Just wondering about how the administration views Yale’s secret societies? Are they seen as renegade groups, student organizations, or in another manner?
I think they are tradition that is accepted. Yale has been welcoming of Greek houses in the last few years while Harvard has imposed penalties for joining them.
They’re basically not talked about by the administration, in part because they don’t tend to have big, open parties (they’re secret, after all) and the old “landed” ones with clubhouses are coed now, so they aren’t seen as havens for sexual assault. Some frats, on the other hand, have had Issues (e.g., DKE was banned for five years for misogynistic chanting).
They’re really not a big deal. The only person I know who cared was badmouthing societies when they got no interviews, but once they were offered a place in a landed society (which didn’t interview), they would absolutely not stop talking about it. It was annoying above all else.
I have some friends who got a lot out of their societies socially, but also know a lot of people who dropped out because it wasn’t for them. The downside is that they take a lot of time senior year.
I was in a society and felt ambivalent about it. I skipped a decent number of meetings because it was hard to get problem sets done for the next day when you’re at a meeting all night.
Admin doesn’t care so long as there is no hazing or illegal activities. Most people are over 21 so underage drinking isn’t a major thing.
They’ve changed a lot since my day. As noted above, they are all (I believe) co-ed. What’s more, there a lot more of them in addition to the landed ones, so a lot more students are involved. Plus they aren’t very secret. I can’t say if they are good or bad, but they are pretty different from a Greek system.