Owl Society
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The Owl Society (or the Owls), is a secret society at the University of Pennsylvania. The group's membership and organization are not publicly known. They apparently target male freshman from elite or affluent international backgrounds for recruitment. The Owls differentiate themselves from comparable societies by their global nature.
Origin
While the society tries to keep its history and membership secret as a matter of course, it is widely believed that the current membership is in some way still related to former members of the Psi Upsilon (also known as The Castle) fraternity. These members were expelled from the fraternity for a retaliation against an incident involving physical violence and racial slurs said by a member of the Delta Psi (also known as Saint Anthony's or The Hall) to an African American Psi Upsilon member. A number of Psi Upsilon members under the guidance of some of the house leaders went to the townhome of the offender to retaliate but mistakingly kidnapped another Delta Psi member. They stripped, gagged, and bound him in the back of a car. He was taken to a remote park location, threatened, and left bound and gagged on a city sidewalk. As a result, several Psi Upsilon members were convicted of related crimes and the fraternity was disbanded by the University. The Psi Upsilon fraternity has since recolonized, but the Owls have continued as a distinct and secretive association.Other societies and their relationship to the university
Other Penn secret societies include Theos for men and Tabard for women. From the university's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, "The following organizations are not recognized by the University of Pennsylvania. They are underground, renegade organizations posing as fraternities or sororities: Theos, The Owls Society, Tabbard." [link] While the first sentence of this statement is correct, the second is not. The Owl Society does not pose as a fraternity and actively rejects any such label. According to former prospective member Elliot Sherman, "The assertion that the Owl Society falsely purports to be part of the Greek system to better lure freshmen is ludicrous. Quite the opposite is true: the Owl Society emphasizes its mystique and the fact that it is not part of the Greek system..." [link]While the Owls are commonly grouped alongside Tabard and Theos by student journalists, it would not be correct to call these other organizations secret societies. The Tabard society maintains an official website [link] listing, among other things, their history, alumnae, and officers. Theos members frequently reveal their affiliation in public sources [link] [link] as well.
The Owls were formed in 1990 by brothers of Psi Upsilon 'Castle' shortly after they were removed from campus.
In the media
This traditionally media-shy group experienced a brief publicity flare-up in November 2002, when five students, three believed to be Owls and two believed to be prospective members, allegedly attacked a visiting Princeton debate team member sleeping in the lounge of a dormitory known as the Quadrangle. Initially, felony complaints were levied against the five students for kicking the victim, dousing the victim in motor oil and threatening to light the victim on fire.
Ironically, motor oil is not flammable at normal room temperatures. Following national media attention of the incident and with the victim's consent, the municipal court reached a criminal settlement with two of the students to permit participation in a probationary program. All charges were dismissed against the three other students when it was learned each merely stood by and watched.
A separate university investigation came to a secret judgment against the five. As no members of the Owl Society have gone on the record in regard to these allegations, it must be duly noted that the details of the incident are drawn exclusively from the alleged victims' statement and media sources. Therefore, it may not accurately reflect the situation.
References
External links
- [Penn students charged in November assault]
- [Greek Life at Penn]
- [Tabard Society Official Website]
- This article from the University of Pensylvannia Almanac, [First Penn Student to Win non-U.S. Rhodes Scholarship: David Ferreira] mentions the Owl society.
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