A plea for the Druids to return to Pitt
Every university needs a little goofy cloak and dagger nonsense – we need the Druids to step back up
When you think of collegiate secret societies, what names come to mind?
Probably Skull & Bones, The Society of Brothers in Unity, The Cadaver Society… but the Druids? Maybe not – but they’re still important here at Pitt.
In the 1920s, a vague and mysterious group named “The Druids” was certifed by the University of Pittsburgh as a men’s honorary society. In their 1967 constitution, their goal is “to recognize and propagate among the undergraduate men of the University of Pittsburgh, these ideals of leadership, scholarship, service, and character which denote the outstanding student.”
Their certified-status with the University slowly faded away, and the group retreated into underground meetings and private membership lists. The members are typically made up of students with powerful campus connections: Student Government Members, Pathfinders, Club Presidents, and Pitt News editors.
In 2013, it was discovered that the vast majority of Student Government Board were alleged members, along with an opinions editor at the Pitt News who wrote about their political campaign. This controversy ended in multiple people resigning, people being fired, and the biggest public outing of Druids members to date. It also showed the University the very real power that even small secret organizations can possess.
Secret societies are a hallmark of historic and esteemed universities. They communicate a long legacy of successful students and networks of alumni that can provide resources and opportunities.
Do the Druids have these perks? Let’s be honest, probably not. The modern incarnation of the historic society at Pitt only came about in the 1990s.
On the other hand, they very clearly have strings to pull when you look at the 2013 SGB scandal. A majority of the SGB means a majority in their voting processes, and domination on matters from allocations to policy-making. Pathfinders are major factors in student recruitment, and the Pitt News is the main news source for campus related goings-on.
Seperately, these positions might not hold too much sway over the campus, but together, they can be used for very real collusion; charitable or nefarious.
Well, since the major outing of the SGB and related members, the Druids have been largely silent. Some wonder if they still even exist.
Gone are the days of parading through Hillman Library in black cloaks, an event that stirred questions back in April of 2002. Gone are the days of Christmas cards and Valentines depicting hooded figures and comedic messages of holiday greetings. The cards were sent to major campus institutions, a past tradition of the group that has lessened more and more in recent years.
The atmosphere of Pitt has changed with their absence. While they might not be the Skull and Bones, the Druids are something to be proud of at Pitt. They’re a sort of symbol, in a way, and a mysterious force that affects us all. Maybe they’re just a bunch of kids in cloaks taking themselves a little too seriously. Maybe.
Maybe they’re a bunch of selfish wannabe yuppies, exploiting the student elections and publications in order to use them for their own benefit. It’s possible.
Personally, I like to think they’re enterprising students trying to establish connections, build groups. They’re trying to make institutions and push forward old traditions. For the seemingly limited financial resources they were working with, the Druids have made a huge impact on the campus, giving out funds for textbooks to worthy students and entertaining the student body.
The fact that I’m writing this article years after their peak is a testament to their worth. The Druids have a place here at Pitt. They have a place in SGB, the Pitt News, and Pathfinders, if they’re clever enough to get there and the groups’ officials are too incompetent to keep them out. They’re a boogeyman, a ghost. Pitt News reporters are always looking for an exciting scoop to offset the humdrum of reporting about new classes and club meetings. What reporter could resist a scoop on a shadow council controlling the student body?
I’m not saying that the Druids are powerful, or that the school will lose credibility without a bunch of possibly drunken twenty-somethings running around at midnight in discount halloween costumes, painting a “D” on everything they can.
We’ll just be losing something a little less obvious: some historic, harmless fun.