The Casque and Gauntlet (C&G) Senior Society at Dartmouth College was founded in late March, 1886 by members of the class of 1887, making it the second-oldest senior society at Dartmouth.
Membership is exclusive yet non-secret and co-ed. The delegation has inhabited the house, located at 1 South Main Street in Hanover, New Hampshire, since 1894. During World War II, C&G suspended operations while it leased its building to Dartmouth, and it soon returned to its former traditions. With the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, C&G made the difficult decision leased the house to the Tuck School for three years, but the student delegations are still very active on campus, either in-person or remotely.
C&G began to induct women in 1979, following Dartmouth’s decision to do so in 1972. The members of C&G experience a close-knit fellowship that unites them in their cause to aid and encourage one another to actively pursue paths toward their ideals.
Prior to December 2020, we had two parts of C&G – the Trust, which owned the castle and deals with collecting rents and paying all expenses – property taxes, utilities, etc. and Casque & Gauntlet Inc. Going forward, we now have three organizations that while separate all work together on different parts of C&G:
New organization driven by those who best know the needs of the College for their snapshot in time – the students. This organization will be led by a board of directors that includes both students and alumni with board members serving 2-year terms. Olivia Audsley, the Arthur of the 2021 Delegation, worked with Lena Martinez-Wolfinger ’08 and several other experienced lawyers to incorporate this new legal organization to take on the mantle of the C&G Senior Society as well as all of us as alumni.
Alumni group to explore approaches in a polarized world to encourage the listening and connecting skills to engage among divergent groups at Dartmouth and potentially beyond in a form other than a senior society.
Still the “landlords” of the Castle; the Trust holds title to 1 South Main Street and is solely responsible for assuring the financial viability of Castle going forward.