在全美最顶尖的那些大学里，正活跃着一群比这些学校的声名本身更令人瞠目结舌的秘密组织，它们午夜星云一般地散布在那些宏伟的教学楼中，蛊惑着潜在会员们去速速索讨一张报名表。你或许想不到，那些层出不穷的阴谋论的始作俑者中，那些神秘组织的成员列表里，甚至还有许多你耳熟能详的名字—或是政治舵手，或是商业巨擘，他们正活跃在国家机器的每个肯綮环节。

　　美国校园内最神秘的五大学生组织

　　1. SKULL AND BONES SOCIETY

　　骷髅会

　　Ironically, probably the most famous of the student secret societies – the Skull and Bones Society – gained national prominence during the 2004 presidential election when it emerged that both major candidates, President George W. Bush and then-Senator John Kerry, were members of the society during their tenure at Yale University. The society has popped up occasionally in pop-culture references, with the name of the organization being rumored to refer to the club’s ownership of the stolen skulls of Indian chief Geronimo, among others.

　　骷髅会或许是这些神秘学生组织里最富盛名的，而对于它的关注度更是在2004年总统大选之际达到了顶峰。原因便是大选中两位最具实力的候选人—乔治·布什和时任麻省参议员的约翰·克里，都曾在就读耶鲁时是骷髅会的成员。这个组织在有关通俗文化的文献中也被时有提及，人们传言骷髅会的得名与他们收藏了印第安领袖杰罗尼莫的头盖骨有关。

　　2. SCROLL AND KEY SOCIETY

　　轴匙社团

　　Scroll and Key is another Yale University secret society, and the rivals of the Skull and Bones at the school. Founded 1842 after disputed elections at the Skull and Bones, the society can count among its members renowned composer Cole Porter and political commentator Fareed Zakaria. The Scroll and Key Society is also known for its contributions and donations to Yale, including the endowment for funding the Yale University Press.

　　轴匙社团是耶鲁校园内另一大秘密组织，也是骷髅会的强劲对手。轴匙社团成立于1842年，也就是在骷髅会选举风波之后，著名作曲家科尔·波特、政治评论家法里德·扎卡利亚都曾是轴匙社团的成员。该社团还以他们对于耶鲁的巨额捐赠而为人瞩目，耶鲁大学出版社的建立就得益于他们的捐助。

　　3. QUILL AND DAGGER

　　羽毛笔与匕首协会

　　Moving from one Ivy League University to another, the Quill and Dagger is a society at Cornell University, and the namesake of a tower on campus that is used for the society’s meetings and events. Membership includes many in the halls of power in Washington and in the top levels of business and high society. The society is also known for the erection of a war memorial at Cornell dedicated to alumni and students who served in WWI.

　　下面我们来看看诞生于另一所常春藤联盟大学的秘密组织。康奈尔大学的羽毛笔与匕首协会便是典型一例，在康奈尔校园内甚至还有一座同名建筑专门用于该社团的集会活动。羽毛笔与匕首协会的成员包括许多在华盛顿特区身居高位的官员、商界精英以及其他上流社会活跃人士。该协会声名鹊起的另一原因是他们曾在校园内为那些效劳于一战的校友们树立了一座纪念碑。

　　4. ORDER OF GIMGHOUL

　　津购会

　　The Order of the Gimghoul is the first non-Ivy League society that we are looking at, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have all the frills and traditions that are expected of a secret society. Founded by University of North Carolina students in 1889, the order derives its tradition from the legend of Peter Dromgoole, a former student who mysteriously disappeared from campus in the 19th century. The order is known for the ownership of a castle that serves as the group’s headquarters and has been valued at more than $1 million.

　　津购会是我们所介绍的第一个不属于常春藤联盟大学的社团，但这并不意味着它还未建立起一个成熟的秘密组织所应具备的严密规则。由北卡罗来纳大学的学生创建于1889年，该社团的成立可追溯至该校的传奇校友彼得·德鲁古尔身上。这位曾经的北卡学生于19世纪莫名失踪，从此成为了校园里的一个谜。津购会同时还以他们为协会所捐建的总部城堡而闻名，据估计这座神秘的建筑价值逾一百万美元。

　　5. ANAK SOCIETY

　　阿纳协会

　　The ANAK Society is an organization at the Georgia Institute of Technology formed in 1908 that has had a huge hand in much of the university’s history. For one, the society had a major role in establishing the school’s yearbook, student newspaper and student government. The group also had an important input in the civil rights movement at the university including helping to integrate the campus and blocking the Ku Klux Klan from starting a Georgia Tech chapter. Membership to the honor society is highly coveted and members of the organization include hundreds of notable alumni.

　　阿纳协会隶属于乔治亚理工学院。这个成立于1908年的校园秘密组织在乔治亚理工的漫长历史中扮演了举足轻重的角色。比如，正是因为该协会的存在，乔治亚理工的年鉴、校报以及学生会才得以一一建立。该协会在促进校园民权这一层面也起到了至关重要的作用，比如维护校园一体化，以及扼杀3K党组建乔治亚理工分部的企图。所有人都对加入这个功勋卓著的社团蠢蠢欲动，而该协会的几百位会员也的确是精英中的精英。