Leaders of an unrecognized University of Wisconsin fraternity were arrested after police allegedly found about 30 partially clothed teenage pledges gathered in a hot, filthy basement and covered with condiments.
Fraternity president Brayden J. Klein and vice president Samuel N. Vane, both 20, were arrested Wednesday on misdemeanor hazing and misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges. Officers said they discovered the scene after receiving an anonymous tip.
Police entered the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house in Madison at about 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the incident report. Inside, they found the men partially clothed and covered in food, condiments and other liquids. Some had “visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted,” police said.
The basement was muggy and overheated, with the thermostat set to 81 degrees, according to police.
Officers escorted everyone from the house and evaluated the pledges, the “vast majority” of whom were 18, for signs of incapacitation or injury.
Police identified the fraternity as an “unrecognized and unaccredited” student organization. The University of Wisconsin had “terminated” its affiliation more than a decade ago.
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“UW–Madison is fully committed to preventing and addressing hazing and takes all incidents involving our community seriously,” the university said in a statement Thursday.
The university added that students found to have violated the law, regulations or school policy could face sanctions under Wis. Admin. Code Chapter UWS 17.
Possible penalties include a written reprimand, disciplinary probation, suspension, termination or educational sanctions, the university said.
Although the Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter was banned from campus, the university noted that Alpha Epsilon Pi remains a nationally recognized fraternity and may legally operate as a chapter unaffiliated with the school.
