about sixth graders to adults. In addition to tours, we offer a variety of labs , listed below. 

We ask that you limit your group size to 30 people**, and take responsibility for chaperoning any young children. If anyone in your group requires any specific accommodations (such as wheelchair access, a translator, etc.) please let us know beforehand so we can make any arrangements necessary. The minimum age for tours and labs is 10 years old.

** Any tours over Reed's summer break (May 14th to August 25th, 2024) must be 15 people or less. 

If any member of your group is sick with a contagious or infectious disease or virus such as the flu, please have them stay home.

We meet visiting groups in the Chemistry Building Lobby. Directions to Reed College can be found here and a campus map can be found here.  

When visiting the Reed Reactor:  

• You will be asked to leave food and beverage outside.
• You will be asked to leave bags and heavy coats in the hallway.
• You will be asked to print your name in our Visitor Log.
• You may be asked for photo identification if you are 18+.
• You should wear closed-toe shoes.
• You must ask permission before taking photos or video.
• Your tour ends at the scheduled time; if you are late we will not be able to extend your time past the scheduled end-time. 

Virtual Tours and Activities

If you are unable to take an in-person tour we have a variety of videos about the reactor:

• A reactor tour video produced by a reactor student  (made in 2020, 32 minutes)
• A short Popular Science video (made in 2011, 2 minutes)
• Will and Norm from Adam Savage’s Tested channel visit the reactor (made in 2012, 26 minutes)
• A Reedie Campus Close-Up about the reactor made by two reactor students (made in 2021, 6 minutes)

If you’d like to do a lab at home or in the classroom:

• We filmed a vanadium half-life lab (and worksheet) where students will plot the decay curve of radioactive vanadium and then calculate its half-life. 
• We filmed a shielding lab (and worksheet ) where students will analyze how well different materials shield against different types of radiation . 
• UC Boulder has created a Build a Nucleus simulator where students can build their own atom and explore radioactive decay. The simulator and associated activities are free to use, although teachers/educators need to register (for free) to access the activity worksheets. 
• You can calculate your background radiation dose with this online worksheet .

You can also visit the American Nuclear Society’s website where they have a large variety of classroom resources .

Labs and Demonstrations

These are the labs we do most often. Labs are best suited for six to twelve students, take about 1 hour, and will be run by student staff members.  

Vanadium Half-life lab

Students measure the half-life of a short-lived radioisotope. This is our most popular lab and scales well for a variety of age groups.

Silver Dime Lab (Half-Life)

This is a slightly more sophisticated version of the Half-life lab. Allow students to measure the radiation coming off of dimes, which have two simultaneously decaying isotopes of silver. Good for older groups (College and some high school groups).  Please note that this lab requires more staffing than the other labs and may not be available.

Detecting Radiation

Student learn good survey technique as you get the opportunity to detect the common sources of radiation from our everyday lives. Good for younger groups (8 th grade and younger).

If you enjoyed your tour and want to thank our students, please address your mail to:

Reed Reactor 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland, OR 97202  USA

If you cannot mail your letter or package, you must contact the Director or ROM to arrange an in-person delivery. 

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Penn College bestows year-end recognition upon faculty, staff

Published 05.09.2024

Photos by Alexandra Butler, photographer/photo editor

Pennsylvania College of Technology presented faculty and staff with a variety of awards and recognized employees and retirees who have reached significant milestones as the 2023-24 academic year concludes.

President Michael J. Reed celebrated the honorees during a May 9 All-College meeting in the Klump Academic Center auditorium.

Distinguished Teaching Distinguished Teaching Awards are presented to full-time faculty at Penn College who have been nominated by their students and colleagues for excellence in instruction. Including this year’s honorees, there have been 128 recipients since the program began in 1982: 34 Master Teacher Awards and 94 Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Three full-time faculty members received 2024 Excellence in Teaching Awards: Tammy S. Clossen, assistant professor of dental hygiene; Michael P. Covone, associate professor of applied health studies; and Naim N. Jabbour, associate professor of architecture.

Among the comments from Clossen’s student nominations were: “Dr. Clossen goes out of her way to help anyone and everyone. She helps in and out of the classroom. I always feel very knowledgeable after leaving her class.” Also: “Students feel comfortable talking to her. Instructors look up to her. She makes students feel confident.”

Covone’s nomination included: “Dr. Mike Covone is one of the most dedicated, hard-working faculty members I have had the privilege to work with. His passion for health care education and love of teaching is evident in every class he teaches and every student interaction. Student evaluations routinely speak about his enthusiasm for and knowledge of the material and how this makes them more eager to learn.” Jabbour’s nomination featured comments from current students and alumni, most enrolled in architecture, but also First Year Experience students and others who have traveled with him on Study Abroad trips: “Dr. Jabbour was, by far, the most organized professor I had in my college career. He was always ready and prepared. Gives constructive criticism and informs you how to improve in a positive way.” Describing study abroad as “the experience of a lifetime,” a student wrote: “I have been on two of the travel abroad trips. … They were incredible, and I appreciate Dr. Jabbour for offering the opportunity in the first place.”

Part-Time Teaching Excellence The college presented Part-Time Teaching Excellence Awards to Tara A. Schiele, surgical technology, and Sasha N. Williamson, dental hygiene.

Schiele’s nomination stated: “Her passion for the field of surgical technology is evident, as well as her singular focus on students’ learning. Because of her confident, yet relaxed manner, students find Tara approachable, and they also hold her in high regard for her knowledge. Tara is one of the most engaged, dedicated adjunct faculty members I have known. She brings real-world experience to the classroom in a way that students can connect with.”

Comments from Williamson’s nominating form included: “She is passionate about teaching and being the best teacher that she can be, and she helps us develop passion for our careers, too.” “She adapts to teach a range of students and gives feedback without putting students down.” “Amazing rapport with students (everyone loves her). Builds self-confidence. Sparks ideas.”

Distinguished Staff Distinguished Staff Awards were presented in the college’s Administrative, Professional and Technical classification and Service classification,  as well as to a part-time employee.

There were two recipients from among the Administrative, Professional & Technical category: Audriana L. Empet, director of admissions, and Rebecca A. Steer, retiring as office assistant to the dean of engineering technologies.

Comments from Empet’s nominating form include: “Her work ethic is unparalleled, consistently exceeding expectations with meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to high standards. Audriana’s strategic thinking and innovative approach to problem-solving breathe life into projects, resulting in successful outcomes time and again. She displays remarkable initiative, always eager to expand her skill set and embrace new ideas. Audriana’s contributions to our Admissions Office have been nothing short of remarkable, significantly advancing the mission of the college and elevating her own job performance in the process.”

Of Steer, a nominator wrote: “Becky is highly capable at her job. Any task she is asked to complete is done both quickly and accurately. She also is willing to help with new tasks. These tasks are disparate, change daily, and require an intense knowledge of the college’s policies and procedures. Becky moves nimbly from counseling a student who took the wrong class, to ordering supplies, or entering the master schedule for the college’s largest divisions. This shows an extreme knowledge of her position and how to best execute tasks.”

The Distinguished Staff honoree for the Service classification was Michelle L. Lose, dining services worker.

A colleague wrote: “I’ve worked with Michelle for 15 years, and she has been the employee I can always count on to be present every day, always with a smile. I can’t even recall a day she called in sick. Michelle has always gone the extra mile to help students and make their experience at the Keystone Dining Room feel like home. She knows their orders before they even order and will have breakfast started for them before they even arrive. She is beyond dedicated to serving our students and being the best team player for Dining Services.” From a student nominator: “I can always count on a smile and a good morning when she is in. I feel Michelle cares about us.”

The Distinguished Staff part-time employee honoree was Kathryn Malone, a library circulation assistant, who has been heralded for representing “the student-centered principles” of the Madigan Library and Penn College. “Kathie’s kind, nurturing personality creates a positive, cohesive work environment with her coworkers and library student assistants. She is a team player who shows compassion and cares deeply about students succeeding and reaching their personal and academic goals for their future. Her interpersonal skills, multi-tasking abilities, organizational skills, and her attention to detail are some of her greatest strengths.”

Excellence in Academic Advising Jason W. Killinger, associate professor of HVAC technology, was the Excellence in Academic Advising award honoree. His nominating comments include: “This year, Jason has been especially busy advising students. When we won the Johnson Controls Scholars $100,000 grant, he took on the responsibility of advising the additional 25 students who won the scholarship. Pragmatically, this means that he’s meeting with those students monthly, organizing special events and job site tours, and interfacing with Johnson Controls leadership. He is proactive and highly communicative with the Johnson Controls Scholars, as well as his assigned advisees. Students regard him as an effective and approachable advisor. Often, when I stop by his office … he’ll be reviewing something with a team of seniors who’ve stopped by to work on their capstone project (outside classroom hours). Jason is open-minded and pragmatic. When a student has an issue, he will do his best to find a supportive solution.”

President’s Award for Assessment The President’s Award for Assessment was bestowed upon two recipients: Melissa A. Webb, technology and information literacy instructor/course coordinator, and the Mail Services Department at the college.

Webb completed course assessment for CSC124 – the Information, Technology & Society course, which resulted in marked improvement in meeting required student outcomes. “Her goal of improving student learning was evident throughout the assessment process, including her detailed course assessment documentation,” her nomination cited. “Her streamlined approach in P.L.A.T.O. played a crucial role in making the assessment efficient and accessible to all instructors. The user-friendly interface and organized structure of the tools and rubrics she created greatly improved the overall assessment process. ... It is also evident how she values feedback and utilizes the data to inform improvements in student learning. Her dedication to continuous improvement is commendable, and it is reassuring to know that she actively incorporates new ways to enhance the course.”

With a twofold aim of improving services to students and increasing operational effectiveness, Mail Services studied a problem and offered a solution that addressed making delivered packages accessible to students after normal college office hours.

With the assistance of the Assessment, Research & Planning and Residence Life staffs, Mail Services developed and distributed a survey to students. After careful analysis of the survey data, staff workloads, and potential remedies, the most proactive, efficient and economical solution was made: installing self-service package lockers in the Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center hallway.

‘Why Not Women’ Stacey C. Hampton, assistant dean of industrial & computer technologies, is the recipient of the “Why Not Women” award. Her supporters addressed her role as a mentor to many, including colleagues and students: “She wants the best for students and strives to show awareness for women in male-dominated career paths. She definitely showed me that I need to be the voice for women like myself.” “Her ability to excel as a supervisor of a male-dominated division should be preeminent as a true example of ‘Why Not Women.’ She commands the respect of all her colleagues, male and female.” Also: “She understands that the lack of female representation in many STEM roles is due to the absence of support and encouragement for young girls. She uses her skills to excite young girls for a career in the technological fields.”

Personnel Milestones Honored for reaching 35 years of service this year were: Valerie A. Baier, Karen I. Rishcoff, David P. Showan, Carol T. Sims and Jennifer L. Whitmoyer. This year’s 30-year employees were Gerald “Chip” Baumgardner, Holly M. Campbell, William J. Miller, Myra K. Shaffer, Mark E. Sones and Kate M. Wetzel.

Quarter Century Club honors went to 15 employees: Christine E. Atkins, Kelly B. Butzler, Daniel K. Christopher, Susan B. Deuel, Brian A. Flynn, Amy S. Lingg, Barry L. Loner Jr., Carrie A. Mayer, Debra S. Morris, Scott D. Neuhard, Joseph M. Rieck, John G. Upcraft, Christopher H. Van Stavoren, Curt E. Vander Vere and Joseph A. Worth.

The college said farewell to 36 employees retiring with approximately 750 years of experience in total: Valerie A. Baier, Ronald Beck, Kent B. Bunting, Geoffrey Campbell, Holly M. Campbell, Dulcey Frantz, Jane E. Grages, Barbara Helminiak, Sandra L. Karnes, Christine B. Kavanagh, Steven P. Keen, Jeanie Krape, Joe Loehr, John D. Maize, Susan Manzitti, Shane Miller, William J. Miller, JoAnn Otto, Sarah K. Patterson, Drew Potts, Joni J. Pyle, Michael Rae, Gary Reynolds, Carol T. Sims, Rebecca A. Steer, Mary Stout, Mary G. Trometter, Christopher H. Van Stavoren, Thomas J. Venditti, Kimberly A. Venti, Katherine A. Walker, Darlene Warner, Thomas W. Wilson, Todd S. Woodling, Rob A. Wozniak and Theresa Wyland.

Promotion in Academic Rank Fifteen faculty members earned promotion in academic rank in advance of the 2024-25 academic year. They are: from instructor to assistant professor: Eric L. Anstadt, electrical technology/occupations; Luke J. Davies, CNC machining & automation; Jill M. Hicks, dental hygiene; Steven J. Kopera, welding; Eric W. Nagy, English composition & technical communication; Charles F. Probst, automotive, Honda PACT; Vii J. Rice, polymer technology; Elizabeth P. Waugh, virtual and distance learning initiatives librarian; Melissa A. Webb, technology and information literacy instructor/course coordinator; and Kimberly A. Yoder, mathematics. From assistant professor to associate professor: Tammy S. Clossen, dental hygiene; Christopher J. Holley, automotive; Donnamarie Lovestrand, nursing; and Jessica U. Oberlin, information technology initiatives librarian. From associate professor to professor: Rob Cooley, anthropology/environmental science.

For more about Penn College , a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.

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Campus Protests At Commencements, Protesters Deliver Messages in Many Ways

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Here’s the latest on campus protests.

Graduates across the country showed their opposition to the war in Gaza this weekend, walking out of commencement speeches, draping themselves in Palestinian flags and chanting their demands to divest from Israel.

By and large, the ceremonies carried on. At Duke University Jerry Seinfeld, the famed comedian who has lately taken a public stance in support of Jews in the United States and Israel, received an honorary degree and advised hundreds of graduates to maintain a sense of humor, while a few dozen protesters walked out in their caps and gowns to have their own ceremony.

At Emerson College in Boston, where more than 100 protesters were arrested less than three weeks ago, some students used their walks across the stage as moments of individual protest, removing their gowns or displaying signs, sometimes to cheers and often to loud boos from the families watching from the stands.

At the University of Minnesota, several students receiving diplomas unfurled banners with pro-Palestinian messages like “Students for Palestine” and “Let Gaza Live.”

The graduations capped a tumultuous few weeks on college campuses as students mounted pro-Palestinian protests and encampments and, in many places, the police removed them. College administrators prepared for potential disruptions with increased security, strict ticketing systems, designated free speech zones and even requests that students open their gowns for inspection.

Pomona College, where pro-Palestinian students have announced a protest targeting the ceremony, moved the location of its commencement after demonstrators set up an encampment on the stage where the event was supposed to be held.

A few universities came to agreements with protesters or bowed to student demands and canceled commencement speeches .

Here are other developments:

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said on Sunday that it reached an agreement with student protesters to end their encampment and not restart it, promising to end some of the proceedings on student conduct involving the encampment and to review calls for divestment from Israel.

Arizona State University has banned a postdoctoral research scholar from campus as it investigates a video that showed him confronting a woman wearing a hijab at a pro-Israel rally near the school’s Tempe campus . The university, where the campus police recently broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment and arrested dozens of people, has also put the chief of its campus police department on leave.

Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans last week became the second school to rescind a commencement speaking invitation to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The University of Vermont said earlier this month that she would not be speaking there, a concession to a demand from student demonstrators.

More than 2,800 people have been arrested at pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses since April 18, according to New York Times tracking data .

— Shaila Dewan ,  Eduardo Medina and Maya Shwayder

A skirmish breaks out near Pomona College’s graduation.

Scuffle breaks out during pomona college commencement, pro-palestinian demonstrators tried to block access to pomona college’s graduation ceremony on sunday..

[chanting in call and response] Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crime. Resistance is justified when people are occupied.

At least one person was arrested after scuffles broke out among pro-Palestinian protesters, private security officers and police officers outside Pomona College’s commencement in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, the latest confrontation between the school and a protest movement that has received strong support from students and faculty on campus.

The skirmish occurred outside the Shrine Auditorium, in downtown Los Angeles, where school administrators had made a last-minute decision to relocate the event. Since last week, protesters had been camping out on the school’s graduation stage at its campus in Claremont about 40 miles away.

As graduates and their families lined up outside the auditorium, more than a hundred protesters converged on the group, unfurling banners that read “Pomona College divest from genocide now,” and chanting “Shame!”

Minor fights broke out after demonstrators attempted to block some family members of the graduates from entering the venue. Los Angeles Police Department officers in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd. No injuries were reported, and the commencement went on as scheduled.

Hours before the event on Sunday, as the university was preparing to bus students to the new graduation site, protesters took down their encampment on campus and declared victory in a statement, saying they had accomplished their goal of disrupting commencement.

The protesters at Pomona College, a private liberal arts college, began camping on campus in late March near a pro-Palestinian art project that was erected near a student services building. The project was dismantled by the college in early April, and protesters responded by storming and occupying the president’s office, leading to 20 arrests .

At the time, protesters voluntarily removed their encampment, but students returned last week, erecting tents on the stage that had been set up for graduation. Many students and faculty members believe the school has been hesitant to clear the new encampment because of criticism by some over the arrests last month. The school did not respond to a request for an interview.

Protesters at Pomona College have called on the school to disclose its investments in weapons manufacturers that work with Israel and negotiate on divestment. In February, the student government voted in favor of an academic boycott of Israel — the severing of relations with the country’s academic and cultural institutions — and approved a resolution calling on the college to disclose its ties to companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

Pomona College is one of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions that make up the Claremont Colleges . At Pitzer College, another Claremont College, an encampment was disbanded by protesters after the president agreed on May 3 to disclose “its holdings in military and weapons manufacturers.”

The success at Pitzer has galvanized protesters at Pomona, who say that the college has so far not engaged with their demands.

For Lucía Driessen, 23, a student graduating with degrees in public policy analysis and biology, relocating the commencement to Los Angeles meant that her friends from other Claremont Colleges could not attend. And because a livestream of the ceremony was canceled, her parents could not watch from the East Coast.

“We’re used to graduation being a really big community thing on our campuses” she said. “And now it’s like we were ripped away from our community.”

— Jonathan Wolfe Reporting from Los Angeles

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University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and protesters reach a deal to end an encampment.

Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will take down a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood for two weeks under an agreement reached with the school, university officials said in a statement on Sunday. The encampment, believed to be the last one standing at a Wisconsin college, will be gone by Tuesday, they said.

School officials had allowed the encampment to stand and occupy a broad patch of lawn between Mitchell Hall and a busy thoroughfare on the campus’s southern boundary, choosing not to call in the police. That approach differed from one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where administrators in early May called in the police to break down the tents after negotiations failed. After the initial crackdown failed to end the encampment, Wisconsin-Madison later came to an agreement with protesters to break down the camp voluntarily before commencement ceremonies over the weekend.

Mark Mone, the chancellor of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said in a statement last Wednesday that the university had exercised “the widest possible amount of patience and restraint.” But he also indicated that patience had nearly run out, and warned that the school might take action.

Under the agreement with the group of protesters, known as the UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition, the university pledged to join calls for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas; denounce the destruction by Israeli forces of schools and universities in Gaza; and meet with protest leaders over their concerns about university investments.

The university also agreed to encourage the Water Council, a Milwaukee consortium of water technology companies, to cut ties with two Israeli government-owned entities, Mekorot and the Israel Innovation Authority. Mr. Mone is the treasurer of the Water Council’s board of directors.

In exchange, protesters agreed to take down the encampment, starting on Sunday and finishing by Tuesday, and to refrain from disrupting the university’s commencement ceremonies on Sunday.

In a statement, the protesters acknowledged the agreement.

“After hard fought edits and careful consideration by the coalition, we determined we had obtained all possible benefits from the encampment,” they said.

— Dan Simmons Reporting from Milwaukee

As Jerry Seinfeld receives an honorary degree at Duke, students walk out in protest.

Dozens of students walk out of duke commencement ceremony, as the comedian jerry seinfeld received an honorary degree at duke university’s commencement, dozens of students walked out and chanted, “free palestine.” some also chanted mr. seinfeld’s name during the walkout..

From stage: “Big deal about our commencement speaker?” [crowd boos and cheers] Some in crowd: “Free Palestine!” Some in crowd: “Free Palestine!” Some in crowd: “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” From stage: “Thank you.”

Jerry Seinfeld knows his way around handling awkward moments onstage. Even so, the initial reception he faced at Duke University’s commencement on Sunday reflected a more complicated audience than usual.

As Mr. Seinfeld, who has recently been vocal about his support for Israel, received an honorary degree, dozens of students walked out and chanted, “Free, free Palestine,” while the comedian looked on and smiled tensely.

Many in the crowd jeered the protesters. Minutes later, as the last of the protesters were filing out, he approached the mic. His first words were: “Thank you. Oh my God, what a beautiful day.”

In his commencement speech, Mr. Seinfeld was mostly cautious, opting for a tight comedic script interspersed with life advice instead of a full-on response to the protests against his presence.

Still, in one part of his speech, he defended various types of privilege and appeared to hint at the elephant in the room.

“I grew up a Jewish boy from New York,” he said to applause from the crowd. “That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian.”

Outside Duke’s stadium, graduates walked around campus, chanting: “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” When they arrived at a green space, they were joined by hundreds of other people — including faculty, relatives and other protesters — who organized a makeshift graduation for them.

As they prepared to throw their caps in the air, Mr. Seinfeld continued his speech inside Wallace Wade Stadium, telling students that while he admired their generation’s commitment to inclusivity and not hurting other people’s feelings, “it is worth the sacrifice of occasional discomfort to have some laughs.”

Mr. Seinfeld, who has two children who have attended Duke, has been uncharacteristically vocal about his support for Jews in Israel while doing press in recent weeks for his latest film, “Unfrosted,” which chronicles the invention of Pop-Tarts .

Typically an apolitical comedian who prefers punchy takes on ordinary observations, Mr. Seinfeld is now engaging in the type of celebrity activism that few associate with him, and that has drawn criticism and praise. Since the attacks of Oct. 7 in Israel, he has signed a letter in support of the country and posted an earnest message on social media about his devotion to it.

His wife, Jessica Seinfeld, a cookbook author, recently promoted on Instagram a counterprotest at the University of California, Los Angeles, that she said she had helped bankroll. (She condemned the violence that occurred at a later counterprotest.)

In December, Mr. Seinfeld traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with the families of hostages, soberly recounting afterward the missile attack that occurred during the trip.

Still, his comments on the issues have been somewhat modest.

“I don’t preach about it,” he told GQ last month. “I have my personal feelings about it that I discuss privately. It’s not part of what I can do comedically, but my feelings are very strong.”

On Sunday, Mr. Seinfeld played to the crowd, telling students: “You’re never going to believe this: Harvard used to be a great place to go to school. Now it’s Duke.”

Not everyone at Duke, however, was laughing at Mr. Seinfeld’s jokes.

The Rev. Dr. Stefan Weathers Sr., an ordained minister in the American Baptist Church who was awarded a Ph.D. in divinity, had written a letter before the ceremony to the university asking that the comedian be replaced, citing Mr. Seinfeld’s ongoing and strong support for Israel.

Shreya Joshi, a graduate and one of the organizers of the protest, said that after Duke selected Mr. Seinfeld as the speaker, she and other seniors, faculty members and pro-Palestinian supporters began organizing the walkout and an alternate graduation.

Ms. Joshi, 21, who studied history at Duke and will be attending law school at the University of Chicago, said that it was painful to have lost out on a high school graduation ceremony in 2020 because of the pandemic, and the seniors still wanted one this year, even if it meant creating one outside of the university’s official channels.

And that pain, she added, paled in comparison to what people in Gaza are experiencing.

“The fact that we were going to sit here and celebrate our own?” Ms. Joshi said. “It felt trivial in the face of all that. Have you seen the tiny violin? That’s how it felt.”

Ms. Joshi said that they had tried to leave the main commencement ceremony in the least disruptive way possible. They chose to leave as the honorary degree was being given to Mr. Seinfeld because “none of us particularly wanted to listen to Seinfeld.”

— Eduardo Medina and Emily Cataneo Reporting from Duke University’s campus in Durham N.C.

At Emerson College’s commencement, there were expressions of protest from beginning to end.

At Emerson College’s commencement, pro-Palestinian supporters made sure they were seen and heard throughout the ceremony.

The graduation for the Boston school, held at Agganis Arena, took place less than three weeks after police officers stormed an encampment and arrested more than 100 protesters.

As the more than 1,000 students entered in a procession, about one in every five students had a fist raised or some kind of pro-Palestinian paraphernalia accompanying their cap and gown: a keffiyeh, a decorated mortarboard with a Palestinian flag, and, in one case, a Palestinian flag worn as a cape.

Almost immediately after the journalism professor Michael Brown began to speak to start the ceremony, several students began shouting pro-Palestinian slogans, which were met with loud boos from the crowd of families in the stands.

Brown pressed on forcefully. “I’m here for the graduates of 2024,” he proclaimed loudly over the din, drawing cheers from the crowd. “You are the class that didn’t have a high school graduation, so you’re going to have a graduation today!”

That set the tone for the rest of the ceremony. Several speeches that followed were interrupted. And the processions across the stage were filled with individual protests from students. Some removed their robes onstage in protest. Some held up signs.

One woman arrived onstage with no robe on, wearing all white covered in red writing about the war in Gaza . She threw her diploma across the stage and held up her hands, covered in red paint, before exiting. Another draped a flag over the main podium at the center of the stage, which was promptly removed.

The biggest cheers were for the student class president, Joe Nalieth. “Our message cannot be washed away with the chalk,” he said in his speech. “Our voices echo on campuses across the world, especially those campuses which have been reduced to rubble. Let us not forget, we are creatives, innovators and revolutionaries.”

After the ceremony wrapped up just after 1 p.m., around 50 students defected from the recessional to stay on the floor on the arena, trying to shout “Free Palestine!” over the drum corps playing the graduates out.

— Maya Shwayder Reporting from Boston

Student protesters at Johns Hopkins agree to end encampment.

Johns Hopkins University said on Sunday that it reached an agreement with student protesters to end their encampment and not restart it, the university said in a statement . The school said it promised students a “timely review” of their calls for divestment from Israel.

The university also said it was ending proceedings on some student conduct from the encampment as long as protesters do not disrupt more university functions, including the commencement ceremony on May 23. But those proceedings will continue for allegations of misconduct including violence, assault or property damage.

“We are grateful to the many members of our community — faculty, staff, and students — who helped us navigate this moment,” Ron Daniels, the university president, said. “This is a truly difficult time in our world and at our university, with the anguish of the ongoing conflict and human tragedy in Israel and Gaza.”

Students began an encampment on April 29, which the university said violated policies that were designed to safeguard freedom of expression and safety on campus.

The group behind the encampment, the Hopkins Justice Collective, confirmed the agreement.

“In no way are we satisfied with this end to our demonstration,” the group said in a statement, saying that it was only a first step. “Palestinian liberation remains in our sights.”

— Colbi Edmonds

A closer look at the violent attack at U.C.L.A. raises questions about the police response.

Nearly two weeks after a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, was attacked by counterprotesters, university officials still have not explained why security officers stood by for hours while the attack was underway, nor have the authorities arrested any of those who swarmed in wielding metal rods, water bottles and firecrackers in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the college protests that have rocked the country.

The extent of the policing failure has become clearer in recent days, as witnesses have come forward to describe a chaotic night of violence on April 30, in which students and bystanders repeatedly called 911 and nonemergency lines, finding little help and calls that were disconnected. A dispatcher told one caller pleading for help that they were ending the call because “I have actual emergencies to handle.”

One man was filmed by a local television station on the phone with emergency dispatchers, alerting them that people were getting hurt. “Security has abandoned this encampment,” he could be heard saying before lowering his phone and looking at it. “They just hung up on me again,” he said incredulously.

Miles away in Sacramento, staff members in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office contacted the U.C.L.A. chancellor’s office shortly after 11 p.m. to make sure that law enforcement officers were responding to the scene, and were assured that more officers were coming, according to a person familiar with the situation, who described the discussions on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make them public.

But as the night wore on and there was still no intervention, the person said, the governor’s office moved to circumvent local authority and ordered California Highway Patrol officers to the campus. The state officers began assembling on campus at 1:45 a.m., a few moments before L.A.P.D. riot police arrived, but it took another hour to quell the clashes.

The chancellor’s office, the L.A.P.D. and an outside consultant hired to investigate the tardy response have all declined to discuss it, pending the outcome of an inquiry that could take weeks or months. The campus police chief, John Thomas, also did not comment. He told The Los Angeles Times that he had relied on private security officers who were not authorized to make arrests, but that he had done “everything I could” to keep students safe.

To understand what happened, New York Times journalists conducted interviews with several people who were at the protests that night, including two people who were involved in the counterprotest; reviewed and analyzed video footage ; and spoke with organizations involved in both the pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli movements on campus.

The review found no public callouts for such a violent attack and no clear signs that one group coordinated the attack, though some people had arrived wearing black clothes and masks and seemingly prepared for violence. There was also no indication that the police had prepared for the kind of severe assault on the encampment that took place.

Instead, it appeared that contract security officers who did not have sufficient authority or numbers to halt the escalating melee had been caught by surprise and left to wait for reinforcements that did not arrive for hours.

“Either the university was hesitant to do anything to get law enforcement involved, or law enforcement was dealing with authorization issues and political considerations from elected officials,” said Ed Davis, a former Boston police commissioner who is familiar with crowd control policing issues. “And then things got out of hand.”

Despite growing concern on campus about the pro-Palestinian encampment, complaints about antisemitic incidents and the potential for violence, in the early days of the protests, university officials made it clear that they would consider calling in outside police only as a last resort.

“We are following University of California systemwide policy guidance, which directs us not to request law enforcement involvement preemptively, and only if absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community,” Mary Osako, the vice chancellor for strategic communications, said in a statement on April 26 , shortly after the encampment had been set up.

On the night of April 30, a range of counterprotesters had gathered, a group that grew in size as expectations mounted that the police would begin dismantling the encampment. In interviews, witnesses said there had been little warning before counterprotesters went on the offensive.

One of the counterprotesters, Liel Asherian, was seen on video footage kicking at the encampment’s plywood barrier, pulling boards to the ground and slamming a tennis racket against the wood that remained. He said he had gone that night to see the encampment on his own, though he later acknowledged that a friend of his was also pictured at the scene. In an interview, he said he was not part of any group and had not intended to participate in a conflict.

Mr. Asherian said he had approached the pro-Palestinian encampment to ask some people why they were protesting. He said he believed Jewish people such as himself and Palestinians were like cousins, and he expressed alarm at the innocent Palestinians being killed in Israel’s military campaign. But he said he disliked the disruptive tactics the pro-Palestinian protesters were using at U.C.L.A.

He said things devolved when someone called him a “dirty Jew” and he was doused in pepper spray.

“That made me start breaking down their barricades,” he said.

Also among the counterprotesters that night was Narek Palyan, an activist known for making frequent antisemitic statements, as well as comments critical of gay and transgender people. He said he went alone and was motivated to show up in part because he had seen a video of a Jewish woman on the pro-Palestinian side criticizing white people.

“I wanted to go find her, specifically,” he said, adding that he was not able to.

Mr. Palyan said he did not necessarily support either side in the protest or the war.

He said he spent much of the night asking people questions about their positions and trying to keep people from fighting by throwing makeshift weapons into nearby bushes. Mr. Palyan, who is Armenian American, also said he had warned two younger Armenian boys to stay out of the melee.

“I told them, ‘This isn’t ours,’” he said.

Anthony Cabassa, a self-described conservative independent journalist who posted videos of the chaos, said many people may have flocked to the scene on Tuesday night in the hours after U.C.L.A. declared the encampment illegal, believing that the police would move in to clear it and make arrests.

But then the counterprotesters descended on the protest, pulling metal gates away from the group and attacking protesters.

“We were all waiting for the L.A.P.D. to show up, and they never did,” Mr. Cabassa said in an interview. “As the night went on, more and more pro-Israel folks started showing up, to the point where it was starting to get worrisome.”

He said some people seemed to have arrived after seeing broadcasts of the tense scene that he and other livestreamers made, wanting to witness what would happen next.

“People were responding to my livestream and saying ‘I just showed up because of you. I live nearby,’” he said. But others, he said, appeared to have planned for potential clashes, wearing all-black outfits and ski masks. Mr. Cabassa recalled being concerned about their presence.

In the end, more than 30 protesters were injured, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles, before police dispersed the crowd.

Brian H. Levin, the founding director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said that, with religion and ethnicity at the heart of the recent protests, the attack had amounted to a hate crime.

“This comes at a time when major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, have had a surge in anti-Arab and Muslim hate crimes and have hit a record for anti-Jewish crimes,” he said.

Mr. Levin watched the incident via livestream and said the weapons, the presence of some of the same people from previous protests and the waving of a yellow flag associated with Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic Jewish movement, suggested some organizational coordination among the counterprotesters.

The director of the nearby Chabad House said the group had no role in the protest that night.

But he also noted that some of the implements wielded by the counterprotesters “were spontaneous weapons of opportunity,” and that some people “may have just showed up randomly with their own separate xenophobic and religious bigotries.”

The next day, after the counterprotesters had left, police officers moved in to remove the pro-Palestinian encampment, making more than 200 arrests.

Marie Salem, a U.C.L.A. graduate student and one of the protesters, questioned why the police had arrested dozens of student protesters but had not yet arrested any of those who had attacked them.

“The majority of the encampment is students that attend this university, and who were not violent,” Ms. Salem said. “We were met with violence, and the other side looked like majority not-students, which the university chose to protect over their own students.”

Jonathan Wolfe and Shawn Hubler contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy and Kitty Bennett contributed research.

— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs ,  Mike Baker and Serge F. Kovaleski Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reported from Los Angeles, Mike Baker from Seattle and Serge F. Kovaleski from New York.

Frustrated by Gaza Coverage, Student Protesters Turn to Al Jazeera

Nick Wilson has closely followed news on the war in Gaza since October. But Mr. Wilson, a Cornell student, is picky when it comes to his media diet: As a pro-Palestinian activist, he doesn’t trust major American outlets’ reporting on Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

Instead, he turns to publications less familiar to some American audiences, like the Arab news network Al Jazeera.

“Al Jazeera is the site that I go to to get an account of events that I think will be reliable,” he said.

Many student protesters said in recent interviews that they were seeking on-the-ground coverage of the war in Gaza, and often, a staunchly pro-Palestinian perspective — and they are turning to alternative media for it. There’s a range of options: Jewish Currents , The Intercept, Mondoweiss and even independent Palestinian journalists on social media, as they seek information about what is happening in Gaza.

Their preferences embody a broader shift for members of Generation Z, who are increasingly seeking out news from a wider array of sources and questioning legacy outlets in a fragmented media ecosystem.

Israel’s recent ban on the local operations of Al Jazeera has only elevated the network’s status among many student protesters. They prize coverage from reporters on the ground, and Al Jazeera has a more extensive operation in Gaza than any other publication. Students also noted the sacrifices it has made to tell the story there. Two Al Jazeera journalists have died since the start of the war.

“Al Jazeera is sort of playing that role for a lot of younger Americans, in terms of getting a different perspective than they feel like they’re getting from U.S. media,” said Ben Toff, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Minnesota.

While many Western media outlets, with few if any journalists in Gaza before the war, have struggled to gain access to the territory, Al Jazeera has been recognized for its raw, searing portrayals of the death and destruction there. A typical report may show video of Israeli tanks rolling into cities, alongside drone shots of leveled buildings in Gaza City and Palestinians fleeing their homes.

“It’s news about the Middle East, and it doesn’t really convey it in a Western perspective , ” said Alina Atiq, a student at the University of South Florida who has pushed her university to divest from Israel.

The network, owned by Qatar, has its headquarters in Doha and operates two separate newsrooms that provide English- and Arabic-language content. Its mobile apps have been downloaded in the United States 295,000 times since October, an increase of more than 200 percent from the previous seven months, according to Appfigures, a market research firm.

Among the outlets frequently cited by protesters, Al Jazeera English is by far the most popular on social media. It has 1.9 million followers on TikTok — up from around 750,000 at the outset of the war — and 4.6 million on Instagram.

Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, described the network’s Arabic-language channel as more outwardly pro-Palestinian than the English one, which he said has a more subtle slant.

Critics say its coverage veers into support of the armed resistance to Israel. The Israeli government, which has accused Al Jazeera of acting as a “mouthpiece” for Hamas, last Sunday seized its broadcast equipment and shut down its operations in the country for at least 45 days.

Al Jazeera called the government’s accusation “baseless” in a statement, adding that it has broadcast every news conference held by the Israeli cabinet and representatives for the Israel Defense Forces, in addition to videos from Hamas.

It also said that its reporting “provides diverse viewpoints and narrative and counter narrative,” and that charges of pro-Palestinian bias should be “scrutinized through careful analysis of our journalistic standards and reporting practices.”

The Israeli government’s rejection of Al Jazeera appears to have bolstered the network’s reputation among some of the students.

“It goes to show the extent to which Israel is afraid of the coverage and reportage of Al Jazeera,” said Matthew Vickers, a junior at Occidental College in Los Angeles who has been active in efforts to persuade his school to divest from companies tied to Israel.

The protesters rattle off a list of mainstream American publications as having coverage they find objectionable, including CNN, The Atlantic and The New York Times, among many others. Though major news outlets have reported extensively on Israel’s campaign in Gaza, the death toll and the damage, the coverage in the view of student protesters doesn’t assign enough blame to Israel for Palestinian deaths, or thoroughly fact-check Israeli officials. And they said protest coverage has focused too much on antisemitism on college campuses instead of Islamophobia.

“There’s a fair amount of misinformation that is being fed to us by mainstream media, and just a clear bias when it comes to the Palestine issue,” said Cameron Jones, a student at Columbia University and an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, a pro-Palestinian organization.

The activists’ interest in Al Jazeera stands in contrast with the outlet’s previous struggles to find an audience in the United States. The network started an American channel in 2013, but that folded in 2016 with nightly ratings that hovered around 30,000, far shy of viewership for cable networks like Fox News and CNN.

Part of what doomed the network back then was “a distinctly anti-American bent” to its coverage, Mr. Ibish wrote in a 2016 guest essay for The Times. But now, broadcast from a different country, the network’s tone is finding its audience on university campuses, he said.

“There’s a third-worldist, anti-imperial point of view, and that’s also the view that many college kids have adopted,” he said.

Jeremy W. Peters contributed reporting.

— Santul Nerkar

On a day with many calm ceremonies, Berkeley’s protests stand out.

At the University of California, Berkeley, hundreds of soon-to-be graduates rose from their seats in protest, chanting and disrupting their commencement. At Virginia Commonwealth University, about 60 graduates in caps and gowns walked out during Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s speech. At the University of Wisconsin, a handful of graduates stood with their backs to their chancellor as she spoke.

After weeks of tumult on college campuses over pro-Palestinian protests, many administrators prepared themselves for disruptions at graduations on Saturday. And while there were demonstrations — most noisily, perhaps, at U.C. Berkeley — ceremonies at several universities unfolded without major incident. Many students who protested did so silently.

Anticipating possible disruptions, university administrators had increased their security or taken various measures, including dismantling encampments, setting aside free speech zones, canceling student speeches and issuing admission tickets.

Some administrators also tried to reach agreements with encampment organizers. The University of Wisconsin said it had reached a deal with protesters to clear the encampment in return for a meeting to discuss the university’s investments.

Some students, too, were on edge about their big day — many missed their high school graduations four years ago because of the pandemic and did not want to repeat the experience.

In 2020, David Emuze and his mother had watched his high school graduation “ceremony,” a parade of senior photos set to music on Zoom, from their living room in Springfield, Ill. This time, he and his classmates at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign heard that other schools, like the University of Southern California and Columbia University, had canceled their main-stage commencements altogether because of campus unrest.

But on Saturday morning, Mr. Emuze donned his electric-blue mortarboard and orange sash, and his mother watched live from the audience as he received his bachelor’s degree in public health. “It was a touching, peaceful, inspiring and motivational ceremony,” he said, with a note of relief in his voice.

He said the keynote speaker, Jeanne Gang, an architect and University of Illinois alumna, had hit just the right note. She acknowledged that “we all know about what’s going on in the world right now,” but said it was a time to come together and celebrate achievements.

At Berkeley, the home of the free-speech movement, the protesters made themselves heard. Greta Brown, 23, an environmental science graduate, wore cap, gown and a stole with the word “Palestine” emblazoned on it. She was among those who stood and chanted during the graduation speeches. “I felt like it was necessary,” she said, because the university had not done enough. “I just heard a lot of, like, ‘Oh, we hear you,’ and a centrist point of view.”

At the beginning of the ceremony, Chancellor Carol Christ was met with boos when she began to speak, but there were louder cheers when she mentioned the pro-Palestinian encampment nearby. “Students have been camping around Sproul Hall for almost three weeks,” Dr. Christ said. “They feel passionately about the brutality of the violence in Gaza.” She added, “I, too, am deeply troubled by the terrible tragedy.”

As the speeches continued, the disruptions escalated. Dozens of students in the crowd in the stands rose with signs reading “Divest,” and at least 10 Palestinian flags. They began to chant, and then interrupted the speech by the student body president, Sydney Roberts, who said, “This wouldn’t be Berkeley without a protest.”

Despite warnings from a school official, a group of students staked out a section of empty stadium seats behind the main stage, chanting, “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go” and “UC divest” and attracting other students until the crowd swelled to about 500. Most of them slowly made their way to the exit as the graduation drew to a close.

Not all of the protests were centered on the Middle East. At Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, Micah White, 26, was one of roughly 60 students who walked out while the governor was speaking.

“The first thing that motivated me is the hypocrisy of V.C.U. declaring themselves to be a minority-serving institution, declaring themselves to be for diversity, equity and inclusion, and bringing Youngkin in as commencement speaker,” he said.

The university’s board voted on Friday against requiring students to take racial literacy classes . Mr. Youngkin, a Republican, requested to review course materials for proposed racial literacy classes.

Mr. Youngkin also supported the dismantling of an encampment on campus late last month during which 13 people, including six students, were arrested. Sereen Haddad, 19, who studies psychology at V.C.U., said she was knocked to the ground during the clash between protesters and the police that day and that Mr. Youngkin had failed to acknowledge that the encampment was peaceful.

The ceremonies came after a week in which some colleges made arrests and cleared encampments of pro-Palestinian demonstrators. In recent days, authorities dismantled encampments at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Officers were also called in to empty an encampment at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, deploying “chemical munitions” in the process, hours before its graduation ceremony on Friday evening.

Anger over the clearing of an encampment lingered for some at the University of North Carolina commencement on Saturday night. Many students jeered their interim chancellor, Lee Roberts, who last month ordered that an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters be removed. Still, when two students waved Palestinian flags and walked on the field in the middle of Mr. Roberts’s speech before security escorted them out, the majority of the stadium booed them and chanted, “USA! USA!”

Cynthia Howle and Eduardo Medina contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this article misstated the given name of a female student at Virginia Commonwealth University and misidentified her gender. She is Sereen Haddad, not Sareen.

An earlier version of this article misstated the title of the person who warned a group of students against disrupting the ceremony. It was a school official but not a vice provost.

How we handle corrections

— Shaila Dewan ,  Holly Secon ,  Leah Small and Robert Chiarito

Arizona State bans a scholar from campus after a confrontation at a protest.

Arizona State University has banned a postdoctoral research scholar and faculty member from campus as it investigates a video that went viral depicting him confronting a woman in a hijab, the school said this week.

In the video from May 5, the scholar, Jonathan Yudelman, along with another unidentified man, can be seen cursing and getting in a woman’s face at a pro-Israel rally near the school’s Tempe campus .

It was unclear what occurred before the video, but at one point in the video Mr. Yudelman can be seen repeatedly advancing toward the woman who is wearing a hijab, and telling her — “I’m literally in your face, that’s right” — as she backs away from him.

The woman responds and tells him that he is disrespecting her religious boundaries to which Mr. Yudelman responds, “You disrespect my sense of humanity,” followed by a profanity.

Mr. Yudelman, who was a postdoctoral fellow at the university’s School of Civics, Ethics and Leadership , had earlier resigned from the position, effective June 30, according to a statement the school released on Wednesday. But the school said he was placed on leave on May 6, adding that he was no longer permitted to come to campus, teach classes or interact with students or employees.

“Arizona State University protects freedom of speech and expression but does not tolerate threatening or violent behavior. While peaceful protest is welcome, all incidents of violent or threatening behavior will be addressed,” the statement added.

Mr. Yudelman was interviewed on May 5 at the pro-Israel rally by Phoenix television station KPNX . In the clip , he stated that campuses across the country were being “taken over by supporters of terrorism,” and stated that Jewish students were being intimidated. “It was important to come out, show the broader community that there are people who stand against this,” he said.

Mr. Yudelman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Anna Betts

Pennsylvania’s governor leans into the campus fight over antisemitism.

A few hours after Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian student protests, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania was in his office in Harrisburg, taking stock of the ways he sees universities letting students down.

“Our colleges, in many cases, are failing young people,” he said in an interview this week. “Failing to teach information that is necessary to form thoughtful perspectives. They are willing to let certain forms of hate pass by and condemn others more strongly.”

Mr. Shapiro — the leader of a pre-eminent battleground state, a rising Democrat and a proudly observant Jew — has also emerged as one of his party’s most visible figures denouncing the rise in documented antisemitism after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

And at a moment of growing Democratic anger and unease over how Israel is conducting its devastating military response, Mr. Shapiro, 50 — who has no obligation to talk about foreign policy — has not shied away from expressing support for the country while criticizing its right-wing government.

Plunging into a subject that has inflamed and divided many Americans carries risk for an ambitious Democrat from a politically important state. The politics around both the Gaza war and the protest movement are exceptionally fraught within the Democratic Party , and many of its voters and elected officials have become increasingly critical of Israel.

But Mr. Shapiro has been direct.

Asked if he considered himself a Zionist, he said that he did. When Iran attacked Israel last month, he wrote on social media that Pennsylvania “stands with Israel.”

When the University of Pennsylvania’s president struggled before Congress to directly answer whether calling for the genocide of Jews violated the school’s rules, Mr. Shapiro said she had failed to show “moral clarity.” ( She later resigned .) When opponents of the Gaza war picketed an Israeli-style restaurant in Philadelphia known for its falafel and tahini shakes, Mr. Shapiro called the demonstration antisemitic and showed up for lunch.

And as university officials have struggled to define where free speech ends and hate speech begins, a tension upending the final weeks of the school year, Mr. Shapiro has issued stern warnings about their responsibility to protect students from discrimination. The issue hits close to home: On Friday, police cleared an encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators off the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Shapiro had said it was “ past time ” for Penn to do so.

‘It should not be hard’

In the interview, Mr. Shapiro stressed that he did not believe all encampments or demonstrators were antisemitic — not “by any stretch.” But he suggested that on some campuses, antisemitic speech was treated differently than other kinds of hate speech.

“If you had a group of white supremacists camped out and yelling racial slurs every day, that would be met with a different response than antisemites camped out, yelling antisemitic tropes,” he said.

Law enforcement officials and advocacy groups have tracked a rise in antisemitic, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab acts in recent months.

Speaking after an appearance at a Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday, Mr. Shapiro emphasized that “we should be universal in our condemnation of antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of hate.”

While there is room for “nuance” in foreign policy discussions, he said, “it should not be hard for anyone on the political left or right to call out antisemitism.”

In a new survey , Mr. Shapiro, a former state attorney general, had a job approval rating of 64 percent, with just 19 percent of Pennsylvanians saying they disapproved.

He has long emphasized bipartisanship and prioritized nonideological issues like rapidly reopening a stretch of Interstate 95 after a collapse. And his own religious observance has helped him connect with people of other faiths in a state where Jews are estimated to make up about 3 percent of the electorate.

“I make it home Friday night for Sabbath dinner because family and faith ground me,” he said in a campaign ad.

Many Jews in Pennsylvania hope that he will become the first Jewish president. On that subject, he deflects as skillfully as any potential White House aspirant: He laughs or insists that he loves and is focused on his current job.

“I am very humbled that people have taken note of our work,” he said. “I sort of dismiss those comments because they’re not helpful to the work I’m trying to do every day as governor, the voice I’m trying to have both here in the commonwealth and across the country to root out hate and to speak with moral clarity.”

He added, “It’s certainly not helpful when it comes to our top political priority, which is to re-elect President Biden.”

‘Josh is front and center’

The Mideast war, which has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, has fueled a broad and significant protest movement.

But on college campuses, there are sharp debates over when demonstrations against Israel and its treatment of Palestinians veer into antisemitic targeting of Jewish students and institutions.

To Mr. Shapiro, the distinction is clear: Criticism of Israeli policies is fair game. “Affixing to every Jew the policies of Israel,” he said, is not.

Mr. Shapiro said he felt a “unique responsibility” to speak out both because he leads a state founded on a vision of religious tolerance , and because he is a “proud American Jew.”

Indeed, his Jewish identity is intertwined with his public persona to a degree rarely seen in American politicians.

He is a Jewish day school alumnus who has featured challah in his campaign advertising and alludes to a collection of Jewish ethics in his speeches. In recent weeks, he offered an under-the-weather 76ers player matzo ball soup and celebrated the end of Passover with Martin’s Potato Rolls, a Pennsylvania delicacy.

“It’s not an easy time to be Jewish, and to be a Jewish politician,” said Sharon Levin, a former teacher of Mr. Shapiro’s. “Josh is front and center.”

Mr. Shapiro has also spent significant time in Israel, proposing to his wife in Jerusalem . Asked if, like Mr. Biden , he considers himself a Zionist, he confirmed that he did.

“I am pro-Israel,” he said. “I am pro-the idea of a Jewish homeland, a Jewish state, and I will certainly do everything in my power to ensure that Israel is strong and Israel is fortified and will exist for generations.”

He also supports a two-state solution , is a longtime critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he mourned “the loss of life in Gaza.”

That approach is common among elected Democrats. But it is clearly at odds with the campus protests, which are often explicitly anti-Zionist.

The issue is virtually certain to divide Democrats on future presidential debate stages.

For now, Mr. Shapiro has not drawn the kind of backlash from the left that some other Israel supporters have, in part because he is not voting on foreign policy. And while another Pennsylvania Democrat, Senator John Fetterman, has sometimes engaged provocatively with pro-Palestinian demonstrators, Mr. Shapiro has a more measured, lawyerly style.

“It’s critically important that we remove hate from the conversation and allow people to freely express their ideas, whether I agree with their ideas or not,” he said.

Tensions over Israel

Some Muslim leaders say Mr. Shapiro has not found the right balance in his post-Oct. 7 comments.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Philadelphia said in a statement that two of its board members had skipped an iftar dinner he hosted, arguing that he had “created much harm and hurt among Muslim, Arab and pro-Palestinian Pennsylvanians.”

“The governor, like the White House, is not fully able to see the deep level of resentment that exists about his stances,” Ahmet Tekelioglu, the executive director of that chapter, said in an interview. (In a statement on Friday, he also criticized Mr. Shapiro’s call to disband the Penn encampment.) “The governor has lost the trust of many in the Muslim-American community in Pennsylvania that had long considered him a friend.”

Mr. Shapiro, whose team has clashed with CAIR before, replied, “I’m not going to let one press release from one group that has its own agenda take away from the close, strong relationship I have with the Muslim community.”

“We have tried to create, at the residence and across Pennsylvania, a place where all faiths feel welcomed,” he said.

State Representative Tarik Khan, a Philadelphia-area Democrat who is Muslim, did attend the iftar. It included time for prayer and a “legit dinner,” he said, rather than “hors d’oeuvres and get the hell out.”

“At a time when there’s a lot of trauma, sometimes the easy thing is to do nothing,” Mr. Khan said. “If he didn’t care about our community, he wouldn’t have spent that time.”

Growing expectations

Mr. Shapiro faces different pressures from the Jewish community.

In the Philadelphia area, many know him or his family personally — or feel as if they do — and in some cases expect him to speak out frequently in support of Israel. But, said Jonathan Scott Goldman, the chair of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, his job is to lead the whole state.

“Jewish people want to and do claim Josh as their own,” Mr. Goldman said. “He knows he’s not just a Jewish governor. He’s a governor, and he’s the governor of all Pennsylvanians.”

In the interview, Mr. Shapiro reiterated that he was focused on that job.

But asked if — broadly speaking — he believed the country could elect a Jewish president in his lifetime, he replied, “Speaking broadly, absolutely.”

“It doesn’t mean that our nation is free of bias,” he said. “If you’re asking me, can the country rise above that, and elect someone that might look different than them or worship different than them? The answer is yes.”

— Katie Glueck Reporting from Pennsylvania’s State Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pa.

Here’s why antiwar protests haven’t flared up at Black colleges like Morehouse.

As President Biden prepares to give graduation remarks this month at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a prestigious historically Black institution, the White House is signaling anxiety about the potential for protests over the war in Gaza.

During a recent visit to Atlanta, Vice President Kamala Harris stopped to ask the Morehouse student government president about the sentiment on campus about the conflict, how students felt about Mr. Biden’s visit and what the graduating class would like to hear from him on May 19.

Then, on Friday, the White House dispatched the leader of its public engagement office and one of its most senior Black officials, Stephen K. Benjamin, to the Morehouse campus for meetings to take the temperature of students, faculty members and administrators.

The reasons for concern are clear: Nationwide demonstrations over the war and Mr. Biden’s approach to it have inflamed more than 60 colleges and universities , stoked tensions within the Democratic Party and created new headaches for his re-election bid.

Yet Mr. Biden appears to be entering a different type of scene at Morehouse.

While anger over the war remains palpable at Morehouse and other historically Black colleges and universities, these campuses have been largely free of turmoil, and tensions are far less evident: no encampments, few loud protests and little sign of Palestinian flags flying from dorm windows.

The reasons stem from political, cultural and socioeconomic differences with other institutions of higher learning. While H.B.C.U.s host a range of political views, domestic concerns tend to outweigh foreign policy in the minds of most students. Many started lower on the economic ladder and are more intently focused on their education and their job prospects after graduation.

At Morehouse — which has a legacy of civil rights protests and is the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s alma mater — discontent over the Gaza war has played out in classrooms and auditoriums rather than on campus lawns.

“This should not be a place that cancels people regardless of if we agree with them,” David Thomas, the Morehouse president, said in an interview on Thursday. Of Mr. Biden’s visit, he said, “Whether people support the decision or not, they are committed to having it happen on our campus in a way that doesn’t undermine the integrity or dignity of the school.”

Some students have held contentious meetings with university leaders and urged them to rescind Mr. Biden’s invitation, and a small group of faculty members has vowed not to attend commencement. Some alumni wrote a letter expressing worries that student protesters could be punished, noting Morehouse’s history of “celebrating student activists long after they have graduated.”

But the college might appear politically safer for the president to visit than many others. Morehouse is a custom-bound place where undergraduates traditionally do not step on the grass in the heart of campus until they receive their degrees. Alumni view commencement as a distinguished event not only for students but also for scores of family and community members — making it a less likely venue for a major disruption.

Mr. Biden chose to speak at Morehouse after the White House had received invitations from an array of colleges. It will be the third time in four years he has addressed graduates of a historically Black institution; he has also spoken at commencement for one military academy each year.

Among those lobbying Mr. Biden to come to Morehouse was Cedric Richmond, a member of the college’s class of 1995, who ran Mr. Biden’s public engagement office and is now a senior adviser at the Democratic National Committee .

Mr. Richmond, who has a nephew at Morehouse, predicted Mr. Biden would speak about the high expectations of the college’s alumni, promote his record of reducing Black unemployment and narrowing the racial wealth gap, and deliver familiar exhortations about perseverance.

Mr. Richmond does not think Mr. Biden will face protests.

“The Morehouse College graduation, at least as I remember it, is a very solemn event,” he said. “You have almost 500 African American males walking across that stage, whose parents and grandparents sacrificed and those students worked their butts off to, one, get into Morehouse, and two, to graduate. That’s a very significant day. And I’m just not sure whether students or protesters are going to interfere with that solemn moment.”

Vice President Harris, who graduated from Howard University, another historically Black institution, is engaged in her own virtual tour of such colleges. A congratulatory video she recorded will be played for graduates at 44 H.B.C.U.s; she is often introduced as a surprise guest and greeted with cheers.

In Atlanta last month, Ms. Harris asked the Morehouse student government president, Mekhi Perrin, what approach Mr. Biden should take in his address.

“I think really she was just trying to gain an idea of what exactly students’ issues were with his coming, if any at all,” Mr. Perrin said. “And what would kind of shift that narrative.”

Mr. Biden has been trailed by Gaza protesters for months. The last time he spoke at a four-year college campus was in January, when demonstrators interrupted him at least 10 times during a rally at George Mason University in Virginia.

Morehouse’s traditions are strong. Dr. King said it was a place where he had advanced his understanding of nonviolent protest and moral leadership — which current Morehouse students say they take seriously.

“I feel like the protests do need to come out, because if you don’t see students advocating for what they believe in, then the change that they’re advocating for will never come about,” said Benjamin Bayliss, a Morehouse junior. Looking toward the statue of Dr. King in front of the chapel named for the civil rights leader, he added, “You really feel the weight of what King did and the fire of the torch that he lit that we have to carry on.”

Yet even as some students feel compelled to protest, outside factors can shape their decisions. Roughly 75 percent of students at H.B.C.U.s, including 50 percent of Morehouse students, are eligible for the Pell Grant , a federal aid program for low-income students. More than 80 percent of Morehouse students receive some form of financial aid. In the Class of 2024, nearly a third of graduates will be the first in their family to receive a bachelor’s degree.

Some students at Black colleges also may decide against protesting because of family pressure , which amplifies the importance of securing their degrees.

“Your student body at Columbia is very different than the student body at, say, Dillard,” said Walter Kimbrough, who spent a decade as president of Dillard University, a historically Black institution in New Orleans. “It doesn’t mean that people aren’t concerned. But they understand that they have some different kinds of stakes.”

The stakes are also high for Mr. Biden, whose standing with Black voters has softened ahead of November’s presidential election. Young people are less enthusiastic about voting at all — partly because of Mr. Biden’s handling of the Gaza war, but also because they are unhappy with the choice between him and former President Donald J. Trump.

“I think it’s really just picking the lesser of two evils,” said Freddrell Rhea Green II, a Morehouse freshman. “Anything better than Donald Trump, a madman, a quote unquote tyrant, is better for me.”

“Joe Biden is probably a very nice person,” said Samuel Livingston, an associate professor of Africana studies at Morehouse. “But niceness is not the level of leadership that we need. We need ethical leadership. And continuing to support the aiding, abetting and the stripping of Palestinian land, from Palestinian people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, is not ethical.”

Some students, like Auzzy Byrdsell, a senior studying kinesiology and journalism, support their classmates’ protests but fear a possible response from the police to a crowd of largely Black young men.

“Do we get tear-gassed?” said Mr. Byrdsell, the editor in chief of The Maroon Tiger, the school’s student newspaper. “Do we get arrested? That would not be the greatest look for a Morehouse College graduation.”

Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, a 1991 Morehouse alumnus, said that he hoped Mr. Biden would highlight his record and his agenda — but that there was little the president could say about the Gaza conflict to assuage his critics on campus.

“While what he says is important,” Mr. Warnock said, trying to put himself in the shoes of student protesters, “I think much more important is what he does in the future.”

Kitty Bennett contributed research.

— Maya King and Reid J. Epstein Maya King reported from Atlanta, and Reid J. Epstein from Washington.