| Cap and Skull | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | January 18, 1900; 126 years ago (1900-01-18)–1969; Reestablished 1982 Rutgers University |
| Type | Senior society |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Emphasis | Academics, athletics, the arts, and public service |
| Scope | Local |
| Motto | Spectemur agendo "Let us be judged by our actions" |
| Pillars | Spirit, History, and Tradition |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Members | 18 active |
| Nickname | Skulls |
| Headquarters | 613 George Street New Brunswick,New Jersey 08901 United States |
| Website | capandskull |
Cap and Skull is a co-educational seniorhonor society atRutgers University inNew Jersey. It was founded on January 18, 1900. Admission to Cap and Skull is dependent on excellence in academics,athletics, thearts, andpublic service. The organization considersleadership andcharacter as factors for membership. Eighteen members are selected each year.
On January 18, 1900, ten members of the senior class ofRutgers College met in theChi Psi lodge to form Cap and Skull.[1] Drawing inspiration fromSkull and Bones andQuill and Dagger, Yale and Cornell's senior class honor societies, Cap and Skull aimed to form a similar honor society at Rutgers.[2]
The ten founders drew up a constitution and adopted a code of secrecy and a motto. To ensure the exclusivity of the organization, the selection of a new member required a unanimous vote of the current members. In the first two decades, no more than 80 men joined the organization.[2]
In the 1920s, the society began to reexamine its selection criteria to increase membership. Under the new system, each leadership position and honor on campus was awarded a point value, and students with the highest cumulative value were selected for induction.[2] In 1923, in response to the growing student body, the number of members to be tapped each year was fixed at twelve and a tri-fold criterion for selection was established:[2]
With the onset ofWorld War II, many members of the Rutgers community left college to serve in the military. Only ten members were selected for Cap and Skull in 1944, and no one was tapped in 1945.[2] In October 1945, members of the administration who were also Cap and Skull members were asked to make nominations for the class of 1946.[2]
Cap and Skull resumed the traditional twelve-member selection in 1948.[2] On January 31, 1950, an all-day gala celebration was held in honor of Cap and Skull's golden anniversary—the first of the ten-year reunions that are still held today.[2] The golden anniversary celebrated the 440 men selected as members of the society during those first fifty years.[2]
Through the 1960s, sweeping social changes occurred and organizations such as Cap and Skull came under scrutiny. In 1969, Cap and Skull graduated its last class.[2] Its alumni retained their ties and the underlying need for the organization remained. In 1981, Rutgers College students again discussed the need for an organization or honor that would recognize leadership contributions made by members of the senior class. Cap and Skull re-emerged in 1982, and a reunion was held to celebrate the tapping of new members.[2]
In November 1990, the Cap and Skull Room was formally leased, solidifying Cap and Skull's physical presence on campus.[2] In 2000, a large gala event was held for the 100th anniversary of Cap and Skull and members endowed an annual scholarship to Rutgers students. AuthorWilliam B. Brahms, a society member, compiled a detailed history with full biographies of all inducted members of the first 100 years. It was privately printed by the society, but is available at the Rutgers University Special Collections and Archives.[2]
The motto of Cap and Skull isSpectemur agendo or "Let us be judged by our actions".[3] Its pillars are Spirit, History, and Tradition.[3]
Today, Cap and Skull represents many of the diverse organizations on campus and is now composed of undergraduate students from any of the university's reorganized schools. Formerly only members ofRutgers College (which had become co-educational in 1972) and Rutgers College affiliates from the School of Pharmacy, Engineering, and Mason Gross School of the Arts were tapped.
Admission to Cap and Skull is dependent on excellence in academics,athletics, thearts, andpublic service. The organization considersleadership andcharacter as factors for membership. Using these criteria, only eighteen new members are selected each year.
Following are some of the notable members of Cap and Skull.