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Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University.

The New York Times claimed that:

Initiates wrestle naked in a mud pile.

Is that part of a longstanding ritual of Skull and Bones members?

Oddthinking
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User001
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    Given that it is a *secret* society and initiation rites are often one of the most protected aspects of such societies, what source do you expect to be more authoritative than the New York Times? – called2voyage Oct 11 '16 at 12:44
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    So... it's a college frat? – Reinstate Monica -- notmaynard Oct 11 '16 at 14:32
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    Also, the NYT isn't _claiming_ that this happens. The text surrounding the paragraph reads "Interesting enough - but the apocrypha are better. ... Initiates wrestle naked in a mud pile. [Followed by other things rumored about them] ...Not a word of this may be true. " The article is about rumors and secrets about that particular society, and doesn't make any claims that those things actually occur. I don't think this qualifies as a notable claim. – Reinstate Monica -- notmaynard Oct 11 '16 at 14:38
  • Hi @iamnotmaynard, in addition to the article from the NYTimes, this claim has been in magazines, movies, etc. It's been a pretty consistent claim...that would be interesting to verify :) – User001 Oct 11 '16 at 14:41
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    @User001 Verify how? Who is in the position to know that would be willing to share *and* still be an authoritative source? Even if you consider ex-members who are willing to share secrets, they have been known to make things up whole-cloth before. – called2voyage Oct 11 '16 at 16:31
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    if they do mud wrestling at all, doing it naked makes sense. Ever tried to clean seriously muddy clothes? :) – jwenting Oct 12 '16 at 07:06
  • I see your point @jwenting :) but the ritual, if true, is rather intimate and unusual ... at least to me, since I've never been into fraternities or clubs, let alone a secret society ... – User001 Oct 12 '16 at 07:17

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