Key Takeaways
- Madison police arrested Alpha Epsilon Pi leaders Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, both 20, on misdemeanor hazing and disorderly conduct allegations.
- Officers found roughly 30 mostly 18-year-old men partially dressed and covered in substances inside a hot basement, with several showing injuries consistent with assault; police said they had no evidence that feces was involved.
- UW-Madison, which cut ties with the chapter in 2015, and AEPi International have launched separate reviews as the police investigation continues.
Two fraternity leaders have been arrested after Wisconsin police were tipped off to an alleged hazing incident earlier this week.
According to The Post, Madison police on Wednesday (September 23) responded to an anonymous tip about a possible hazing pointing to the Alpha Epsilon Pi house near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Arriving around 8:20 P.M, officers said they found approximately 30 men inside the basement, the vast majority of whom were 18 years old. Several had visible injuries that police said appeared consistent with physical assault.
The conditions inside weren't much better. According to police, the thermostat had been turned up to 81 degrees, leaving the basement hot and humid as the partially dressed pledges remained covered in various substances.
The incident also sparked rumors among UW-Madison students that feces may have been involved. Madison Police Department spokesperson Stephanie Fryer, however, pushed back on those claims, saying police have "no information to suggest feces was involved," while emphasizing that the investigation remains active.
Officers removed everyone from the house and evaluated the young men for injuries and signs of incapacitation.
Police arrested Brayden J. Klein and Samuel N. Vane, both 20 years old, on misdemeanor hazing and disorderly conduct allegations. Klein and Vane were identified in reports as the president and vice president of the Madison chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi respectively, and were taken to Dane County Jail.
Alpha Epsilon Pi's Madison chapter is not recognized or accredited by UW-Madison. The university terminated its affiliation with the organization in 2015 following a series of incidents dating back to 2013, when the chapter was suspended after a 17-year-old and another person were taken to detox following a fraternity event.
Despite losing university recognition, the chapter remains affiliated with the national Alpha Epsilon Pi organization and can legally operate independently from UW-Madison.
AEPi International said it is cooperating with authorities and that anyone found criminally responsible will face expulsion from the fraternity. "Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for. There is no place for it in AEPi," the organization said. "Anyone who engages in hazing forfeits the privilege of being an AEPi brother."
UW-Madison is conducting its own investigation into whether students involved violated the school's nonacademic misconduct policies. The university said it is "fully committed to preventing and addressing hazing" and warned that students found responsible could face sanctions ranging from a written reprimand and probation to suspension or termination.
Madison police said the investigation remains ongoing, and no additional charges have been announced.
