List of Yale University student organizations

There are a number of student organizations at Yale University.

The Yale Political Union, the oldest student political organization in the United States, is advised by alumni political leaders such as John Kerry and George Pataki. It was the largest student organization at Yale; several groups, including the Yale International Relations Association (YIRA), have laid claim to the title in recent years.

The university features a variety of student journals, magazines, and newspapers. The latter category includes the Yale Daily News, which was first published in 1878 and is the oldest daily college newspaper in the United States. Dwight Hall, an independent, non-profit community service organization, oversees more than 2,000 Yale undergraduates working on more than 60 community service initiatives in New Haven.

The campus also includes several fraternities and sororities. The campus features at least 18 a cappella groups, the most prominent of which is The Whiffenpoofs. A number of prominent secret societies, including Skull and Bones, are composed of Yale College students.

Fraternities and sororities

The fraternity system in American education was developed at Yale. In 1738, Yale students founded the first selective college organization, a debating society named Crotonia; two competitors sprang up soon after, Linonia (1753) and Brothers in Unity (1768).

In 1780, students created a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a secret academic society begun at the College of William and Mary four years earlier.

In 1832, Phi Beta Kappa's evolution from a secret academic society into a public one led students to set up the Society of Skull and Bones. Secret and senior societies proliferated, and with them, fraternities. Originally, most were part of an interrelated system of socially or academically elite junior, sophomore, and even freshman societies, which fed into the prestigious senior societies. Other types of fraternities, however, were also formed.

In 1932, Yale opened 10 residential colleges, which included elaborate facilities for living and dining. As they became centers of social life, the underclass fraternities began to wither. They became increasingly unpopular in the 1960s, due to the atmosphere of social equality and Yale's decision to require undergraduates to purchase full meal plans. Around 1973, the last two surviving fraternities—Delta Kappa Epsilon and The Fence Club (associated with Psi Upsilon) -- closed and sold their facilities to the University.

As the social and political atmosphere became more moderate and the Connecticut drinking age was changed from 18 to 21, old fraternities began to reopen and new ones were formed; however, these generally bore little resemblance to the old Yale fraternities, as most did not have elaborate houses or the atmosphere of social and campus elitism.[1] Yale’s first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was formed in 1985.

The following fraternities and sororities have chapters at Yale:

Fraternities

Sororities

Non-National Fraternities:

Cultural organizations

Service/outreach organizations

Political organizations

Dance groups

Musical groups

Student musical groups include five university-sponsored organizations composed primarily of undergraduates:

In addition, the student-run Davenport Pops Orchestra , Saybrook College Orchestra , Berkeley College Orchestra , Jonathan Edwards Chamber Philharmonic , and Bach Society all provide free concerts of symphonic masterworks. Other groups include:

A cappella singing groups

Undergraduates also sing in at least 18 a cappella groups.

All men

All women

Mixed

Theatrical organizations

Comedic organizations

Humor publications (in order of founding)
Improvisational comedy troupes (in order of founding)
Sketch comedy groups (in order of founding)

Senior societies

History and structure

In the 19th century, the Yale social structure became dominated by a unique network of societies, many of them secret, open only to seniors. They are called "senior societies" collectively, but secret senior societies also carry the sobriquet "secret societies". Invitations to join were (and in many cases, are today) extended late in junior year on "tap day".

Secondary to the proliferation of senior societies, societies of underclassmen sprang up. Most of these were limited to members of a single class (junior, senior, freshman). The underclass societies entirely died out with the formation of the residential college system in the 1930s, but most of the senior societies still exist.

Commonly, senior societies have 15 members and, once initiation is finished, they are members for life. Some have imposing, nearly-windowless buildings on campus, known as "tombs" or "halls" .

The structure and rules of the societies vary extensively. Journalists have attempted to ferret out the goings-on inside the secret societies, especially concerning Skull and Bones, due to both the mystery of the society and the prominence of its members. The degree of their success is difficult to assess, as members are generally unwilling to speak about it and access to meetings (or even the inside of the tombs) is difficult to obtain. Thus, verification of facts is difficult.

The secret societies have regular weekly meetings and it is known that meals are served, either by eyewitness account or by the presence of food delivery trucks regularly seen at side doors. Skull and Bones apparently forbids alcohol, although others do not. Most reputable commentators state that meeting include both outright silliness and serious discussions.

Yale's senior societies differ significantly from the final clubs at Harvard and even more from Princeton's eating clubs. Harvard's final clubs are not limited to seniors; however, they are not known to be "secret", have a more pronounced social function, and traditionally place more emphasis on family connections. Harvard also maintains a large society for underclassmen, "Hasty Pudding", from which most final club members are recruited.[5] Princeton's eating clubs are more similar to non-residential fraternities.

Current societies

Other notable clubs

Private clubs at Yale exhibit a range of membership models: all-student, student-faculty, or student-faculty-alumni, and a gamut of topical interests or organizing missions. Some are almost as well known as famous secret societies and some share characteristics including selective membership, endowments, noteworthy buildings, characteristic traditions, or on-campus historical antecedents as 19th- or 20th-century fraternal organizations. Clubs located within the campus area are woven into the fabric of Yale life, even though most do not have any formal affiliation with the University. Several were cited in the Official Preppy Handbook.

Student publications

Other organizations

References

  1. ↑ Yale's senior societies were "elite" but, in all fairness, depended less on family status than those at Princeton and Harvard. They were more inclusive of men from poor and undistinguished families who achieved prominence on campus in such areas as athletics, academics, and student organizations. See " Tombs and Taps: An inside look at Yale's Fraternities, Sororities and Societies", http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Tombs_and_Taps.htm
  2. ↑ Libertarian Party Campus Organizations
  3. ↑ The Rev. James M. Howard, Yale Class of 1909, "An Authentic Account of the Founding of the Whiffenpoofs".
  4. ↑ Scherer, Barrymore L. "The Yale Russian Chorus, Diplomats of Song." The Wall Street Journal 23 Oct. 2003 <http://www.yrcalums.org/2003_Wall_St_Journal.pdf>
  5. ↑ That Yale's senior societies place value on family connections is indisputable, given the prevalence of sons of members and scions of famous families; however, it is well known that persons from less famous families with certain success in their campus career, such as the Editor of the Yale Daily News and the captain of the football team, are often elected.
  6. ↑ The Yale Herald: "Tapping In" March 30, 2012
  7. ↑ http://www.yale.edu/yfi