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worked on the Reed campus almost 20 years ago. At that time students began ordering "exotics" (unusual drugs) during spring semester in preparation for Renn Faire. There was a very well trained group of students who served on "Karma Patrol" who stayed with students who had had bad trips. They would set up a large quiet room for students to come to who were having a hard time. One would see faculty and staff on campus the first night of the celebration but seldom after that. Many of the student services staff stayed away from campus for fear of liability issues. It was a time of little adult non-student involvement. It was a wonderful spring bacchanalia that was also very scary if you knew what could happen with the level of drinking and drugging that went on. It also would be a difficult place and time to be for the student in recovery. There was a heroin death of a Reed student back then to--but it did not happen on campus.

posted 5 years ago
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On March 8, Oregon Mensa is sponsoring a workshop for parents and teachers of TAG kids that will address self esteem issues. For more information, please contact me at oregonmensan@gmail.com

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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I am the head of Oregon Mensa, an organization for people who score in the top 2% of the population on IQ tests. My opinions are my own and don't represent Mensa. However, in my position I have participated in many conversations with some of the brightest people in our society about their educational experiences.

Our society so badly needs the smartest people of the society to be active citizens, inventors, managers, politicians.. Yet we give little support to educating these people to their potential. On the other hand we put significant money into educating people who, because of developental issues, will be able to contribute to the advancement of our society only in a minimal level. I am not arguing against educating children of more limited abilities to the best level of functioning they can meet. I simply would like to see similar resources put into training teachers of the gifted and providing special education for gifted kids.

There is adequate information to suggest that truly bright students do not learn in the same way (and do not mentally develop in the same way) as kids whose IQs are in the more average area. It takes different teaching methods and teachers who are as smart as the kids. In addition teachers need to be well educated in diagnosing learning disabilities and emotional problems which can accompany high IQ and prevent kids from developing as they should.

Ruth Parvin, J.D., Ph.D
503 234 5687

posted 5 years, 3 months ago
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