Secret Societies - Eating Clubs, Finals Clubs etc. at Elite Universities.?

[Anonymous]

I’m in Fight Club but we don’t talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They aren't good people at UVa, but they will give money to the school and will make $$$.

I hope this is sarcasm. Please go read “Secret Societies at UVA” in wiki

This keeps getting posted but the Wikipedia article describes a bunch of self serving clubs and some recent philanthropy.
It looks like UVA had some elitist societies at the start and much later some people started making their own societies to make it a trend.

I know am alum from uva and he’s the biggest ass. I can guess he was in a secret society. He was in a fraternity for sure. He and wife talk non stop about connections and networking literally all the time. It’s like a chess match they only spend time with people who they think can help them and their kids succeed socially and professionally. There’s nothing sincere about it

How nice that you know ONE alum from UVA. YOu readily admit that have no idea if they are in an anonymous philanthropic society at UVA. Nevertheless, you extrapolate your perceived judgments about this person here, mistakenly thinking that one person's behavior can apply to all alums. Why?

You know why.[/quote]


Because it makes you feel momentarily bigger than yourself to post such an insipid remark? Do you bully in real life? Do you get a momentary charge from putting down people and institutions you don't even know" Perhaps he thinks you are "the biggest ass". I certainly do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same experience as prior Yale poster with secret society. Some of the traditions are rather silly (Tap Night especially), but the experience in general is not shallow or vapid . Several from my society are lifelong close friends of mine, and I had not known them before senior year, nor would I have been able to meet them otherwise.

There are very few people on this forum that can speak to Yale Secret Societies (Skull and Bones, Wolf's Head and Scroll and Key). I'm sure others have opinions on these societies, but can you speak directly to your experiences with these societies?

I was not in S&B, but the partner of a close friend was. He is a FASCINATING person. Beyond intelligent and a master of "soft skills" but has gone on to a very interesting career as well as gratifying personal life & philanthropic activities. I don't know that S&B is what *got* him there, but he believes the connections helped him at the beginning but also helped him sketch out what his life could look like. My understanding is that he got into S&B because they take certain figurehead people from around campus each year (e.g., captain of lacrosse team, editor of paper, class president, whatever. To be clear, I am not saying that if you have one of those positions you are automatically invited to join - only that it puts you on their radar.)

Thank you for your comment. You obviously have a clue about what happens in these "secret societies". Yes, there are Lines for the groups you have mentioned.

[Anonymous]

"The different societies all have different traditions, so it’s hard to otherwise give blanket statements about them. But generally every society, regardless of prominence, would meet every Thursday and Sunday and each member is required to give a self biography, lasting anywhere between 2 hours (shortest I experienced) to 8+ hours."


Standing ovation to those that gave their biography in 2 hours! 8+ hours is/was insane. No thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in a (less well known/prestigious) secret society at Yale. Most of the societies had 15 seniors as members - we had 2-3 faculty members who belonged also. As to purpose, we met twice a week - Thurs and Sunday - at night and got to know each other very well. I knew a few of my fellow members before senior year but not well. Over that year, we came to know each other very well, and most importantly each were given one night to present a very detailed oral autobiography of ourselves. That’s one night devoted solely to one person. And it was a conversation, with questions and comments - favorable and not - from the full group. Most of the time, it was a great experience; occasionally it turned too critical. Every secret society I knew details about at Yale did something comparable. I would do it again in a minute.

A relative was in a well known one. As he described it, sounds a lot like what you describe. A couple of things stood out to me:

- the level of accomplishment of the kids. They were all top students, but most also amazing athletes or actors or musicians.

- the economic and racial diversity off the kids (I was invited to family events at graduation and met the kids and families).

- the money available to the society. They didn’t charge the kids, but they had an amazing building full of cool antiques and several staff — all to support an after school club for 12 kids.

I'm guessing this diversity has evolved only in the relatively recent past. These groups were not known for being inclusive of race, religion, gender, or class.

[Anonymous]

UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

And they are mostly philanthropic and are a secret for that reason. Read upthread. There are several wikipedia articles on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

And they are mostly philanthropic and are a secret for that reason. Read upthread. There are several wikipedia articles on this.

The Seven Society at UVA has a member who recently gave $40M.

According to wikipedia, here are some of its other gifts to UVA and the community. These philanthropic societies are UVA are unique and much treasured because of the good they do:

Philanthropic gifts

A sundial donated as a gift by the Seven Society
The group contributes financially to the university, announcing donations with letters signed only with seven astronomical symbols in the order: Earth, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Neptune, Uranus, and Venus. The Society gives large monetary donations and scholarships to the university each year in quantities that include the number 7, e.g. $777 or $1,777. Significant past gifts to the university include the Seven Society Carillon in the UVA Chapel, donated in memory of deceased members of the society, and given with the request that there should be a toll of seven times seven bells on the passing of a member;[5] a memorial to past Seven Society members who gave their lives in World War I;[6] $17,777.77 for a loan fund in honor of university president John Lloyd Newcomb; the ceremonial mace carried in academic processions;[7] $10,777.77 in support of the re-establishment of Homecomings;[8] a plaque on the Rotunda honoring University students who died in the Korean War;[9] $7,077.77 to endow the Ernest Mead Fund for the Music Library;[10] $47,777.77 for the making of a film on the honor system;[11] and $1 million in support of the university's South Lawn Project.[12] Most recently, the society gave a $777,777.77 grant to fund the Mead Endowment, founded in honor of Ernest Mead, which awards grants to professors to teach their "dream classes."[13]

In addition to granting spontaneous gifts, the Seven Society sponsors an annual $7,000 graduate fellowship award for superb teaching.[14]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

And they are mostly philanthropic and are a secret for that reason. Read upthread. There are several wikipedia articles on this.

Sure. It's still networking for the very wealthiest. How many kids on pell grants are there in philanthropic societies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in a (less well known/prestigious) secret society at Yale. Most of the societies had 15 seniors as members - we had 2-3 faculty members who belonged also. As to purpose, we met twice a week - Thurs and Sunday - at night and got to know each other very well. I knew a few of my fellow members before senior year but not well. Over that year, we came to know each other very well, and most importantly each were given one night to present a very detailed oral autobiography of ourselves. That’s one night devoted solely to one person. And it was a conversation, with questions and comments - favorable and not - from the full group. Most of the time, it was a great experience; occasionally it turned too critical. Every secret society I knew details about at Yale did something comparable. I would do it again in a minute.

A relative was in a well known one. As he described it, sounds a lot like what you describe. A couple of things stood out to me:

- the level of accomplishment of the kids. They were all top students, but most also amazing athletes or actors or musicians.

- the economic and racial diversity off the kids (I was invited to family events at graduation and met the kids and families).

- the money available to the society. They didn’t charge the kids, but they had an amazing building full of cool antiques and several staff — all to support an after school club for 12 kids.

I'm guessing this diversity has evolved only in the relatively recent past. These groups were not known for being inclusive of race, religion, gender, or class.

The may not discriminate on race or religion any more, but class discrimination is there whole reason for being and as strong as ever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

And they are mostly philanthropic and are a secret for that reason. Read upthread. There are several wikipedia articles on this.

Sure. It's still networking for the very wealthiest. How many kids on pell grants are there in philanthropic societies?

I think that you’re being way snottier and meaner toward the rich kids than most of the secret society members are towards kids who are less rich.

You’re just bullying them because you want to kill them, take their stuff and act on your Stalinist tendencies by soaking the ground with the dead rich people’s blood, after you’re living in one of their stolen houses, not because of any sincere interest in fairness.

You think you’re progressive, but you’re just a genocidal fascist who currently lacks an armed secret society that will do your bidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVa has a lot of secret societies and selective student organizations.

And they are mostly philanthropic and are a secret for that reason. Read upthread. There are several wikipedia articles on this.

Sure. It's still networking for the very wealthiest. How many kids on pell grants are there in philanthropic societies?

Not when the organization is anonymous. Members of the Seven Society aren't even disclosed until their funeral.