Dragon Society
Encyclopedia
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...
of senior men at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, United States. The group's membership and organizational structure are unknown. Dragon has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1898.
Halls and tombs
The society has occupied four locations in Hanover: a house at 21 North Main Street (by 1905); the former Kappa Kappa KappaKappa Kappa Kappa
Kappa Kappa Kappa is a local men's fraternity at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The fraternity founded in 1842 is the second-oldest fraternity at Dartmouth College and the oldest local fraternity in the nation...
Hall on College Street (occupied before 1917, when it was remodeled into a Greek temple by Dragon); a hall on Elm Street designed by Jens Larson (1931-1996); and the current hall on College Street overlooking the McLaughlin dorms designed by Randall Mudge (1996) and constructed by North Branch Construction, Inc. of Concord, NH.
Activities
Dragon is generally considered the most secret of Dartmouth's secret societies as members do not carry identifying canes at commencement, nor do they identify themselves in Dartmouth's yearbook, The Aegis. Members of Dartmouth's other secret societies identify themselves in either or both ways.Rumors surrounding the Dragon Society include the claims that the society owns an estate somewhere in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and that annual initiation rites involve a wilderness vision quest and mock sacrifice based on a supposed ancient tradition of Welsh Druids.
Membership
Membership consists of a small number of senior men who are selected during their junior year in a school-wide selection process known as "tapping." Every winter and spring, juniorsJuror's oath
A juror's oath is used to swear in jurors at the beginning of jury selection or trial.-United States:In the United States, a federal juror's oath usually states something to the effect of, "Do you and each of you solemnly swear that you will well and truly try and a true deliverance make between...
are tapped for the senior societies through a process semi-coordinated
Ignorance (disambiguation)
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed.Ignorance may also refer to:In social sciences:*Pluralistic ignorance, a concept in social psychology*Rational ignorance, a concept in epistemology...
through the College.
Members are thought to be leaders of Dartmouth's athletic teams and fraternities. It is not clear whether taps are voted on by the membership or are handled "one-for-one," with each member selecting his successor. Dartmouth legend has it that the ghost of a man named "Q" still haunts Dragon.
See also
- Dartmouth College student groupsDartmouth College student groupsThis page contains detailed information on a number of student groups at Dartmouth College. For more information on athletic teams, please see Dartmouth College athletic teams...
- Collegiate secret societies in North America
- Secret societySecret societyA 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...