Theta Nu Epsilon is not a national fraternity, and as such has very little public information. However, one of the most notable Theta Nu Epsilon chapters is at the University of Alabama and is known today as the Machine. The Machine is essentially a stronger and larger secret society parallel to Skull and Keys. The Machine has been reported to influence university elections and even state elections with their secret network. They have been known to intimidate students by burning crosses, stealing from them, and silencing them. It seems to be very strong today according to many articles. The purpose of the Machine seems very proximate to their brother organization Skull and Keys, we can almost imagine that if Skull and Keys had more support, they may have turned into the Machine. Although not much is known about Theta Nu Epsilon, it is important to note that it exists parallel to the Greek system, it takes members from many houses, and works to control and influence the entirety of the Greek system and in many cases, campus government.
Theta Nu Epsilon Photo (date unclear)
Divespell. “Theta Nu Epsilon: Skull & Bones II.” Theta Nu Epsilon: Skull & Bones II, January 1, 1970. http://divespell.blogspot.com/2009/07/theta-nu-epsilon-skull-bones-ii.html.
This photo, juxtaposed to the campus today in 2022, shows the way in which the Skull and Keys predate the campus landscape. This physical presence on undeveloped land can serve as a metaphor for the way in which Skull and Keys, and their values, predates the university as we know it today and instead functions as a foundation for the building of both the campus and campus culture. It is also interesting to note that the way these men are out in the open for their initiation and then retreat to the tomb for their time as members. We can see from this that the tomb serves as a solidification of their membership and the legacy of Skull and Keys.
The organization, although secret, was well known in its beginnings. The DailyCal posted articles reporting on the Skull and Keys "Running Day" on their day of initiation. One such article from November 9th, 1899 reports "Notwithstanding the threatening state of the weather yesterday, the Skull and Keys initiates appeared on the campus at 8:30 in dress suits with duck trousers. After being put through the toils around North Hall they were marched in a body to South Hall. They were marched in to see the President, who gave them a short talk."
Beyond the social aspects of the society and the clear connection to drinking, the men involved became involved with very controversial moments. Many men cross dressed and antagonized women, wore Black Face, and, according to one report, marched around campus on Adolf Hitler's birthday shouting that Hitler "was right." This type of behavior, paired with the exclusive nature of both the architecture of the tomb and the secret membership, furthers our argument that the Skull and Keys society was invested in creating an exclusionary vision of the university, one that maintained whiteness, masculinity, and access.
The fact that the Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's student-run newspaper, wrote so casually of the organization, without need to clarify its existence or what it was, shows us that students during this time, later 19th century, and most likely into the 20th century, were not only aware of Skull and Keys, but were invested in its movements. The report that the new initiates spoke to the President of the UC demonstrates the intertwined nature of the organization and campus power. This is reminiscent of the way the Alabama's Machine chapter of Theta Nu Epsilon remains deeply influential with access to political players at the university and state level.
I was able to get in touch with a member of Skull and Keys at Berkeley from the class of 1984. He was in Zeta Psi fraternity and was invited to join Skull and Keys. Due to his privacy, he will remain anonymous. He says that Skull and Keys was "basically a drinking club." When asked about the initiation he says it "involved getting really drunk one Saturday morning at the tomb wearing a Tux and running around campus." He also said that to his memory that was the only time he actually was in the tomb. This is interesting because it is very similar to the initial that archives describe starting in 1899, telling us that there was ritual continuity in the society, even if general activities changed. This also shows the importance of rituals as a means to maintain identity within an organization. My source says that in his year there were 20 men involved. I was curious about how much history of Skull and Keys he was aware of and he confessed that he doesn't know much of the history of the socitey. He was not even sure why the tomb was designed the way it was and said that it "might have been built as a bomb shelter." As we are unclear about the current status of this society, it is interesting to be able to understand the lived memory of someone who was once a part of it.
