from: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=186829&BRD=1281&PAG=461&action=13 Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=186829&BRD=1281&PAG=461&action =13">New Haven Register</A> ----- SKULL AND BONES: Debunking the myth of Yale's secret society By Randall Beach, Register Staff March 31, 2000The Skull and Bones building, aka "The Tombs," at 64 High St., New Haven. Vern Williams/Register There will always be a dark and foreboding mystique about Skull and Bones, the 168-year-old secret, senior society on the Yale campus. This image, which will undoubtedly be enhanced by the nationwide premiere today of the movie "The Skulls," has been deliberately cultivated by some of this elite society�s members. (The membership roll includes presidential candidate George W. Bush and his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, former U.S. president.)After all, the society�s emblem is a skull and crossbones. Members call their imposing stone headquarters, which sits windowless and locked tight at 64 High St., "the Tomb." And deep within, there are skulls, a "crypt" and at least one coffin, according to a member who agreed to be interviewed. This member declined to have his name revealed in the newspaper, as the society imposes a strict code of silence on all such matters. But he decided it was time to knock down some of the persistent myths about the place. For example, he steadfastly denied reports that during the initiation process, aspiring members are physically beaten. "That was not true of my experience, nor those of anybody I know," he said. "I can�t remember anybody ever being physically hurt." What about the tales of members lying in coffins, being made to strip and engage in naked mud wrestling? "Some of those antics do happen, but they�re not required," he said. "There�s a lot of goofing around." The member also addressed the longstanding rumor that the skull of Geronimo is in the society�s collection. "There was this story of somebody stealing sacred Indian relics, but I think they (the relics) were sent out for testing and shown not to be those of Indians." However, he said there are in fact three or four skulls in "the Tomb." He added, "I assume they�re real." The member described an enclosure that has no telephone and does not permit drinking. He said the seniors gather for about five hours every Thursday and Sunday night to either hold discussions or tell their personal life histories in intimate detail. He said the important thing about Skull and Bones is not all the ritualistic trappings and mythology but the lasting friendships that come from many hours of candid discussion. "It shouldn�t be all that mysterious there�s an organization that wants to close its doors to the world so you can have a debate," he said. "I found it a good experience; this was a place you could go and debate and disagree � and nothing ever left there." The member holds little hope the movie will focus on this positive aspect of the group, which he prefers to call a "senior" society rather than a "secret" society. "I suspect you�ll see nothing related to the truth." "The Skulls" apparently doesn�t identify its scene as Yale, and it was filmed at the University of Toronto. But that location was chosen because its buildings resemble those of Yale and the film�s script was written by a Yale graduate, John Pogue, class of 1987. Pogue has admitted he joined one of Yale�s seven senior societies but he declined to name it. Skull and Bones, founded in 1832, was the first such society on campus. It remains the most prestigious and secretive. The movie clearly plays up the society�s menacing image, according to the press kit. Full-page ads provide this teaser: "A secret society so powerful, it can give you everything you desire � at a price." The annual April ritual in which 15 juniors are "tapped" by each society, remains a rite to which many students pay close attention, according to Adam Gordon, a senior. "The societies are seen mostly as social clubs," said Gordon, who decided not to join one because he considers them part of "an elitist tradition." Gordon noted the societies, even Skull and Bones, now admit women. (The Bonesmen began allowing women in 1991, but only after a close vote by alumni, who angrily shut down "the Tomb" because initially they didn�t approve of the students� initiative.) But, Gordon said, "They�re still symbols of that (era)." Gordon said Skull and Bones retains its unique "mystique" on campus. "There are always rumors about what�s going on in there," he said, addig that he has heard the Geronimo story. While being tapped to be a Bonesman still carries some prestige, Gordon said, he notices freshmen and sophomores are more impressed than upperclassmen. "Tap day is weird," Gordon added. "You see people walking around campus in hoods, going up to the doors of the people they want and �tapping� them." Yale History Professor Gaddis Smith said the societies are not nearly as important and prestigious as in earlier times. "The �60s changed things," he noted. But Michael Morand, an assistant vice president in Yale�s office of New Haven and state affairs, said the societies have rebounded somewhat in the �90s because today�s students are "more traditional." Morand said other colleges have private clubs, but "There�s probably a richer tradition here. Yale�s clubs probably go farther than anybody in tapping and ritual." The societies are not officially part of Yale and the members own their buildings. New Haveners who have in recent years joined the hallowed ranks of such prominent Bonesmen as writer William F. Buckley Jr. and former Yale Chaplain the Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr. include Alderman Julio Gonzalez (D-1) and Janet Wagner, director of All Our Kin child care center. When reached for comment, Gonzalez said he would "keep to the code of silence." Wagner said, "Bad things will happen to me if I talk about this," then retracted her statement, wished her caller "good luck" and hung up. �New Haven Register 2000Back to top E-mail this story to a friend Voice your opinion on this story Questions or coments? Email the Webmaster. Copyright � 1995-2000 PowerAdz.com, LLC. Zwire!, AdQuest, AdQuest Classifieds, AdQuest 3D & are Trademarks of PowerAdz.com, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. 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