Police in Madison are probing suspected hazing after finding about 30 partially clothed pledges covered in food in a fraternity basement, with two members arrested on tentative charges.
Madison police went to the Alpha Epsilon Pi house near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Wednesday night after an anonymous tip and found the young men in the basement, covered in food, condiments, and other liquids.
Associated Press reporting said some of the men, described as pledges, showed signs of being physically assaulted. Two fraternity members, both 20, were arrested on tentative misdemeanor charges of hazing and disorderly conduct. As of Friday morning, no formal charges had been filed.
A police photo released from the scene showed about two dozen shirtless men among trash and debris, with faces blurred. The thermostat was set to 81 degrees. The walls appeared painted black. Most of those in the basement were 18 years old.
The house sits just blocks from the heart of the UW-Madison campus, home to about 52,000 students. The chapter has a long disciplinary trail with the university, and this week’s scene put that record back under a hard light.
UW-Madison said Thursday it was taking the incident seriously and launching its own investigation through the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. Students found to have broken the law or university policy could face sanctions ranging from a written reprimand to expulsion.
“UW, Madison is fully committed to preventing and addressing hazing and takes all incidents involving our community seriously,” the university said.
National Alpha Epsilon Pi spokesman Jon Pierce said the organization is treating the allegations “very seriously,” will cooperate fully, and will expel any member found to have taken part.
“Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for,” Pierce said. “There is no place for it in AEPi. No exceptions. No excuses.”
University records show the fraternity was suspended in 2013 after hosting a party where a 17-year-old and another person were taken to detox after being served alcohol. Recognition as a student organization was terminated in 2015 after a fourth incident involving events, alcohol, or both, including holding events while still suspended.
Since 2016, the university has logged seven more allegations tied to the fraternity involving intramural sports, disrespectful behavior, drinking, and hazing. Because the national organization still recognizes the chapter, it can keep operating off campus even without university affiliation.
That arrangement leaves a gap: a house can lose campus standing, keep its national charter, and still draw 18-year-old pledges into a basement under conditions police now call suspected hazing. Police and university investigations remain open. Names of the two arrested members have not been released, and medical details behind the reported signs of assault have not been made public.
Parents send teenagers to Madison for an education. They do not send them to be coated in garbage in an 81-degree basement while adults look the other way. Accountability has to mean more than another statement and another temporary slap on the wrist.
