O.W.L. Society

O.W.L. Society
Founded	1887 University of Virginia
Type	Secret society
Emphasis	Literaray arts
Scope	Local
Motto	De mortuis nil nisi bonum (“Nothing but good about things past” or “Of the dead, nothing unless good.”) La nuit porte conseil (“The night brings sound counsel.”)
Publication	Corks and Curls
Chapters	1
Headquarters	Charlottesville, Virginia United States

The O.W.L. Society was founded in 1887 at the University of Virginia as a secret society devoted to the literary arts. Founded in 1887, the O.W.L. Society is the oldest secret society existing at the university today, though it has not been in continuous existence since its founding.

Early history

The original O.W.L. Society appears to have been a primarily social group of influential University students. Among the society's founders was Thomas Longstreet Wood, a student active in literary pursuits, who later went on to publish Arcade Echoes, a compilation of the best student writing during his time at the university.

It was classified as a ribbon society, similar to Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A., with which it shared a substantial number of common members. The O.W.L. also included many members of prominent fraternities, such as Delta Kappa Epsilon. The O.W.L. was accordingly regarded in fairly high respect, and definitely as a “good thing,” as the students of the day called something they approved of. Of the ribbon societies, the 1895 edition of the university's annual, Corks and Curls, ranked the O.W.L. just below Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A. in terms of social prominence, and highly in terms of academic performance.

The O.W.L. published its membership in Corks and Curls, but its proceedings, membership selection, and other activities were held secret. The Society operated on a single ball system in membership proceedings, that is, one vote in the negative from any member was sufficient to exclude a candidate from the Society. The Society remained small, never including more than eight members at one time.

Though its specific activities remain unknown, it can be reasonably assumed that the O.W.L. served to support the university's burgeoning literary scene, which at the time included College Topics, the Virginia University Magazine, Corks and Curls, and numerous minor student publications, many of which were founded within just a few years of the O.W.L. These literary institutions, particularly a student newspaper, were hallmarks of an expanding University, which was growing both in terms of size and prestige.

On January 19, 1894, the O.W.L was re-organized “in order to promote the literary spirit not merely in a narrow circle but in the whole College, the constitution was amended and the qualification for membership made honorary.” The society transformed from a social organization to one with both social and practical functions. Its membership was drawn from the ranks of editors of important University publications including the Virginia University Magazine, College Topics, and Corks and Curls. However, early University literary endeavors sometimes struggled with low readership, small numbers of subscriptions, and the corresponding challenging financial situations.

Dissolution

The O.W.L. began to fade from University life in the early 1920s. The Society appeared in Corks and Curls for the final time in 1921, and it appears likely that the second iteration of the organization dissolved around this time. Several brief attempts were made to revive the O.W.L. throughout the 1920s as a purely functional organization. In 1923, College Topics recorded that the O.W.L. “reorganized” and merged with Sigma Delta Chi, formerly the university's chapter of the national journalistic fraternity. Topics noted that the new organization would “[act] as an unofficial group of students interested in student publications, gathered for the purpose of encouraging all journalistic activities at the University of Virginia.” In 1928, the O.W.L. was again resurrected, this time with the purpose of sponsoring the satirical student publication known as The Yellow Journal, which was then facing considerable criticism from faculty and students alike for its practice of anonymous publication. During the years 1929 and 1930, the masthead of the Yellow Journal read, in part, “Sponsored by the OWLS (the damned fools).” After 1930, the O.W.L. was no longer mentioned in the masthead, and the Journal ceased publication entirely in 1934. It is almost certain that the O.W.L., if it had not folded already, ceased to exist at this point.

The reason for the O.W.L.’s disappearance remains unclear, although numerous theories abound. One such rationale, published in the Cavalier Daily in 1968, asserts that the O.W.L. may have become what is now known as the Seven Society. The article suggests that the members of the O.W.L., taking to heart University President Edwin Alderman’s admonition that a more “beneficial” secret society be formed on Grounds, began taking action in greater secrecy under a new title. As the new organization gained prominence, the O.W.L. gradually became less relevant and was discontinued. The Seven Society's first public announcement, in 1915, coincided with the O.W.L.’s changing its heading in Corks and Curls from a secret society to a club. Though interesting to consider, no hard evidence is known to exist to support this theory. More likely, perhaps, is that a combination of student apathy, increasing pressure from other social organizations, and financial hardship brought on by the Great Depression combined to cause the Society’s collapse. No further iterations of the O.W.L. Society are known to have existed between its closure in the 1930s and its refounding in 2013.

Reorganization

The O.W.L. announced its reorganization through a letter in the Cavalier Daily on October 19, 2013, saying "We resurrect the O.W.L. to support, cultivate and enrich literary culture at the University of Virginia." Its reformation was stimulated Corks & Curls ceasing publicatin in 2009 and The Cavalier Daily going to a twice-weekly schedule.

Symbols and traditions

Corks and Curls lists two mottos for the O.W.L., one Latin and one French. Its Latin motto is “De mortuis nil nisi bonum” which is translated as “Nothing but good about things past” or “Of the dead, nothing unless good.” In French, the motto is “La nuit porte conseil” which is translated as “The night brings sound counsel.”

Notable members

Notable members of the O.W.L. include:

• Hugh S. Cumming Jr., United States Ambassador to Indonesia
• John W. Fishburne, congressman
• James Rogers McConnell, member of the Lafayette Escadrille
• James P. C. Southall, physicist and professor at Columbia University
• Oscar Underwood, Senate Minority Leader, House Majority Leader

See also

• Secret societies at the University of Virginia
• Collegiate secret societies in North America