Two leaders of an unrecognized fraternity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were arrested this week after police said they found roughly 30 young men, most of them pledges, packed into a sweltering basement, partially clothed and covered in food and condiments.
Officers were dispatched to the Alpha Epsilon Pi house on Langdon Street around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday after receiving an anonymous tip, according to an incident report filed by the Madison Police Department. Inside the basement, officers said, they found the men covered in food, condiments and other liquids, with several showing injuries consistent with having been struck. A thermostat in the room had reportedly been set to 81 degrees, creating hot, humid conditions.
Most of the young men were 18 years old. Officers determined the gathering was unlawful, escorted everyone outside and checked pledges for incapacitation and injuries; no one was taken for medical treatment, police said.
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Fraternity president Brayden J. Klein and vice president Samuel N. Vane, both 20, were arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor hazing and disorderly conduct and booked into the Dane County Jail. The Dane County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file formal charges.
Madison Police Capt. Kipp Hartman told reporters investigators ran into inconsistent accounts from those at the scene. “We had limited cooperation,” Mr. Hartman said.
Alpha Epsilon Pi lost its official recognition from UW-Madison in 2015, but the fraternity’s national organization has continued to recognize the Langdon Street chapter, which is “legally allowed to operate as a fraternity chapter unaffiliated with the university,” according to a statement from the school. The university’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards will investigate any students implicated under its nonacademic misconduct process, which carries penalties ranging from a written reprimand to expulsion.
Jonathan Pierce, AEPi’s chief communications officer, told Fox News Digital the national organization is taking the allegations “extremely seriously” and would cooperate fully with investigators, adding that any member found responsible for criminal conduct would be expelled. “Anyone who engages in hazing forfeits the privilege of being an AEPi brother,” Mr. Pierce said in a statement.
The incident occurred during rush week at UW-Madison.
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