Secret societies have been a part of University of Virginia student life since the first class of students in 1825. While the number of societies peaked during the 75 years between 1875 and 1950, there are several newer societies and seven societies that have been active for more than 100 years, including Seven Society, Z Society, IMP Society, and Eli Banana. The earliest societies, Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A. Society, function as social clubs. In contrast, the Z Society, IMP Society, and Seven Society have a record of philanthropy and contribution to the university. Some of the more recent societies focus on the recognition or disapprobation of positive and negative contributions to the university.

History The earliest secret society at the university was probably the no-longer-secret Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, which at its 1825 founding was secret, with expulsion the penalty to any member who exposed the society's secrets. Student society activity for the first period of the university appears to have been confined to similar literary societies, including the Patrick Henry Society, Philomathean Society, Parthenon Society, Columbian, and Washington Society, which were not secret societies; only the last is still active.

At the same time, Greek organizations that were purely social in function (today's fraternities) began to play a role in student life. In 1853, students petitioned the faculty to set up a "secret" colony of Delta Kappa Epsilon. (The UVA chapter was officially founded on November 26, 1852). The first request was rejected by the faculty, coming as it did on the heels of years of riotous behavior; according to university historian Philip Alexander Bruce, the faculty feared the "orderly spirit of the student body acting as a whole or in segments, whether organized into secret fraternities or Calathumpian bands"; in another session or two, the chapter became established, and other Greek fraternities followed. It can be said generally about the early UVA fraternities that the only "secret" aspect of them was their operation and meeting location; the membership was not kept secret.

The growth of student organizations was interrupted by the Civil War but resumed thereafter with the establishment of additional fraternities. A few secret societies are recorded during the years 1865–1878, of which the only one of any note is the Dedils, most notable for being shut down by the faculty after their minutes were found where they had been dropped by the drunken president of the organization.

The Eli Banana Society, established in 1878, represented a new kind of secret society at the university. The new "ribbon society" tended to operate as an upper-class society, drew its members from the "upper class", and sought to exercise control over other student groups such as the Jefferson Society. Other ribbon societies included T.I.L.K.A., the Thirteen Club, the Lotus Society, the O.W.L. (a semi-secret society drawing its membership from the newspaper, magazine, and yearbook staff), the Zeta (later the Z Society), and O.N.E.

The suppression of Eli Banana in 1894 and of the Hot Feet/IMP Society in 1908 coincided with the rise of academic societies, including the semi-secret Raven Society, whose members are initiated in a secret ceremony but are otherwise public. At around the same time, the Seven Society, a group so secret that its members are not made known until their death, appeared. The Seven Society established a new model for secret society operation on Grounds.

While the ribbon societies were observed to draw their membership from the fraternities, and the IMPs, and Zs from the ribbon societies, the Seven Society's extreme secrecy meant that the society had no apparent formal connections to the social secret societies. At the same time, its exclusive focus on philanthropy meant that, unlike the Elis and Hot Feet, it functioned as an important contributor to the aims of the university. The Sevens tap not only student leaders but also university administrators and high-profile personnel. They take their secrecy so seriously that they only tap individuals for membership at locations off Grounds. It has been suggested that the IMP Society is composed of the Sevens underlings. The other societies founded after 1905 likewise define themselves as supporting the university, whether through recognizing notable or notorious individuals (P.U.M.P.K.I.N.s, 21 Society, Sons of Liberty) or upholding university traditions (Purple Shadows). The A.N.G.E.L.S. Society reaches out to students who may be struggling or those who display kindness or other laudable characteristics.

A former student once took advantage of the secrecy of secret societies to commit fraud. In 1984, former student Patrick William Michael Pierce created a fictional secret society he called the Council of the Stone Table and took advantage of the university’s procedures for handling secret society’s financial accounts to protect their anonymity. Pierce billed the university’s account $61,300 for personal use despite no donations coming into the account. After his fraud was uncovered, Pierce indicted on fraud in 1986, and the University changed its financial procedures for secret societies.

Active societies

The following is a list of notable secret societies at the University of Virginia, presented in alphabetical order.

A.N.G.E.L.S. Society The A.N.G.E.L.S. Society was founded in 1998. It is "dedicated to reaching out to students and groups who display acts of kindness to their communities" by presenting them with a white rose and a letter of support.. White roses are also presented to recognize "noble acts" on Grounds.

Eli Banana Society

The Eli Banana Society, or The Mystic Order of Eli Banana, was established in 1878 as a "ribbon society" because its members wore an identifying ribbon on their lapel. Historically, it was an upper-class society that recruited its members from fraternities. It is the oldest surviving secret society at the University of Virginia.

IMP Society

The IMP Society was created in 1903. Originally, it was called Hot Feet, but it changed its name in 1913. It is a ring society whose members are sometimes seen wearing horns and carrying pitchforks. In addition to its tradition for pranks to expose members of the Z Society, the IMP Society also presents its IMP Award to outstanding faculty and its IMPStudent Athlete Award to UVA's top female athlete.

Lantern Society The Lantern Society is an all-female secret society founded in 2000. It supports gender equality and the advancement of women at the University of Virginia. Each year, the society presents a faculty member with the Lantern Society Award for Leadership in Women's Education.

Order of Claw & Dagger The Order of Claw & Dagger formed in 2006 and is an active society of the McIntire School of Commerce. The society honors students and professors in McIntire with published letters based on their core tenets of Honor, Excellence, and Humility. Members of the Order wear black uniform cloaks and white masks to maintain secrecy. Members are recruited while students at McIntire, and membership continues after graduation.

The Order of Claw & Dagger logo is now found on the side of Rouss Hall. Its emblem consists of a downward pointing dagger; under the dagger's hilt are the letter "C" to the left and the letter "D" to the right.

O.W.L. Society

The O.W.L. Society was established in 1887. One of its activities was publishing The Yellow Journal, the university's humor publication from the 1920s until 1934 when the society went inactive. The society announced its reorganization through a letter on October 19, 2013, saying, "We resurrect the O.W.L. to support, cultivate, and enrich literary culture at the University of Virginia."

P.U.M.P.K.I.N. Society The P.U.M.P.K.I.N. Society appeared sometime before 1967 when the earliest known dated citation of the group was published in the Cavalier Daily. It is a secret society whose purpose is to recognize "meritorious service" to UVA. The earliest account of the group takes a humorous tone, claiming a connection to a 14th-century "Societe de la Citrouillie". Its motto is "When The Corn Is In The Bin, The Gourd Is On The Vine."

The group distributes actual pumpkins, along with letters of commendation, annually on the night of Halloween. The society historically presented a rotten or smashed pumpkin, which it called the E.B. Pendleton Award, to an individual whom it felt deserving of criticism on Halloween night, but this practice was ended in 2000. The E.B. Pendleton Award was revived in 2012, with a rotten gourd being presented to Helen Dragas for her role in the Teresa Sullivan ouster.

In addition to distributing pumpkins, the society annually prepares and distributes pumpkin pies, along with letters of commendation, for those staff at UVA who often go unrecognized. The society annually distributes letters of commendation at the end of the Spring semester to recognize fourth-year students who have served the UVA community silently and selflessly.

The Raven Society

The Raven Society was established on April 20, 1904. Its name is a nod to the poem "The Raven" by UVA alumnus Edgar Allan Poe. The society presents the Raven Award and scholarships. It is based in Room 13 of West Range, the room where Poe lived while a student at the university. It is considered a semi-secret honor society because its memberships are mostly public. As an honor society, it recruits the "best and brightest students and faculty..."

Rotunda Burning Society The Rotunda Burning Society is a secret organization founded around 1981. Annually, it commemorates the October 27, 1895, burning of the Rotunda by burning an effigy of the building at the base of the south steps. For the event, the society's members dress in red.

Seven Society

The Seven Society was established around 1905. One campus legend says that the group was formed when only seven of eight individuals showed up for an evening of bridge. It signs letters with the seven astronomical symbols for the planets. It is noted for making gifts to the university, often with flamboyant public presentations. It has made several gifts that repeat the number seven. Correspondence to The Seven Society is left at the base of the statue of Thomas Jefferson that is inside the Rotunda.

Membership in the society is revealed when a member dies with a banner at the member's funeral. The university's bells also ring seven times, every seven seconds, for ten minutes. Historically, the group also sent a wreath of black magnolias that was shaped like the number seven.

Society of P.R.I. The Society of P.R.I. was established in 2010 and contributes to the community of the School of Engineering & Applied Science. It recognizes faculty for their commitment to students.

Society of Purple Shadows The Society of the Purple Shadows was established in 1963. It is named after a line from the 1903 poem, "The Honor Men", by James Hay Jr. that refers to the purple shadows of The Lawn. The group's stated mission is "to contribute to the betterment of the University and to safeguard vigilantly the University traditions.". This translates to supporting the university's honor system and building and maintaining the university's various traditions. Its members wear purple robes on Founder's Day when they lay a wreath at Thomas Jefferson's statue on The Lawn at sunrise.