The Medusa was a senior honorary society and part of student government which lasted from 1892 until the late 1960s.

In 1892, eighteen members of the Class of 1893 organized a senior honor society which used Medusa's head as their symbol. Each year, members of the junior class were “tapped” by the seniors to carry on college traditions, and in later years, to maintain a sense of responsibility and integrity within the community, disparaging cheating and enforcing the honor code.

In the spring of 1909, another student governance group called the Senate¹⁾ originated, and was comprised of elected representatives from within a variety of student body groups—class years, sports teams, fraternities, Trinity Tripod editor, and Medusa. While its function was unclear at the time of founding, the Senate quickly found footing, and by the 1960s, its stated purpose was to “create and maintain channels of communication among students, faculty, administration and trustees.”

Both the Senate and the Medusa acted as branches of the College’s student government, with offices located in Mather Hall. The Senate was the legislative body, overseeing class and club funding and student organizations in general, and keeping the student body apprised of campus affairs. In the early 1950s, the Medusa was empowered by the Senate to oversee judicial and disciplinary functions, working with the Dean of Students and the Faculty Committee on Academic Standing and Discipline on matters of student conduct. The Medusa was responsible for the delivery of penalties such as fines, censures, suspensions, dismissals, and expulsions. The Senate, however, acted as the final student court of appeal. By the 1969 academic year, the Medusa had disbanded, and the Senate followed in 1970. Speculation exists to suggest that Medusa may have been re-constituted since its disappearance in the late 1960s.

Guide to the Medusa and Senate records, Trinity College Archives.

Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter and Anne Knapp, pp. 46, 270, 342-343, 356, 357-358, 359, 364.

The Trinity College Handbook, 1968-69 (1968).

The History of Trinity College (1967) by Glenn Weaver, p. 219.

Trinity College Bulletin, 1966-1967 (Catalogue Issue) (1966).

The Trinity College Handbook, 1963-64 (1963).