d08, from what i hear of dartmouth societies they are simply social extensions of the frat scene. i can’t imagine that any special “bonding” occurs by virtue of the fact that they are single-sex. it seems to me that having only men in the group would compromise the purpose of overcoming the boundaries of personal experience to find common bonds (and stronger bonds from the focus it takes to establish inter-cultural, inter-gender, relationships). also, if any group on campus is going to enjoy arbitrary prestige, yale women simply deserve to be included in it as much as yale men.

yah, C&G is soo fratty!1

washindu “humpty” is the most legit person on this board…he should get one of the open SB slots

it must suck to go to a school where people treat the members of “secret societies” like celebrities. i used to think that sort of thing was intriguing but its really just nonsensical

B10: I wouldn’t say that’s the case at all. for one thing, the thing that makes this prank at all intriguing is that the names are usually run in the rumpus at the *END* of the year, i.e. are not known till then, i.e. cannot be celebrities because celebrities must be well-known. (: in fact the societies, except as an outlet for gossip, play a very, very trivial role on the campus social scene. (bear in mind that they don’t host parties in their tombs) I think if you want to point to the pernicious social effects of selective groups on the social life of campus, look at eating clubs and finals clubs, neither of which we have, of course. Those are major campus institutions at their respective schools that lend the entire social scenes of their respective schools an irritatingly selective, fratty hue.

There is no Pakistani tap in Skull and Bones. The current Muslim tap is from the glorious nation of Afghanistan.

There is no Pakistani tap in Skull and Bones. The 2007 Muslim tap is from the glorious nation of Afghanistan. Selection for the Muslim tap is done through an intricate process that involves a huge map of the middle east and darts.

Next year will be an Iranian. NOT.

IN CASE YOU MIGHT HAVE GLOSSED OVER IT… THERE IS NO PAKISTANI LINE.

some societies do hold parties in their tombs and invite non-members. Also, some societies are single sex.

i agree that societies play a trivial role in campus life … until you’re a senior. all of a sudden many of your friends are dispersed to random groups every thursday and sunday nights. this has an enormous impact on your social life! i imagine that the effect is positive for most of the people who are in societies. (i’m not.) but keeping secrets from one another doesn’t exactly enhance friendships.

please, don’t bother defending societies as non-elitist – the original purpose of a society is to exclude everyone who’s not a member. and, to believe that your group of ~15 is better than other groups of ~15. what could be more elitist/exclusive than that?

honestly, I would have joined a society if I had had the opportunity. but the majority of seniors are not in secret societies. for us, they’re at best annoying and at worst divisive. as you might imagine, they also bring out the worst in certain kinds of people. in my view societies are one of the worst parts of life at Yale.

there is no muslim line. there is in fact a pakistani line. the nation of afghanistan is just an extension of the glorious nation of pakistan.

yale07….half of the dartmouth societies are co-ed

y07:
i mean, thursday and sunday nights are not the worst nights on which you might lose some of your friends. Although I do agree that the frequency of it is a problem, and that I would turn down a society that took me away from my other committments (about which I care a great deal) every week.

That said–and I say this knowing a great many seniors in societies–I still think they’re really not a major problem. They just don’t affect one’s life enough. I think pehaps the lamest thing is the gross, disgusting travesty that is tap night. it’s just a disgrace. it’s not the robes or the masks–i’ve actually spent a bit of time walking around campus blindfolded/robed/masked myself in various contexts, and it’s rather fun–it’s the humiliating public exhibitionism/antics/getting a bus and driving to mohegan sun (ick…) that makes campus a very unpleasant place for a night. blindfolded, masked folks just attract stares and giggles. jock-strapped, trashed men handing out flyers for penis rings, on the other hand, are genuinely unpleasant.

Losing Thursday nights is tough, but is Sunday night really a party night for you guys? I always took Sunday to be the one night where most don’t party, I mean Desperate Housewives is on for goodness sake!

No, that’s the point. Societies actually aren’t about having parties 2 nights a week. So when the previous commenter said Thurs and Sun are “not the worst nights,” he/she meant that neither was a huge party night so sacrificing it to hang out with your society instead of going out with friends was no big deal.

thursday is indeed a huge party night for some of us, but that’s neither here nor there. it’s less about the specific nights than it is about the time commitment. 2 nights a week, every week of the year does make a difference. obviously you can still find time to hang out, it just takes more effort.

myrtllllllllllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

deeeeeeeeeeeeeer iiiiiiiiiiislaaaaaaaaaand!!!!!!!!!!!

there is a columbia society — it’s actually more secret than yales’. their tomb’s at 118th & amsterdam.

No there isn’t, columbia 07. The Columbia “societies” have neither tombs nor prestige.

Columbia 08, do your research… we have both secret societies and they, in turn, have storied, fixed meeting places. Dead white men may or may not be interred there. I’m sure they’re all the better for it.

So how do i get to be in the s&b society?

Easy, just start to believe that the world is better off being run by the elite, rich few at the top of the pyramid, ruling over the pooor plebian masses at the bottom of the pyramid. A healthy dose of new world order along with the ability to dehumanize others less fortunate than yourself are a must. Also, it pays to owe and be owed favors by people who can blackmail you with your most personal secrets. Might also be conveninent to worship the antichrist, etc…

What’s with all the minorities?

I highly doubt our future presidents are on this list.

Affirmative action will bring down even the most esteemed groups. The liberal establishment is like a cancer.