![]() Much mystery and mythology surrounds the society: they are rumored to have stolen the skulls of Geronimo and Pancho Villa, and rumors about the activities of their members and alumni networks never fail to capture public attention. Bush, as well as the latter’s 2004 election opponent John Kerry. Skull and Bones’ membership famously includes George H. It was founded in 1832, after the valedictorian of the class of 1833, William Huntington Russell, was not elected into Phi Beta Kappa (which, as you may imagine, was a very different organization back in the day). There are a wide range of societies at Yale, some without a tomb of their own, some which accommodate juniors, and some which do in fact function more as a social space.įar and away the most famous secret society at Yale, Skull and Bones is also the oldest. Still, the societies and their alumni organizations seem to have a history of control and influence over the university, both fiscally and administratively: by 1884, half of the faculty and the Yale Corporation were members of secret societies. (For instance, there has been a recent trend of Yale Daily News senior editors being inducted into Scroll and Key.) Many argue that election into secret societies is far more meritocratic than election into Harvard’s final clubs, and what one has achieved as a member of the Yale community supposedly trumps family backgrounds. The members don’t interact with the rest of the student population as a group, instead usually meeting privately on Thursdays and Sundays, with the activities, purportedly, focused on personal growth and the development of deep friendships. Societies, therefore, are not huge part of the social scene at Yale, per se. What makes these societies so secretive isn’t their membership rosters-lists of members are often circulated in student publications and posted on blogs like IvyGate-but rather, the content of their meetings and rituals that is kept hidden from the outside world.Īnd don’t expect to roll up to the Skull and Bones tomb on a Friday night for a rager-entrance into each society’s tombs is generally restricted to members. Though their reputations as bastions of elitism are certainly comparable, secret societies at Yale are generally made up of only 15 members (boys and girls) of the senior class, chosen in April of their junior year on something called “Tap Night,” during which each of the societies’ current members formally dispenses invitations to the new class of members. Are Yale’s Secret Societies like Harvard’s final clubs? Maybe not.Ĭontrary to popular belief, Yale’s secret societies play a very different role in the social scene than Harvard’s final clubs.
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