There are many collegiate secret societies in North America. They vary greatly in their levels of secrecy and independence from their universities. As the term is used in this article, a secret society is a collegiate society where significant effort is made to keep affairs, membership rolls, signs of recognition, initiation, or other aspects secret from the public.
Some collegiate secret societies are referred to as 'class societies', which restrict membership to one class year. Most class societies are restricted to the senior class, and are therefore also called senior societies on many campuses.
Read more about Collegiate Secret Societies In North America: Categorization, History, List of Notable North American Collegiate Secret Societies, Bibliography
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“The secret anniversaries of the heart.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)
“The metaphor of the king as the shepherd of his people goes back to ancient Egypt. Perhaps the use of this particular convention is due to the fact that, being stupid, affectionate, gregarious, and easily stampeded, the societies formed by sheep are most like human ones.”
—Northrop Frye (b. 1912)
“The North has no interest in the particular Negro, but talks of justice for the whole. The South has not interest, and pretends none, in the mass of Negroes but is very much concerned about the individual.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“In America few people will trust you unless you are irreverent.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)