Behind the walls of Yale's secret societies

George Bush, DC '48, William F. Buckley, DC '49, Garry Trudeau, DC '70--some of Yale's most illustrious alums have gained membership to the secret societies here. Although groups such as Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key are inextricably linked to the Yale name, the societies actually play a small part in the lives of most undergraduates since they consist solely of seniors. Still, the looming presence of their various "tombs" around campus and their surrounding mystique make secret societies an intriguing part of Yale life.

The first contact most freshmen have with secret societies is on Tap Night, a late spring night when juniors are chosen by societies with names like Elihu and Berzelius, and it seems as if Halloween is being reenacted on Old Campus. Accompanied by shouts and screams that disrupt freshman study efforts, blindfolded juniors are led around by cloaked and hooded seniors in mysterious initiation ceremonies.

The eeriness and secrecy of these bizarre scenes are enhanced by the tombs, ancient buildings situated around the Yale campus that several societies use as meeting places. The tombs have tiny slits for windows and are surrounded by locked gates. One rarely sees anyone go in or out, and the details of what transpires inside are mostly kept secret. Rumors of debaucherous rites, some involving coffins, always abound.

This intimidating appearance, however, does not completely conceal the rituals that go on behind the walls of the societies. Many members feel that their tradition is, most importantly, a way to continue one of the most important aspects of the Yale tradition: making lifelong friends. In general, secret societies have 15 "tapped" members, selected by that year's graduating seniors. One junior, recently tapped by Elihu, said he was "psyched about meeting new people," because he knew only one of the 14 other society members prior to being tapped.

Behind the doors of their respective mausoleums, Yale's secret societies do their fair share of socializing. The ostensible purpose of the organizations is to bring together a group of seniors of varied backgrounds. Some societies such as Manuscript have regular dinners and speakers, but the universal tradition of members sharing their life stories forms the basis for the close connections between those who are tapped.

Founded in 1832, Skull and Bones remains Yale's oldest secret society. Over the past century and a half, many more secret societies have emerged. A few stay tenaciously attached to the tradition of tombs and absolute secrecy, while other societies are noticably less secretive about their membership and their various activities.

Once a bastion of the Old Blue WASP male stereotype, secret societies have diversified in recent years, although some members question whether their constituency reflects a forced diversity that changes the character and intended nature of the secret society itself. "All the societies want to be diverse in terms of race, gender, and sexual orientation. There's a de facto quota system," a former Book and Snake member said.

All the seriousness that surrounds traditional secret societies is missing in the Pundits. A pseudo-secret society, the Pundits mock the stuffy atmosphere that their counterparts create. In recent years, Pundit pranks caused students in a popular Chinese history class to show up for class with egg rolls. The group also nearly succeeded in impersonating the Whiffenpoofs on The Today Show.

Secret societies must deal with the modern stigma of being exclusive and selective groups, but those very qualities are what appeal to many Yale seniors year after year. Their decreased prominence in the past few years has made secret societies less of an issue than in past years. Today, societies are just another of the many unique and varied threads in the fabric of the Yale community.

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