Are Yale’s Secret Societies like Harvard’s final clubs? Maybe not.
By Charlotte Austin ‘11
Contrary to popular belief, Yale’s secret societies play a very different role in the social scene than Harvard’s final clubs. 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.
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.
And 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. Societies, therefore, are not huge part of the social scene at Yale, per se. 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.
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. (For instance, there has been a recent trend of Yale Daily News senior editors being inducted into Scroll and Key.)
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.
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.
Skull and Bones
Far and away the most famous secret society at Yale, Skull and Bones is also the oldest. 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). Skull and Bones’ membership famously includes George H. W. and George W. Bush, as well as the latter’s 2004 election opponent John Kerry. 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. The society often appears in popular films and TV shows, such as the Matt Damon movie The Good Shepherd, as well as the second season of Gossip Girl.
Scroll and Key
Scroll and Key is the second oldest secret society at Yale, and arguably the second most prominent, though in recent years its popularity has begun to eclipse that of Skull and Bones—rumor has it they currently have a larger endowment. They were formed in 1841 after a dispute over elections to Skull and Bones, and the group has made many significant donations to Yale, including the endowment for the founding of the Yale University Press. Notable alums include Cornelius Vanderbilt III, former secretary of state Dean Acheson, and Cole Porter.
Wolf’s Head
Wolf’s Head was founded in 1884, amidst a student movement to end the society system once and for all. Needless to say, the founding of Wolf’s Head cemented that movement’s death, and today members enjoy the largest secret society compound on campus. The Wolf’s Head Society was for a time notorious for admitting prep-school types and was the last society to go co-ed in 1992. Famous members include composer Charles Ives.
Book and Snake
One of three still existing societies that was founded at the Yale Sheffield Scientific School—a division of the university which focused on science education—Book and Snake originated as a three-year residential society and didn’t become a senior society at Yale until 1933. Book and Snake taps eight men and eight women every spring and claims to be the first senior society to admit women. Famous alumni include Bob Woodward and Harvard’s own Henry “Skip” Louis Gates, Jr.
Manuscript
Founded in 1952, Manuscript is the second youngest society that owns property and also claims to be the first society to accept women. Unlike many of the other societies, Manuscript is famous for its yearly Halloween party. Famous alums include Duke University president Richard Brodhead, Anderson Cooper, and Jodie Foster.
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall or “St. A’s” is a national collegiate literary society which—besides Yale—currently has co-ed chapters at Columbia, Trinity, Princeton, Brown, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and MIT. (There are all male chapters at University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and the University of Mississippi). F. Scott Fitzgerald makes numerous references to the society in his works, and the Yale chapter maintains its literary and intellectual reputation by sponsoring a public lecture series on literature, the arts, and public affairs. Membership is comprised of sophomores through seniors, and St. A’s is essentially the only society that consistently holds events open to the public.
Pundits
The Pundits are not exactly a society—in fact, they are sort of an anti-society, notorious around campus for both their naked parties and their often elaborate pranks, often involving tricking juniors into believing they are being tapped for a secret society. The Pundits were the masterminds behind 2004 Harvard-Yale game’s “WE SUCK” prank. It is speculated that the term “pundit,” as we use it today, originates in the name of this group. Famous Yale Pundits include former vice presidential candidate and Connecticut
