The Tabard Society is an independent social club at the University of Pennsylvania. We were founded in 1987 to build strong friendships, to promote leadership and academic excellence, and to give back to our community through organized charity events. Tabard is named after the Tabard Inn in the Canterbury Tales. At the Tabard Inn, travelers from across the country met to begin their journeys – telling their tales of adventure and sharing their friendship. The Tabard travelers were a diverse group, drawn from a broad range of backgrounds and each bringing a unique perspective to the group. All were certainly made richer for their shared experience. The eighteen founders of Tabard, the Tabard alumnae and the organization’s current membership promote and build upon these principles. We created Tabard as an independent organization of women dedicated to bringing together interesting and exceptional women of diverse backgrounds. We believe that developing and maintaining our own unique structure and environment, with our own independent constitution, is the best means to pursue these goals.The foundation and strength of our organization is our ability to make our own decisions for our membership.