Spilling the Beans!

<p>After seeing The Good Shephard (yes, I'll admit a movie inspired this post), I was compelled to look into fraternities at Cornell, and came across these secret societies. Current Cornellians: what is the deal with Sphinx Head and Quill & Dagger?</p>

<p>When I read about these organizations, I was sort of shocked to find out what influential figures of society were part of them. It appears that members of our supreme court, senators, scientists involved in the building of the atomic bomb, and other leaders are all connected to these secret fraternities. In a wikipedia article on Q&D, I read that leadership of major oil companies has been handed down from one person to another through clandestine business of these exclusive organizations. Supposedly, this sort of royal business continues today in the top few floors of Lyon Hall.</p>

<p>The business that goes on, while apparently innocent as placing a pumpkin on the top of the tower or hosting dragon day (things I hear are done by Sphinx), can be as political or dark as big $ deals with oil or hazing for secrecy. At such a democratic place as Cornell, how is it that organizations in which the rich gain entry and hence gain connections reminiscent of those of Gatsby dominate? What does the Cornell community, from both inside and out, think about the influence of these groups?</p>

<p>I tap you now in inquiry: accept, or reject?</p>

<p>the people that get in are the influential ones in the first place: student trustees, sa people, minority leaders, greek leaders, publication editors, etc. this unites them and recognizes their contributions while allowing them to make change together.</p>

<p>i looked at the wikipedia entry. they said a lot of the people in the sun's 25 most influential cornell people thing were in QD. But, this year, there seems to be a little discretion used (ie the editors friends being on it....).</p>

<p>lol I've been wondering about this...</p>

<p>yeah... how legitimate is the list actually?... i'm sure there are plenty of people as "active" and "involved" as the people on that list... is it the same for the selections for these secret societies?...</p>

<p>read the discussion at the bottom
<a href="http://cornellsun.com/node/20348%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cornellsun.com/node/20348&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>i see that girl out a lot. some NOTABLE people were passed over, especially minority leaders, who got into QD</p>

<p>i've heard its top admin/faculty and QD members that select the new classes, but who really knows. i looked at the people on facebook that got into QD, and they all seemed pretty dedicated to something/did something extraordinary.</p>

<p>we (the freshman arch students), "host" dragon day. we're not that secretive lol. there's not much hosting either, as it was started as a prank a hundred years ago by arch students and evolved into a rivalry between the architecture students and the engineering students.</p>

<p>haha yeah the freshman host dragon day, but the tradition was started by Willard Straight who was in Sphinx Head</p>