List of Yale University student organizations
Encyclopedia
There are a number of student organizations at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

.

The Yale Political Union, the oldest student political organization in the United States, is often the largest organization on campus, and is advised by alumni political leaders such as John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

 and George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...

.

The university features a variety of student journals, magazines, and newspapers. The latter category includes the Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...

, which was first published in 1878 and is the oldest daily college newspaper in the United States. Dwight Hall, an independent, non-profit community service organization, oversees more than 2,000 Yale undergraduates working on more than 60 community service initiatives in New Haven. The Yale College Council manages several agencies that oversee campus activities and student services.

The campus also includes several fraternities and sororities. The campus features at least 18 a cappella groups, the most prominent of which is The Whiffenpoofs
The Whiffenpoofs
The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college...

. A number of prominent secret societies
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...

, including Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....

, are composed of Yale College students.

Fraternities and sororities

The fraternity system in American education was developed at Yale. In 1738, Yale students founded the first selective college organization, a debating society named Crotonia
Crotonia
Crotonia was the first literary society to exist at Yale University. Little is known about it. It was already defunct before 1766. The name is also used by a contemporary student literary society at Yale, dedicated to the spoken word. Students read from both their work and others' and hear from...

; two competitors sprang up soon after, Linonia
Linonian Society
Linonia is a literary and debating society founded in 1753 at Yale University.-History:Linonia was founded in 1753 as Yale University's second literary and debating society. By the late eighteenth century, all incoming freshmen at Yale College became members either of Linonia or its rival society,...

 (1753) and Brothers in Unity
Brothers in Unity
Brothers in Unity was an 18th century debating society at Yale University. At the time of the formation of Yale's central library, two debating societies, Linonia and Brothers in Unity, donated their respective libraries to the university...

 (1768).

In 1780, students created a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a secret academic society begun at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...

 four years earlier.

In 1832, Phi Beta Kappa's evolution from a secret academic society into a public one led students to set up the Society of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....

. Secret and senior societies proliferated, and with them, fraternities. Originally, most were part of an interrelated system of socially or academically elite junior, sophomore, and even freshman societies, which fed into the prestigious senior societies. Other types of fraternities, however, were also formed.

In 1932, Yale opened 10 residential colleges, which included elaborate facilities for living and dining. As they became centers of social life, the underclass fraternities began to wither. They became increasingly unpopular in the 1960s, due to the atmosphere of social equality and Yale's decision to require undergraduates to purchase full meal plans. Around 1973, the last two surviving fraternities—Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...

 and The Fence Club (associated with Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon
Psi Upsilon is the fifth oldest college fraternity in the United States, founded at Union College in 1833. It has chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America. For most of its history, Psi Upsilon, like most social fraternities, limited its membership to men only...

) -- closed and sold their facilities to the University.

As the social and political atmosphere became more moderate and the Connecticut drinking age was changed from 18 to 21, old fraternities began to reopen and new ones were formed; however, these generally bore little resemblance to the old Yale fraternities, as most did not have elaborate houses or the atmosphere of social and campus elitism. Yale’s first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, was formed in 1985.

Several fraternities and sororities have chapters at Yale, including:
  • Alpha Delta Phi
    Alpha Delta Phi
    Alpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S....

     fraternityhttp://www.adphiyale.com
  • Alpha Epsilon Pi
    Alpha Epsilon Pi
    Alpha Epsilon Pi , the Global Jewish college fraternity, has 155 active chapters in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Israel with a membership of over 9,000 undergraduates...

     fraternity
  • Alpha Phi Alpha
    Alpha Phi Alpha
    Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...

  • Alpha Rho Lambda sorority/Alianza de Raices Latinas
  • Delta Kappa Epsilon
    Delta Kappa Epsilon
    Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...

     fraternity
  • Kappa Alpha Theta
    Kappa Alpha Theta
    Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...

     sorority
  • Kappa Kappa Gamma
    Kappa Kappa Gamma
    Kappa Kappa Gamma is a collegiate women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois, USA. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted that October 13, 1870 should be recognized at the official Founders Day, because no...

     sorority
  • Pi Beta Phi
    Pi Beta Phi
    Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...

     sorority
  • Psi Upsilon
    Psi Upsilon
    Psi Upsilon is the fifth oldest college fraternity in the United States, founded at Union College in 1833. It has chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America. For most of its history, Psi Upsilon, like most social fraternities, limited its membership to men only...

     fraternity
  • Sigma Alpha Epsilon
    Sigma Alpha Epsilon
    Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...

     fraternityhttp://www.yalesae.com
  • Sigma Chi
    Sigma Chi
    Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...

     fraternityhttp://www.yale.edu/sigmachi
  • Sigma Nu
    Sigma Nu
    Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...

     fraternity
  • Sigma Phi Epsilon
    Sigma Phi Epsilon
    Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...

     fraternity
  • Sigma Psi Zeta
    Sigma Psi Zeta
    Sigma Psi Zeta , a Multicultural, Asian-Interest sorority, was founded on March 23, 1994 at the University at Albany and incorporated in New York on March 15, 1996 by the 10 Founding Mothers. The sorority's colors are red and gold and its flower is a yellow rose with baby's breath.Sigma Psi Zeta is...

     sorority
  • Zeta Psi
    Zeta Psi
    The Zeta Psi Fraternity of North America was founded June 1, 1847 as a social college fraternity. The organization now comprises about fifty active chapters and twenty-five inactive chapters, encompassing roughly fifty thousand brothers, and is a founding member of the North-American...

     fraternityhttp://www.zetapsi.org

Cultural organizations


Service/outreach organizations


Political organizations

  • Roosevelt Institution
    Roosevelt Institution
    The Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, formerly the Roosevelt Institution, is the first student-run policy organization in the United States...

    's Yale chapterhttp://rooseveltinstitution.org/yale, a student think tank
    Think tank
    A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

  • Whitney Students Association (WSA), an advocacy group
  • Yale College Democrats
    Yale College Democrats
    The Yale College Democrats is a chapter of the College Democrats of America located at Yale University in New Haven, CT.-History:While the Yale College Democrats has existed in some form or another throughout the late 20th century, the modern model of the YCD was formed in 2004...

    , the largest activist organization on campus
  • Yale College Libertarians
  • Yale College Republicans
  • Yale Debate Association
    Yale Debate Association
    The Yale Debate Association is Yale University's only competitive intercollegiate debate team. Founded in 1908, it is the most prolific winner of the American Parliamentary Debate Association's Club of the Year award. The YDA was also the first American team to win and have the top speaker at the...

     has a nationally ranked team and hosts a Debate conference
  • Yale International Relations Association
    Yale International Relations Association
    The Yale International Relations Association, Inc. is a registered, 501 non-profit student organization at Yale University. Founded in 1969 by a group of individuals who wanted to promote a better understanding of global affairs after the events of the turbulent 1960's, YIRA's mission is to...

     fosters debate about international affairs, hosts a Model UN conference, and is the umbrella organization for the top-ranked MUN team.
  • Yale Law Federalist Society http://www.yalefedsoc.org/
  • Yale Mock Trial Association http://www.yale.edu/mocktrial/
  • Yale Model Congress
    Yale Model Congress
    Yale Model Congress is the second oldest entirely-student run Model Congress conference for high school students...

  • Yale Political Union
    Yale Political Union
    The Yale Political Union , a debate society now the largest student organization at Yale University, was founded in 1934 by Professor Alfred Whitney Griswold , to enliven the university's political culture of the time. It was modelled on the Cambridge Union Society and Oxford Union...


Dance groups


Musical groups

Student musical groups include five university-sponsored organizations composed primarily of undergraduates:
  • Yale Concert Bandhttp://research.yale.edu/yaleband/ycb/index.html.
  • Yale Glee Club
    Yale Glee Club
    The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858, and the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club,...

    http://research.yale.edu/gleeclub/. Founded in 1861, the Glee Club is Yale's principal undergraduate mixed chorus, and today includes about 80 men and women who sing classical and modern choral works, American spirituals, and Yale songs.
  • Yale Jazz Ensemblehttp://research.yale.edu/yaleband/yje/index.html, an 18-piece big band
    Big band
    A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

    /swing band
  • Yale Precision Marching Band
    Yale Precision Marching Band
    The Yale Precision Marching Band is the official marching band of Yale University. It is a scatter band , as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations...

    http://research.yale.edu/yaleband/ypmb/index.html, a scatter band that performs at home football games and many hockey and basketball games. They are known for their comedic halftime shows and arrangements of popular music.
  • Yale Symphony Orchestra
    Yale Symphony Orchestra
    The Yale Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra at Yale University which performs in Yale's Woolsey Hall and tours internationally and domestically. The present Music Director is Toshiyuki Shimada.-History:...

    http://research.yale.edu/yso/, a full orchestra that performs classical and modern pieces.


In addition, the student-run Davenport Pops Orchestrahttp://www.yale.edu/pops/, Saybrook College Orchestrahttp://www.yale.edu/syorchestra, Berkeley College Orchestra http://www.yale.edu/bco, Jonathan Edwards Chamber Philharmonic http://www.jecollegephilharmonic.com, and Bach Society http://www.yale.edu/bach all provide free concerts of symphonic masterworks.
Other groups include:
  • Yale Tango Club http://yaletangoclub.org/, host of the Yale Tango Fest http://www.yaletangofest.com/.
  • The Yale University Guild of Carillonneurs http://www.yale.edu/carillon, the student-run group that plays the Yale Memorial Carillon
    Yale Memorial Carillon
    The Yale Memorial Carillon is a carillon of 54 bells in Harkness Tower at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut....

     in Harkness Tower
    Harkness Tower
    Harkness Tower is a prominent Collegiate Gothic structure at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.The tower was constructed between 1917 and 1921 as part of the Memorial Quadrangle donated to Yale by Anna M. Harkness in honor of her recently deceased son, Charles William...

    .

A cappella singing groups

Undergraduates also sing in at least 18 a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

 groups.

All men
  • The Whiffenpoofs
    The Whiffenpoofs
    The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college...

    http://www.yale.edu/whiffenpoofs/ began the tradition of college a cappella singing groups in 1909. The group is limited to male seniors; each spring 14 juniors are selected ("tapped") for membership. Admission to the group is highly competitive. Alumni include Cole Porter
    Cole Porter
    Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...

     and Fenno Heath
    Fenno Heath
    Fenno Follansbee Heath, Jr. was an American conductor, composer, and arranger of choral music.Heath attended Yale University, where he majored in music and graduated in 1950. As an undergraduate he sang in the Yale Freshman Chorus, the Apollo Glee Club, the Yale Glee Club, and the Spizzwinks, the...

    .
  • The Yale Alley Cats
    The Yale Alley Cats
    The Yale Alley Cats are an all male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. The Alley Cats were founded in 1943, making them the third oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale. The group’s early repertoire was based in jazz, but its current arrangements cover Motown, pop...

    http://www.yalealleycats.com, founded in 1943, has become one of the most internationally renowned of the American collegiate vocal ensembles.
  • The Duke's Men of Yale
    The Duke's Men of Yale
    The Duke's Men of Yale are an all-male a cappella singing group at Yale University. Named after Basil Duke Henning, the master of Saybrook College, a past Whiffenpoof, and member of Wolf's Head, the group was founded in 1952, initially as an octet of underclassmen in Saybrook...

    http://www.yale.edu/dukesmen/, founded in 1952, sing all-male a cappella. "Da Doox" tour internationally, compete nationally in a cappella competitions, and sing for famous people, most recently Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton
    William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

    , Hillary Clinton, Dan Brown
    Dan Brown
    Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...

    , and Vanna White
    Vanna White
    Vanna White is an American television personality and film actress best known as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune since 1982.-Early life:...

    .
  • The Spizzwinks(?)
    The Spizzwinks(?)
    The Spizzwinks, whose name includes the parentheses and question mark, are an a cappella singing group of male students from Yale University. Founded in late 1913, the Spizzwinks are the oldest underclassman a cappella group in the United States, dating back to a first performance in early...

    http://www.yale.edu/spizzwinks/, founded in 1913, is Yale's oldest underclassman a cappella group.
  • The Society of Orpheus and Bacchushttp://www.thesobs.net/, founded in 1938, is Yale's oldest continually active underclassman a cappella group.
  • The Baker's Dozenhttp://www.thebakersdozen.com/, founded in 1947, tours annually, and has performed at the White House. It has a house on campus and is known as the "most social" of the a cappella groups.
  • The Yale Russian Chorus
    Yale Russian Chorus
    The Yale Russian Chorus is a tenor-bass choral ensemble at Yale University, established in 1953 by Denis Mickiewicz, a student at the Yale Music School, and George Litton, president of the Yale Russian Club. The group sings a variety of secular and sacred Slavic choral pieces, from the 12th century...

    http://www.yale.edu/yrc/, founded in 1953, is a predominantly male group of students and community members who sing liturgical and folk music of Russia
    Russia
    Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

     and other Eastern European lands.

All women
  • Whim 'n' Rhythmhttp://www.yale.edu/whim/ is a seniors-only group, founded in 1981 to launch a tradition similar to the Whiffenpoofs'.
  • The New Blue of Yale
    The New Blue of Yale
    The New Blue of Yale University is the oldest undergraduate female a cappella group in the Ivy League. Founded in 1969 as Yale's first women's organization of any kind, The New Blue has almost four decades of professional entertainment and inspiring musicality...

    http://www.yale.edu/newblue/ was established in 1969, when Yale College first admitted women undergraduates. Its members were the first females to step inside of Mory's
    Mory's
    Mory’s, known also as Mory’s Temple Bar, is a private club adjacent to the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1849 and housed in a clubhouse that was originally a private home built some time before 1817...

    .
  • The Yale Women's Slavic Chorushttp://www.yale.edu/ysc/, founded in 1969, sings Eastern European folk songs. It is also the only female organization officially endowed by Yale.
  • Proof of the Pudding http://www.yale.edu/proof/ was founded in 1975.
  • Something Extrahttp://www.yale.edu/somethingextra/ was founded in 1977.

Mixed
  • Redhot & Blue
    Redhot & Blue
    Redhot & Blue, usually called Redhot, is Yale University's oldest coeducational a cappella group. Founded in 1977, the group has released twelve albums and toured around the United States and the world. The group’s repertoire is based in the jazz genre, but has expanded to include an array of...

    http://www.yale.edu/redhot/, founded in 1977 as Yale's first co-educational a cappella group, is known for the intricate and challenging arrangements of its jazz-based repertoire.
  • Living Water http://www.yale.edu/lh2o/, founded in 1979, calls itself "Yale's Christian a cappella group."
  • Mixed Company of Yale
    Mixed Company of Yale
    Mixed Company of Yale is an a cappella singing group at Yale University. Founded in 1981, Mixed Company was originally formed as a group specializing in both sketch comedy and a cappella. Today, the group focuses primarily on singing, though the group often performs skits and other comedy at its...

     http://www.mixedco.net, founded in 1981, is known for its eclectic repertoire and many "schticks," or skits.
  • Out of the Bluehttp://www.yale.edu/ootb/, founded in 1987, is Yale's "only co-ed, pop-rock a cappella group."
  • Shades of Yalehttp://www.yale.edu/shades/, founded in 1988 to sing the music of the African diaspora (including R&B and gospel).
  • Magevet
    Magevet
    Magevet, Yale's "first, best, and only" Jewish a cappella singing group and "one of the finest collegiate a cappella groups in the nation", was founded in 1993 at Yale University. The group's repertoire includes liturgical, traditional, and modern arrangements of Jewish, Hebrew, and Israeli songs...

    http://www.magevet.com, founded in 1993, is Yale's "first, best, and only Jewish a cappella singing group."
  • The Yale Gospel Choirhttp://www.yale.edu/yalegospelchoir/, founded in 1973, whose stated purpose is to "to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through the ministry of song."

Theatrical organizations

  • The Yale Drama Coalition http://www.yaledramacoalition.org promotes the theater community and improves communication between the 100-plus student-directed and -produced plays each semester. These plays are generally funded by the Sudler Funds of each residential college, which award up to $1,400 to mount art shows and theatrical productions by members of that college.
  • The Yale Dramatic Association
    Yale Dramatic Association
    The Yale Dramatic Association, also known as the "Dramat," is the second-oldest college theater company in the country. Founded in 1900 by undergraduates at Yale University, the Dramat has been producing some of the finest student theatre in the United States for over a century.Though no formal...

    http://www.dramat.org/, founded in 1900, is the second-oldest college theatre company in the country; "The Dramat" has featured the work of such noted Yale graduates as Cole Porter
    Cole Porter
    Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...

    , Thornton Wilder
    Thornton Wilder
    Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...

    , and Stephen Vincent Benet. It typically produces seven productions a year, including two full-scale musicals in the University Theater. Smaller-scale productions are mounted on the stage of the Yale Repertory Theatre
    Yale Repertory Theatre
    The Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...

     and the School Of Drama's black box theatre. Former Dramat members include Sam Waterston, Austin Pendleton, George Roy Hill, John Badham, and Cheryl Henson.
  • The Control Group, Yale's experimental theatre troupe, puts on two to four productions a year.
  • Heritage Theatre Ensemble, founded in 1979 (HTE), and reformed in 2011 supports Black theater on campus and elsewhere in New Haven.
  • The Yale College Theatrical Combat Association, founded in 2010, organizes workshops and provides opportunities for student choreographers and actors.
  • Sacer Ludus, a small dramatic group formed in 2009.
  • Teatro de Yale supports Latino/Latin-American theatre on campus and elsewhere in New Haven.
  • The Yale Gilbert and Sullivan Society http://www.yale.edu/gs/ produces two operettas per year.
  • The Yale Undergraduate Musical Theater Company, YUMTC, http://www.yale.edu/musicals/ produces musical theater.
  • The Yale College Original Shakespeare Company, founded in 2010, produces two productions a year: one cue-script show in keeping with original Elizabethan rehearsal practices and one fully staged production.

Comedic organizations

Humor publications
  • The Yale Record
    The Yale Record
    The Yale Record is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest college humor magazine in America.-History:The Record began as a weekly newspaper, with its first issue appearing on September 11, 1872...

    , America's oldest college humor magazine http://www.yalerecord.com
  • Rumpus Magazine
    Rumpus Magazine
    Rumpus is a tabloid publication produced six times a year by students at Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut. Visually resembling the New York Post, Rumpus is a controversial, humorous publication with content ranging from campus gossip to investigative reporting.-History:Rumpus was first...

    , The campus tabloid

Improvisational comedy troupes
Sketch comedy groups
  • Red Hot Poker
    Red Hot Poker (Yale)
    Red Hot Poker is a New Haven-based sketch comedy group at Yale University. The group performs 6 original full-length shows per year and also performs with other comedy groups....

  • The Fifth Humour
  • Sphincter Troupe

History and structure

In the 19th Century, the Yale social structure became dominated by a unique network of societies, many of them secret, open only to seniors. They are called "senior societies" collectively, but secret senior societies also carry the sobriquet "secret societies". Invitations to join were (and in many cases, are today) extended late in junior year on "tap day".

Secondary to the proliferation of senior societies, societies of underclassmen sprang up. Most of these were limited to members of a single class (junior, senior, freshman). The underclass societies entirely died out with the formation of the residential college system in the 1930s, but most of the senior societies still exist.

Commonly, senior societies have 15 members and, once initiation is finished, they are members for life. Some have imposing, nearly-windowless buildings on campus, known as "tombs" or "halls" http://images.opa.yale.edu/netpub/server.np?find&site=OPA&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=843.

The structure and rules of the societies vary extensively. Journalists have attempted to ferret out the goings-on inside the secret societies, especially concerning Skull and Bones, due to both the mystery of the society and the prominence of its members. The degree of their success is difficult to assess, as members are generally unwilling to speak about it and access to meetings (or even the inside of the tombs) is difficult to obtain. Thus, verification of facts is difficult.

The secret societies have regular weekly meetings and it is known that meals are served, either by eyewitness account or by the presence of food delivery trucks regularly seen at side doors. Skull and Bones apparently forbids alcohol, although others do not. Most reputable commentators state that meeting include both outright silliness and serious discussions.

Yale's senior societies differ significantly from the final clubs at Harvard and even more from Princeton's eating clubs. Harvard's final clubs are not limited to seniors; however, they are not known to be "secret", have a more pronounced social function, and traditionally place more emphasis on family connections. Harvard also maintains a large society for underclassmen, "Hasty Pudding", from which most final club members are recruited. Princeton's eating clubs are more similar to non-residential fraternities.

Current societies

  • Skull and Bones
    Skull and Bones
    Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....

    , the oldest and most famous http://images.opa.yale.edu/netpub/server.np?find&site=OPA&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=843
  • Scroll and Key
    Scroll and Key
    The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the wealthiest and second oldest Yale secret society...

    , second oldest and wealthiest, occupies Moorish Beaux-Arts building. http://images.opa.yale.edu/netpub/server.np?find&site=OPA&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=606.
  • Wolf's Head
    Wolf's Head (secret society)
    Wolf's Head Society is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Membership is recomposed annually of fifteen or sixteen Yale University students, typically juniors from the college...

    , third-oldest; largest compound on campus. http://images.opa.yale.edu/netpub/server.np?find&site=OPA&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=843
  • Book and Snake
    Book and Snake
    The Society of Book and Snake is the fourth oldest secret society at Yale University. Book and Snake was founded at the Sheffield Scientific School in 1863 as a three-year society bearing the Greek letters Sigma Delta Chi...

     http://images.opa.yale.edu/netpub/server.np?find&site=OPA&catalog=catalog&template=detail.np&field=itemid&op=matches&value=843, occupies a replica Greek temple.
  • Berzelius, founded as the Colony Club in 1848 at the Sheffield Scientific School
    Sheffield Scientific School
    Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, the railroad executive. The school was...

    ; tapped first African-American captain of an Ivy League football team.
  • Aurelian Honor Society
    Aurelian Honor Society
    The Aurelian Honor Society is a landed senior honor society founded in 1910 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.- Founding Mission :...

    , founded 1910, first society to tap women. Oldest existing Honor Society at Yale.
  • Torch Honor Society, founded 1916. Second oldest existing Honor Society at Yale.
  • Elihu
    Elihu (secret society)
    Elihu, founded in 1903, is the sixth oldest secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT. While similar to Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head societies in charter and function, Elihu favors privacy over overt secrecy...

     began in 1903. It occupies a federal-era house on the perimeter of the New Haven Green
    New Haven Green
    The New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of the original Puritan colonists in New Haven, and was designed and surveyed by colonist...

    . Elihu was the first non-secret "senior society."http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2004_09/old_yale.html
  • Manuscript Society
    Manuscript Society
    Manuscript Society is a senior secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Toward the end of each junior year, 16 undergraduates are "tapped" to be inducted into the society, which meets twice weekly for dinner and discussion...

     occupies a modern building and garden by noted architects.
  • Mace and Chain
    Mace and Chain
    Mace and Chain is the youngest of the eight "landed" secret societies at Yale University.-History:The society was founded by Thornton Marshall with the help of poet and Yale professor Robert Penn Warren in 1956...

     youngest tomb society. Founded in 1956, it occupies a 180-year-old house near campus. http://www.yale.edu/lt/archives/v8n1/v8n1tombs.htm
  • St. Elmo's
    St. Elmo (secret society)
    St. Elmo Society is a secret society at Yale University. It was founded in 1889 as an independent entity for seniors within the nationally chartered fraternity, Delta Phi , Omicron Chapter .-History:...

     founded as Delta Phi Omicron in 1889
  • Calliopean Society
    Calliopean Society
    The Calliopean Society is a literary and debating society founded at Yale College in 1819 by a group of members of Linonia dissatisfied by the result of the election for that society's president...

    , a literary and debating society, founded 1819.
  • Red Mask, the oldest all-female society at Yale.
  • Linonian Society
    Linonian Society
    Linonia is a literary and debating society founded in 1753 at Yale University.-History:Linonia was founded in 1753 as Yale University's second literary and debating society. By the late eighteenth century, all incoming freshmen at Yale College became members either of Linonia or its rival society,...

    . Members include undergraduates and graduate students from Yale Law School
    Yale Law School
    Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...

    , Yale Graduate School and Yale School of Management
    Yale School of Management
    The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...

    . Originally founded in 1753, it was reconstituted after merging with the Yale Political Union
    Yale Political Union
    The Yale Political Union , a debate society now the largest student organization at Yale University, was founded in 1934 by Professor Alfred Whitney Griswold , to enliven the university's political culture of the time. It was modelled on the Cambridge Union Society and Oxford Union...

     in 1934, and stores its literary collection in Yale's Sterling Memorial Library
    Sterling Memorial Library
    Sterling Memorial Library is the largest library at Yale University, containing over 4 million volumes. It is an example of Gothic revival architecture, designed by James Gamble Rogers, adorned with thousands of panes of stained glass created by G. Owen Bonawit.The Library has 15 levels, each with...

    .
  • D.S.G. (aka "Drunk Senior Girls")
  • St. Anthony Hall
    St. Anthony Hall
    St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...

    , founded 1867, only remaining three-year society. Although outsiders may enter the building and attend social events, part of the building is closed and retains the earmarks of a Yale secret society. The current (its third) building, when donated by a Vanderbilt in 1913, described by The New York Times as "the most expensive and elaborate secret society building in the United States."http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C04E5DB153FE633A2575AC0A9619C946296D6CF

Other notable clubs

Private clubs at Yale exhibit a range of membership models: all-student, student-faculty, or student-faculty-alumni, and a gamut of topical interests or organizing missions. Some are almost as well known as famous secret societies and some share characteristics including selective membership, endowments, noteworthy buildings, characteristic traditions, or on-campus historical antecedents as 19th c. or 20th c. fraternal organizations. Clubs located within the campus area are woven into the fabric of Yale life, even though most do not have any formal affiliation with the University. Several were cited in the Official Preppy Handbook
Official Preppy Handbook
The Official Preppy Handbook is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture described as prepdom...

.
  • The Yale Anti-Gravity Society is a fun loving group of people that practice juggling and related skills.
  • The Elizabethan Club
    Elizabethan Club
    The Elizabethan Club is a social club at Yale University named for Queen Elizabeth I and her era. Its profile and members tend toward a literary disposition, and conversation is one of the Club's chief purposes....

     is a literary discussion club, with a reciprocal relationship with the Signet Society
    Signet society
    The Signet Society of Harvard University was founded in 1870 by members of the class of 1871. The first president was Charles Joseph Bonaparte. It was, at first, dedicated to the production of literary work only, going so far as to exclude debate and even theatrical productions. According to The...

     at Harvard. Researchers may request access through Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library to items in "The Lizzie's" private collection of Shakespeariana and other British historico-literary material. Reference: The Elizabethan Club of Yale University and Its Library, Stephen Parks; Introduction by Alan Bell, Yale University Press, 1986, ISBN 0300036698
  • Mory's
    Mory's
    Mory’s, known also as Mory’s Temple Bar, is a private club adjacent to the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1849 and housed in a clubhouse that was originally a private home built some time before 1817...

     is a dining club for alumni, faculty and student members. Its carved paneling, silver cups, Yale memorabilia and atmosphere make it an echt-Yale venue for the Whiffenpoofs and other singing groups' performances.
  • The Chai Society, founded in 1996, is a private dining and social club occupying a brownstone on the Yale campus, adjacent to several properties which it also owns, and into which it is gradually expanding. Founded on principles of Jewish leadership and communal identity at Yale and in the world at large, its membership is open to all students and faculty regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds. In 2006, the trustees of the Chai Society, Inc., the 501c3 non-profit which supports the activities of the Yale student club, legally changed its name to Eliezer, Inc. http://www.chaisociety.org
  • The Fence Club was the historical name for the Psi Upsilon fraternity at Yale. In 1934, Psi Upsilon, by then a venerable junior fraternity, renounced its national affiliation and became the Fence Club, in honor of the Yale Fence. It was a very prestigious house at Yale and many of its members went on to become members of Skull and Bones, including George H. W. Bush
    George H. W. Bush
    George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

    . However, in the mid-1970s, the Fence Club went defunct when the University required a mandatory meal plan for all students. Its reputation led to its demise being noted in the Official Preppy Handbook
    Official Preppy Handbook
    The Official Preppy Handbook is a tongue-in-cheek humor reference guide written by Jonathan Roberts, Carol McD. Wallace, Mason Wiley, and Lisa Birnbach. It discusses an aspect of North American culture described as prepdom...

     in 1980. During the 80s, the Fence Club was restarted as a coed organization, but collapsed again after only a few years. Then, from 2004–2007, the Psi Upsilon fraternity reestablished an all-male chapter on campus, with fewer than 25 members. In 2007, the chapter severed all ties to the Psi Upsilon fraternity after a dispute with the national organization, retaining only the name Psi U, and in 2008, Psi U admitted its first female "brothers"; in 2009, after threats of legal action from the national Psi Upsilon fraternity, Psi U reverted back to Fence Club. In addition to other leading U.S. government figures, former CIA Director Porter Goss and Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte
    John Negroponte
    John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...

     were members. The former clubhouse at 220 York St., designed by James Gamble Rogers
    James Gamble Rogers
    James Gamble Rogers was an American architect best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, and elsewhere....

     is used by the University as classrooms.http://www.facilities.yale.edu/Campus/Building1.asp?lstBldg=2440&submit1=Continue In 2009, Fence Club moved its clubhouse to 401 Crown St, and in 2010, moved again to a more permanent location, at 15 High St. After the second-semester tap, in January 2010, Fence Club was a co-ed organization with over 60 members, highlighting the changes that this iteration of the group has undergone over its short lifespan.
  • The Yale Society for the Exploration of Campus Secrets (or YSECS) is a club devoted to uncovering and archiving the history of Yale's campus. The society is said to possess knowledge of the entirety of Yale's rooftops, tunnels, and hidden places. Unlike the senior societies, members are chosen through an application process. Their public motto is Omnia Arcana Illustrabuntur (OAI), or "all secret things will be revealed." They have described themselves as being the ones that remember Yale's forgotten past. All members are said to have a group-mandated mark somewhere on their bodies.
  • The Rockingham Club
    Rockingham Club
    -The original Rockingham Club :This was founded in York, England and had its first meeting on 23rd December 1753 in the George Inn, York....

     (1981–1986) was founded by British-born Yale undergrad Lord Nicholas Hervey
    Lord Nicholas Hervey
    Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey was the only child born to the 6th Marquess of Bristol by his second wife Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey (26 November 1961–26 January 1998) was the only child born to the 6th Marquess of Bristol by his second...

     as a social club for Yale student descendants of royalty or aristocracy, a requirement later modified to allow membership by offspring of the "super-wealthy." The club survived only five years and the clubhouse (privately purchased by a small group of members including Hervey and Salem Chalabi
    Salem Chalabi
    Salem Chalabi is an Iraq born, American educated, lawyer. He was appointed as the first General Director of the Iraqi Special Tribunal set up in 2003 to try Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime for crimes against humanity. His appointment, by an order signed by L...

    ) was an off-campus clapboard building housing a full length portrait of Lord Hervey, Lord Hervey himself (he took six years to graduate), as well as a ballroom and chandelier and held parties whose invitations were in demand by a certain demographic of Yalies and their guests (predominantly homosexuals, bisexuals, arts majors, and those aspiring to attend formal balls and/or socialize with by-gone title-heirs and the exceptionally wealthy).
  • The Corsair Club, The Zodiac Club, The Kittens Club, and the Round Table. Dining clubs that appear to have existed at Yale in the 19th century. (See researcher's reference at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/exlibris/2003/01/msg00017.html)
  • Yale Mountaineering Club
    Yale Mountaineering Club
    The Yale Mountaineering Club, known from 2001-2008 as the Yale Climbing Club, is a student organization composed of students at Yale University. Founded in 1934, the Yale Mountaineering Club, along with the Harvard Mountaineering Club, is one of the oldest and most celebrated collegiate...


Student publications

  • The Yale Anglers' Journal, bi-annual undergraduate journal devoted to "angling and the natural world," founded 1996.
  • Atrium Magazine, cultural commentary, reflections, and critiques centered on medicine and the healthcare industry.
  • The Yale Banner, the nation's college yearbook, founded 1841. Also publishes several other campus publications, including The Old Campus freshman facebook, first published in 1939.
  • The Yale Daily News
    Yale Daily News
    The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...

    ,
    or YDN, the nation's oldest daily college newspaper, founded 1878.
  • The Yale Economic Review
    Yale Economic Review
    The Yale Economic Review , established in 2005, is a non-profit, bi-annual journal of popular economics which reports on developments in economics to a broad audience. YER is not a peer-reviewed academic journal; rather, it aims to fill the gap between the technical content in traditional academic...

    , semiannual journal of popular economics.
  • The Yale Entrepreneur, focuses on local, national, and international entrepreneurship; sponsored by the Yale Entrepreneurial Society
    Yale Entrepreneurial Society
    The Yale Entrepreneurial Society is a student-run nonprofit 5013 organization dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship and business development in the New Haven, Connecticut area. YES was founded in 1999 by Yale undergraduates Sean Glass and Miles Lasater...

     (YES).
  • The Yale Epicurean, founded 2009, promotes discourse on gastronomy and the culinary arts at Yale and in New Haven.
  • Five Magazine, a progressive, call-to-action magazine that speaks urgently of the need for activism today. website
  • The Yale Globalist, quarterly international affairs magazine.
  • The Gaze, a journal of photography.
  • Wheel: Yale Undergraduate Sustainable Development Journal, a publication devoted to policy, economics, and the environment, founded in 2009 and available at postgreen.org.
  • The Yale Herald, weekly student newspaper, founded 1986.
  • The Yale Israel Journal, publishes articles and essays regarding Israel's history, politics, and culture.
  • Yale Law Journal
    Yale Law Journal
    The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...

    , an academic review published by Yale Law School
    Yale Law School
    Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...

    .
  • The Yale Literary Magazine
    Yale Literary Magazine
    The Yale Literary Magazine, founded in 1836, is the oldest literary magazine in the United States and publishes poetry and fiction by Yale undergraduates twice per academic year.The magazine is published biannually...

    , the nation's oldest literary review, founded 1836; bi-annually publishes Yale undergraduate poetry and fiction.
  • The New Journal, Yale's oldest and largest-circulating undergraduate magazine, covering both the university and New Haven, founded 1968.
  • The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (YJBM), first published in 1928, is the oldest graduate and medical student publication in print.
  • The Yale Journal of Medicine and Law
    Yale Journal of Medicine and Law
    The Yale Journal of Medicine & Law is a publication based at Yale University that explores the intersection of law and medicine, covering topics like healthcare policy, bioethics, healthcare economics, biomedical research, and global health care...

    , quarterly undergraduate journal about health care.
  • Perspecta: The Yale Architectural Journal, the nation's oldest student-edited architectural journal.
  • The Yale Philosophy Review, an annual journal of undergraduate philosophy.
  • The Yale Politic, quarterly political journal dating to 1947.
  • The Yale Record
    The Yale Record
    The Yale Record is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it is the oldest college humor magazine in America.-History:The Record began as a weekly newspaper, with its first issue appearing on September 11, 1872...

    , the nation's oldest campus humor magazine, founded 1872.
  • The Yale Journal of International Affairs
    Yale Journal of International Affairs
    The Yale Journal of International Affairs is an international affairs policy journal based out of Yale University . The journal is published biyearly and contains articles, interviews and op-eds by academics, policy practitioners and advanced graduate students.-History:The journal published its...

    ,
    a biannual graduate publication devoted to international relations and contemporary politics. http://www.yale.edu/yjia
  • Rumpus Magazine
    Rumpus Magazine
    Rumpus is a tabloid publication produced six times a year by students at Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut. Visually resembling the New York Post, Rumpus is a controversial, humorous publication with content ranging from campus gossip to investigative reporting.-History:Rumpus was first...

    , an irreverent monthly tabloid covering campus gossip; annually features a list of "Yale's 50 Most Beautiful."
  • The Yale Scientific Magazine, the nation's oldest undergraduate scientific publication, founded 1894 and published quarterly.
  • The Yale Standard, an independent Christian campus publication since 1969, published by students and alumni. website
  • YUM (Yale Undergraduate Magazine), a literary magazine publishing short stories, poems, creative non-fiction, and artwork.

Other organizations

  • Bulldog Productions is the only undergraduate film production company at Yale University, one of the few companies of its kind in top-tier American liberal arts universities.
  • The Crotonia Literary Society is a workshopping and exhibition group, a literary organization without an emphasis on publication.
  • The Yale Anime Society is a group dedicated to the study and enjoyment of anime and manga
    Manga
    Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

    .
  • The Yale College Student Investment Grouphttp://www.yale.edu/invest is the largest investment group among the Ivy League schools.
  • The Yale Engineering Design Team, founded in 2003, is a student-run organization that helps students work on engineering projects and competitions; it runs the annual daylong Junk Yale Wars, in which students build something out of junk to some set of design specifications.
  • The Yale Entrepreneurial Society
    Yale Entrepreneurial Society
    The Yale Entrepreneurial Society is a student-run nonprofit 5013 organization dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship and business development in the New Haven, Connecticut area. YES was founded in 1999 by Yale undergraduates Sean Glass and Miles Lasater...

     is a student-run nonprofit dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship and business development in the New Haven area.
  • The Yale Event Management Association helps New Haven businesses run events and other marketing efforts, aimed particularly at Yale students.
  • The Yale Friends of Israel is a non-partisan umbrella organization for everything relating to Israel at Yale. The group is dedicated to furthering understanding of and support for Israel through cultural, political, and educational programming across the political spectrum.
  • The Yale Undergraduate Business Society publishes a semiannual magazine, Business Sphere Magazine, which focuses on all aspects of business both internationally and domestically.
  • The Yale Undergraduate Psychological Society (YUPS) http://www.yale.edu/yups is an organization that conducts experiments and promotes psychological science on campus. They are known for the YUPS cube, which advertises recent psychology-related news and theories.
  • YTV is the student-operated, closed-circuit cable channel that broadcasts 24 hours a day.
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