Owl Society - Definition and Overview

The Owl Society (or the Owls), is a secret society at the University of Pennsylvania. The group's membership and organization are not publically known. They apparently target male freshman from elite or affluent international backgrounds for recruitment and reportedly wear suits on campus as a way to distinguish themselves. The Owl house is located southwest of the University of Pennsylvania campus at 40th and Pine, where they are said to hold private events while maintaining an invitation-only policy (a campus reputation for hedonism is not remarkable for male fraternities at US colleges).

The origins of the group are unknown.

The organization is rumored to have ties with financial, political, and media institutions in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and several foreign countries, including England, China, Colombia, Canada, and Brazil.

This traditionally media-shy group experienced a brief publicity flare-up in 2002, when five supposed members where reportedly linked to an assault incident. It was never substantiated that these individuals were in fact members, and the charges were eventually dropped. The Owls made headlines once again in 2004 when a member was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship.

Other Penn secret societies include Theos for men and Tabard for women.