Secret societies at Dartmouth take a back seat to Greek life and remain a mystery to most. At nearby Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., however, where no fraternities or sororities exist, the recent discovery by administrators of an unauthorized secret society, Left Out Society, caused a stir on campus.
While Norwich strongly condemns and prohibits secret societies, six of the organizations exist at Dartmouth and are acknowledged by the school. All are senior societies. The Sphinx and Dragon are all-male organizations, Cobra and Phoenix are exclusively female, and Abaris and Griffin are coed.
Administrators at Norwich expelled and disciplined students who were discovered to be members of LOS. The school prohibits the existence of such groups, particularly due to the strong presence of a military training program on campus.
University President Richard Schneider banned Skull and Swords, a secret student group, in 1997. Two years later in 1999, he prohibited any such student organization from existing on campus.
Norwich has a half-military, half-civilian student body. Thus, the university prides itself on the fraternal atmosphere fostered by the prevalence of the Corps of Cadets.
"The Corps of Cadets should, and for most of the Cadets does, fill the need" for fraternal organizations, senior Paul Licata, a cadet major in the Corps of Cadets, told The Dartmouth. "It provides a greater camaraderie and sense of belonging than a fraternity ever could."
Not all students share this opinion, however, as students did choose to join the organizations. Students who were involved with the group declined to comment about the case.
Officials discovered the LOS over the December break when they found stolen school property in students' rooms during routine dorm inspections.
"The University doesn't accept these kinds of groups, and [Schneider] is going to rout them out, as he has said he will," said John Lahtinen, director of public relations at Norwich.
Following the discovery, three students withdrew from the school, three were dismissed, and 11 more were disciplined on campus. Further investigations are still pending with evidence that was turned over to the local police.
"The LOS were not a very respectable group of students. Their activities were beating each other ... they went binge drinking with little consideration for student tolerance. I think most students here really deplore that kind of behavior," said Amanda Tracy, a senior at Norwich.
In 1960, fraternities were banned at Norwich University, and in later years the recognized honor group Skull & Swords existed on campus. Because this group became involved in "unacceptable fraternity-like practices," Schneider took subsequent disciplinary actions.
