An anonymous tip sent Madison police into the basement of a fraternity house near the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where officers encountered a scene now at the center of a hazing investigation.
Roughly 30 partially clothed young men were inside, covered in food, condiments and other liquids, according to the Madison Police Department. Most were 18 years old.
Several had visible injuries that police described as consistent with physical assault. The thermostat had been set to 81 degrees, leaving the basement hot and humid.
Officers declared the Sept. 23 gathering unlawful, escorted everyone outside and checked the pledges for injuries and incapacitation. Police then arrested two 20-year-old fraternity leaders on allegations of hazing and disorderly conduct.
Inside The Basement
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Police arrived at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house on the 100 block of Langdon Street at about 8:20 p.m.
The department said officers had received an anonymous tip about an event taking place there. Once inside the basement, they found the group of pledges and the conditions described in the incident report.
Police said fraternity President Brayden J. Klein and Vice President Samuel N. Vane were at the house and spoke with officers. Both were arrested and booked into the Dane County Jail.
Madison Police Capt. Kipp Hartman later said no pledges were taken for medical treatment. Police collected statements from those inside, though Hartman said some accounts conflicted and described the cooperation officers received as limited.
Klein and Vane were released from jail within hours after each posting $400, WISN reported. The Dane County District Attorney’s Office was expected to review the case before deciding whether formal charges should be filed.
Cut Loose Before
Although the house is near UW–Madison, Alpha Epsilon Pi is not currently a university-recognized fraternity.
UW–Madison terminated the chapter’s status in 2015 after finding that it had held events while already suspended.
At the time, the university said Alpha Epsilon Pi had been suspended for several consecutive semesters because of earlier policy violations. A university committee later concluded that the fraternity intentionally violated the terms of that suspension by holding events it was not permitted to host.
The chapter nevertheless continued operating outside the university system because it remained recognized by Alpha Epsilon Pi’s international organization.
That distinction became important again after the September raid.
Everything Stops
Following the arrests, Alpha Epsilon Pi International issued a cease-and-desist directive requiring the Madison chapter to stop its activities while the organization conducts its own investigation.
UW–Madison Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor told students the incident did not involve an official member of the university’s Fraternity & Sorority Life community.
The university’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards is separately investigating individual students involved. Students found to have violated law, regulation or university policy could face disciplinary sanctions.
Alpha Epsilon Pi has also said members found responsible for criminal conduct will be expelled and that the organization will cooperate with the investigation.
Madison police said the criminal investigation remains active and asked anyone who was involved or has information about the Sept. 23 event to contact the department or Madison Area Crime Stoppers.