▶ Watch Video: Madison police find dozens of partially clothed men in frat house basement
Two 20-year-olds were arrested after police were called to the scene of an alleged hazing incident where over two dozen young men were partially clothed and covered in liquids. Some of them were injured, police said.
The Madison Police Department said they received an anonymous tip about an event at the unaccredited Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. When they arrived at the house, they found about 30 “partially clothed males covered in food, condiments and other liquids” in the basement. The room’s thermostat was set to 81 degrees, police said.
Several of the men had “visible injuries consistent with being abused,” police said.
The “vast majority” of the men were 18, police said.
A photo with the men’s faces redacted shows the group in a dirty space with black walls and the Alpha Epsilon Pi letters painted on a piece of furniture.
Two people, identified by police as Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, were arrested for hazing and disorderly conduct and taken to the Dane County Jail. The Madison Police Department said that the president and vice president of the fraternity were present and spoke to responding officers, but did not specify if Klein and Vane held those titles.
The men in the basement were escorted outside and checked for incapacitation and injuries.
“Several of these men had visible injuries consistent with being physically assaulted,” police said.
No other charges have been announced in relation to the incident. An investigation remains ongoing, and those with information are asked to contact the Madison Police Department.
Alpha Epsilon Pi is an unrecognized and unaccredited student organization at the University of Wisconsin, police and the school said. It was suspended at the school in 2013 after a 17-year-old and another person were taken to detox after being served alcohol at a party hosted by the fraternity, the Associated Press reported, citing university records. The fraternity was terminated after a fourth incident involving either events, alcohol or both, and since 2016, there have been seven additional allegations related to intramural sports, disrespectful behavior, drinking and hazing.
The school said in a statement that because the chapter is still recognized by the national Alpha Epsilon Pi organization, it is legally allowed to operate as an unaffiliated fraternity chapter.
A spokesperson for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Headquarters said it takes the allegations concerning the Madison chapter “extremely seriously.” The national organization plans to “cooperate fully” with the investigation, the spokesperson said, and members found responsible for criminal conduct will be expelled from the organization.
“Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for,” the spokeperson said.” There is no place for it in AEPi. No exceptions. No excuses. We educate our members about their responsibility to ‘Be Your Brothers’ Keeper.’ This is not an optional value. It is a fundamental expectation of membership. Anyone who engages in hazing forfeits the privilege of being an AEPi brother.”
In a statement to CBS News on Monday, the fraternity said it had suspended the chapter in Madison, pending the results of the investigation:
“The directive prohibits new member meetings, social and brotherhood events, philanthropy events, chapter social media activity and other chapter gatherings, while permitting essential executive board administrative responsibilities to continue,” the statement said. “AEPi has urged members to cooperate fully with the investigation, which will inform recommendations to the fraternity’s Supreme Board of Governors for further actions impacting the chapter and/or individual members.”
The University of Wisconsin said it is also investigating the incident as it relates to its nonacademic misconduct process. Campus officials are providing support to affected students.
The Madison Police Department said that anyone whose safety is jeopardized during the Greek life recruitment process should contact authorities.
