from: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/1997/04/04-22-97tdc/04-22-97d01-012.htm Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/1997/04/04-22-97tdc/04-22-97d01-012 .htm">Secret society dispels myths</A> ----- Tuesday, April 22, 1997 Secret society dispels myths Editor's note: This is the second story in a six-part series about secret societies. This story looks at Skull and Bones. By LISA HAARLANDER Collegian Staff Writers Matt Plocki and his roommates were sound asleep when they heard a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Plocki, the 1995-96 Council of Commonwealth Student Governments president, put on a shirt and answered the door still half asleep. Members of Skull and Bones had come to "tap" Plocki for membership in the group. Plocki was stunned because he had never heard of Skull and Bones before that night. "It was very quick and they leave you confused," he said. "I was caught off guard and just stunned because of what time of night it was. . . . My roommates and I thought they were nuts. I had major hesitations about joining." Plocki told the members he needed time to think and that he wanted to talk to other people before joining. As it turns out, joining was the right choice for him. "I have more respect for this organization than any other organization I have ever been in," he said. "It stands for everything and anything that's positive. It's the real tradition behind Penn State." The tradition, though, has its roots at another university. In 1912, 12 male juniors modeled the Penn State chapter after Skull and Bones at Yale University. It may have been modeled after Yale's chapter, but there are few similarities. Instead of meeting in a windowless stone tomb, members gather sporadically in bars and apartments. While Yale members get $15,000, Penn State members have to pay $50 to cover administrative expenses and the group's account rarely has more than $1,000. "People hear Skull and Bones and immediately they think of Yale," said Corey Gesford, who was society vice president, an Undergraduate Student Government senator and a reporter and editor at The Daily Collegian. "They are not nationally affiliated. There is not an (overall) chapter of Skull and Bones." Skeletons and Secrets Although it is not as covert as at Yale, the Penn State society has its share of secrets. Members do not talk about the tapping and initiation ceremonies and the society's symbol and legend. "(Not talking about it) is not because it's bad, it's not because it's illegal, it's not because it's immoral. These things are what make the organization, the organization," said 1996-97 USG Vice President Ed Kilpela, a member of the society. "I would say fraternities are even more secret than our society." Kilpela also is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, 200 E. Beaver Ave., and an alumnus member of Lion's Paw. Before someone can get into the group, they must be "tapped" or chosen. The tapping is usually done at night and by more than one person, said Scott Payne, a former president of the society and former president of the Association of Residence Hall Students. After being tapped, the pledges are initiated. The ceremony involves activities and drills to eliminate "false pride," according to sources in the society who asked that their names not be used, and according to past articles in The Daily Collegian. Initiates gather at Shields Building at dusk and are met by current members. >From Shields, the inductees go to the Nittany Lion Shrine where they are met by more Skull and Bones members, according to the sources. They then go to the University House before heading to a wooded area for the last part of the ceremony. Here the legend behind Skull and Bones comes into play. Supposedly two brothers lived in a valley. One was humble and the other was vain. They went hunting with a group, but the vain brother left to hunt on his own. Later, the humble brother came across the skull and bones of his brother, who had died in a hunting accident. The newly inducted members throw bleached bones they have brought with them to symbolize the death of the vain brother. Although they would not answer questions about these topics, Brian Combs, president of Skull and Bones, and Erin Strout, a member and 1996-97 USG chief of staff, confirmed the information was correct. The Members One was a Blue Band drum major known for his mesmerizing back flips. The president of the Asian American Student Coalition (AASC) and the USG president and vice president were also in it. The list of current and former members of Skull and Bones also includes 20/20 Student Counselors, football players and fraternity and sorority presidents. There are about 35 members at any one time. Past members include former University presidents Bryce Jordan, Eric Walker and Milton Eisenhower, former Pennsylvania Gov. Raymond Shafer and former football coach Rip Engle. The list resides in Pattee, listing members all the way back to its founding in 1912. But current members are not listed. The society usually keeps the list a year or two behind to let current members graduate, Combs said. Just how people get into the society is another one of the secrets. There is no set criteria except that 80 percent of the quorum present must approve, according to the group's constitution. "Generally, they are outgoing people," Combs said. "They know where they want to go. . . . We don't want people to run for the position for the sole purpose of having the chance to get into something." Some students have declined, which Kilpela said is not held against them. Silent as the grave Combs sometimes wears his Skull and Bones T-shirt or sweatshirt. Bruce Booth, the 1995-96 Interfraternity Council president, occasionally wears his black hat golfing. Other members do not make their membership so obvious. USG Director of Multicultural Affairs Souyma Dasanada said if someone asks her, she says she is in Skull and Bones but otherwise does not mention her membership. "It's primarily because it is the nature of the society itself not to be known -- to be humble you're in the society," she said. Some Skull and Bones members such as Gesford and Plocki said some minority members may be hesitant to reveal their membership for fear of a negative reaction from their communities. Minority students may take into account how other groups they belong to will react to them being in a society, but that is only one of many reasons students may not want to broadcast their society membership, Dasanada said. "It's one of the reasons -- the perception of the society being a predominantly white organization, an old boys' network," she said. "Some peopl e may perceive a minority as a token member." But such a perception is far from the truth, she said. "It's one of the most diverse organizations I've belonged to," said Dasanada, who is also the outgoing vice president of the AASC. "It's diverse in the sense that it encompasses many people and different facets of the University." False Perceptions Just the name of the group -- Skull and Bones -- contributes to false stereotypes about the society. "You might as well call the society 'Blood and Gore,' " Payne said. "Just because of the name, you get a raised eyebrow at least." Combs has gotten a similar reaction when he has introduced himself as the president of Skull and Bones, he said. "I'll say to people, 'I'm in Skull and Bones' and I get a funny look," he said. "The name itself is ominous." Payne has even heard that some people mistakenly believe the group performs animal sacrifices. "I think a lot of people have a lot of stereotypes about societies," he said. "When a lot of information isn't available about things, people think the worst." Many people also think that being in a society gives members access to important administrators such as University President Graham Spanier. Spanier, other administrators and Skull and Bones members said this is not true. "I am not aware of any honor society that influences University policy," Spanier said. "Moreover, none has ever asked me to do anything along these lines. . . . I am not familiar with Skull and Bones, but I should think it would be an honor for an administrator to be asked by student leaders to become a member of a student organization." Although Spanier said he is not a member of any of the three societies, some administrators are honorary members of Skull and Bones, such as Craig Millar, associate vice president for student affairs. Members may meet with administrators, Millar said, but they do so through other organizations to which they belong, such as USG or ARHS. In the past, Skull and Bones has met with former University President Joab Thomas, Combs said, but the group has not met with Spanier. "We're not having tea and hobnobbing with the president," Combs said. Activities Although society members say they are not pulling any strings in the administration or running campus politics, members are involved in several activities. The group has participated in the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon for several years. This year, about 12 members danced and a total of 25 of the 35 members participated, Strout said. Skull and Bones also sponsors a student internship in the Office of Student Affairs. Many people do not know about the group's activities because it does not like to draw attention to itself or be in the limelight, Payne said. Another activity is going on a retreat each semester so members can get a breath of fresh air, relax and toast marshmallows. Other light-hearted activities are sporting events with its rival society, Parmi Nous. Often the two groups play broomball or softball with each other. Skull and Bones members emphasize it is a friendly rivalry. "It's a lot less competitive than you'd see between certain fraternities," Kilpela said. Another informal competition is to see who can tap students first, Plocki said. "We always try to beat them, but they end up tapping first," he said. "It's been a race at the University since the 1930s." It usually does not matter who taps first because of the 20 taps Skull and Bones does each semester, Plocki said only one or two are "double taps," meaning the person was tapped by both Skull and Bones and Parmi Nous. Students cannot be in both societies, but Skull and Bones and Parmi Nous members can belong to Lion's Paw. Although the society is active in many things, Plocki would like to see Skull and Bones do even more -- and do it more openly. "I would like the society to turn back to the way we were when we wore our hats in public. I think we should hold an open tap in front of the University," he said. "I think Skull and Bones should make its name more recognizable to the University and the students." One way Plocki said the group could do that is by announcing new members. "There is no reason for a society like Skull and Bones and Parmi Nous to be secretive," Plocki said. "Why keep something that does good secret?" Editor's note: Collegian staff writer Patricia K. Cole contributed to this report. Copyright � 1997, Collegian Inc., Last Updated - 4/22/97 3:15:08 AM ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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