Editing Cap and Skull (section)

==History==
On January 18, 1900, ten members of the senior class of [[Rutgers College]] met in the [[Chi Psi]] lodge to form Cap and Skull.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |last=Gotieb |first=Jason |date=February 10, 1994 |title=Cap and Skull |url=https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zj5j-gttl/t940210.htm |access-date=September 19, 2024 |work=The Daily Targum}}</ref> Drawing inspiration from [[Skull and Bones]] and [[Quill and Dagger]], Yale and Cornell's senior class honor societies, Cap and Skull aimed to form a similar honor society at Rutgers.<ref name=":2" />

The ten founders drew up a constitution and adopted a code of secrecy and a motto. To ensure the exclusivity of the organization, the selection of a new member required a unanimous vote of the current members. In the first two decades, no more than 80 men joined the organization.<ref name=":2" />

In the 1920s, the society began to reexamine its selection criteria to increase membership. Under the new system, each leadership position and honor on campus was awarded a point value, and students with the highest cumulative value were selected for induction.<ref name=":2" /> In 1923, in response to the growing student body, the number of members to be tapped each year was fixed at twelve and a tri-fold criterion for selection was established:<ref name=":2" />
# Activities, athletic, and campus
# Scholarship
# Character and service to Rutgers
With the onset of [[World War II]], many members of the Rutgers community left college to serve in the military. Only ten members were selected for Cap and Skull in 1944, and no one was tapped in 1945.<ref name=":2" /> In October 1945, members of the administration who were also Cap and Skull members were asked to make nominations for the class of 1946.<ref name=":2" /> 

Cap and Skull resumed the traditional twelve-member selection in 1948.<ref name=":2" /> On January 31, 1950, an all-day gala celebration was held in honor of Cap and Skull's golden anniversary—the first of the ten-year reunions that are still held today.<ref name=":2" /> The golden anniversary celebrated the 440 men selected as members of the society during those first fifty years.<ref name=":2" />

===Demise and rebirth===
Through the 1960s, sweeping social changes occurred and organizations such as Cap and Skull came under scrutiny. In 1969, Cap and Skull graduated its last class.<ref name=":2" /> Its alumni retained their ties and the underlying need for the organization remained. In 1981, Rutgers College students again discussed the need for an organization or honor that would recognize leadership contributions made by members of the senior class. Cap and Skull re-emerged in 1982, and a reunion was held to celebrate the tapping of new members.<ref name=":2" />

In November 1990, the Cap and Skull Room was formally leased, solidifying Cap and Skull's physical presence on campus.<ref name=":2" /> In 2000, a large gala event was held for the 100th anniversary of Cap and Skull and members endowed an annual scholarship to Rutgers students. Author [[William B. Brahms]], a society member, compiled a detailed history with full biographies of all inducted members of the first 100 years. It was privately printed by the society, but is available at the Rutgers University Special Collections and Archives.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last=Brahms |first=William |author-link=William B. Brahms |title=Cap & Skull Centennial History and Biographical Directory |publisher=Cap and Skull Society |year=2000 |location=[[New Brunswick, New Jersey]]}}</ref>