College of William & Mary secret societies
Secret societies at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia date back to the 18th century founding of the nation's first known collegiate secret society, The F.H.C. Society (founded at William & Mary on November 11, 1750). Today a number of secret societies are known to exist at the university:
7 Society
The 7 Society is an all-male, senior class society believed to have been founded in 1826. Its seven members work to honor and encourage those who help strengthen the university.
13 Club
Given the society's name, the 13 Club is presumed to have thirteen members. Little information has been made public regarding their campus activities.
Alpha Society
The all-female Alpha Society was likely created to counteract the college's male-dominated secret societies. Other details surrounding this society remain a mystery.
Bishop James Madison Society
The Bishop James Madison Society reports its founding year as 1812. Named in honor of William & Mary's eighth president, the late Bishop James Madison, the society’s activities seek to further the reputation, pride, and mirth of the college community.
Flat Hat Club
Founded during the early-20th century (and later revived in 1972), today's all-male Flat Hat Club is named in honor of the historic F.H.C. Society.
Phi Society
The Phi Society was created at the University of Virginia, but a chapter has been established at William & Mary. Little is known about this society at the college.
The Society
Known simply as The Society, it is a relatively new secret group on campus. The group began a project called the Community Autobiography, which strives to bring to light positive stories about William & Mary as told by students. The journal is merely a notebook that is meant to be passed along among students until its "due date" at midnight following Monday night. The group, whose logo is an apple with the letter "S" inscribed inside.
W Society
Little is known about the W Society except that it honors one freshman every year for service to the Williamsburg community.
Wren Society
The Wren Society is said to have been founded in 1832 in honor of British architect, Sir Christopher Wren – the presumed designer of the Wren Building (William & Mary’s and the nation's oldest academic building).
See also
References
- Johnson, Chase (8 April 2008). "Peeking into closed societies". The Flat Hat. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
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