They are very interesting to me, but I’m having trouble finding any meaningful information on them. I know that they are co-ed, and recently left the Greek Council, but I cannot find out specifically why. Could someone with inside information please share?
The only other information I’ve been able to find is that they have weekly meetings where they supposed to be very honest with each other, and that they occasionally put on parties. What else do they do? What distinguishes them from other Greek Organizations?
I’m very interested in joining them next year, because I’ve always wanted a coed Greek-like Organization, and the Archons seem way to big for me. They also just seem very intriguing to me, from the tidbits Ive been able to gather online. Can someone (ideally a student) give me some more information about them?
Maybe I can answer your questions. I am a first-year pledge for the Archon Society, but I have two friends who have been “turtled” (the approximate equivalent of receiving a Greek bid) by the Peeps. As you mentioned, the Peeps have weekly meetings and they put on relatively frequent parties as well. I attended their Deb Ball and their Halloween party this past fall. Deb Ball is notorious for causing some degree of controversy every year, as its cross-dressing theme has offended some transgender students in the past. The Peeps, however, seem to throw Deb Ball (and all their parties) in good fun, and all the Peeps I know are very nice people.
Despite their geniality, I knew I definitely did not want to join the Peeps. Their drug use is somewhat infamous on campus—PEEPS stands for People who Experiment with Every Possible Substance. In addition, their members are somewhat more secretive about the organization, especially when compared to the Archons. The Archons definitely seemed like a better fit for me, and I really jived well with their community-service focus.
Still, I do know that many Peeps which are highly involved in the campus community, serving as Upperclass Counselors, Sexual Misconduct Advisers, or Beer & Sex Advisers. The Peeps are definitely an important part of the campus culture at Kenyon, and their non-Greek addition to an otherwise Greek social scene is very refreshing. (The Peeps left Greek Council in 2014 over disagreements with the new direction that the College envisioned for Greek life. I do not know the specifics.)
If you end up coming to Kenyon, remember, you’ll have an entire semester to accustom yourself to the Kenyon social scene before joining either Greek life or the Peeps. Hope this was of help!
Also, I’ve heard that Archon is almost 90% female. Is that true, and what is that dynamic like? As a male, I’m not totally sure how to feel about that (although I suppose if the girls intentionally joined a coed org, they were probably interested in befriending men, so the men probably don’t feel excluded). What are your thoughts on this? Also, does Peeps have the same gender ratio?
I don't think it's that difficult to get turtled. From what I know, almost everyone who shows an interest in the Peeps gets in.
Archons is indeed 90% female. As a male, I think the dynamic is fine. The gender imbalance hasn't negatively impacted my experience. I don't know what the gender ratio of Peeps is, but I'd guess that it is slightly more balanced than the Archons.
I know no specifics about the Peeps' drug use—you're asking the wrong person! But I don't think any of the Peeps I know would do hard drugs, if that's of any comfort.
Hi, I realize I’m late to the party, but I’m a Peep Alumni. I wanted to clear up a few things.
PEEPS does NOT stand for "People Experiencing Every Possible Substance". It stands for something, but you'll need to join to find out.
Yes, we have our secrets and traditions. That is part of what makes it fun!
You don't "get turtled" - you "turtle". Basically anybody who wants to join the Peeps may join, unless, I believe, a 2/3 majority of Peeps votes for them not to join. It is extremely rare for somebody not to be allowed to join the Peeps. We pride ourselves on being an open, welcoming, and diverse organization. Basically, the only reasons that somebody wouldn't be allowed to join would be if members are concerned about safety type issues.
Drug use. You have got to be kidding me. Do you really think the college would allow a super drug organization to exist on campus? While there may be members who do use drugs, like any group, there are also members who don't. Nobody has to do drugs to be a Peep - that's just crazy. We also support our sober Peeps, by the way.
What do we do? We are a fun and compassionate organization. We do throw parties - they tend to be pretty wild, lots of creative outfits. We have a fund call the Hugh Roelofs fund that we raise money for / donate to - the purpose of this fund is to help Kenyon students from local areas, who may need financial assistance, buy textbooks. We'll do some other community service things - when I was a student there I remember quite a few occasions where we would pick up trash in the forest, by the river, etc. We love nature, so that makes sense.
Hook ups? Yeah, they happen. Frequency? Depends on what you want. There were people who hooked up a lot, people who didn't at all. One of the best parts about being a Peep is that it is NOT one size fits all. You can just be yourself - in fact, it is encouraged.
If you are interested - why don't you go to a meeting and see what it is all about? Peeps will occasionally have closed, Peep only, meetings but they have many meetings that are open to all who want to attend. And...if you are a Peep, meetings are encouraged but optional. You can be super involved, not involved at all - again, whatever you want!
All types of people can be Peeps, but we do have a few things in common: we are kind and compassionate, we are open minded, we believe in equality and diversity, we believe in treating others respectfully, we believe that you should be able to be whoever you truly are. We love art and nature, most of us are at least somewhat weird, and most of us are nerds at heart. We stick together and we have our traditions and secrets and we place a lot of value on that. I graduated from Kenyon almost 15 years ago and am still very active in Peep Alumni groups even though I live a million miles away from Gambier. We keep in touch, we have reunions, and I love being a Peep.
And one more thing...Peeps aren't exclusive. At one point I was dating a really preppy guy who was in a frat. He decided he wanted to join the Peeps, so he joined. This guy was totally country club, but he shared our values, was super fun, and fit right in (and yes - he stayed as a member in his frat). We also have members who are faculty, as well as members who are from Gambier / Mt Vernon who did not attend Kenyon.