Mother of hazing victim speaks out after fraternity cocaine ring bust
Hazing prevention advocate Evelyn Piazza addressed drug trafficking and hazing allegations involving Penn State fraternity members during an appearance on “America’s Newsroom.” According to grand jury records, 14 people face charges connected to a cocaine distribution network spanning multiple states and involving the Delta Upsilon and Sigma Chi fraternities. Prosecutors allege pledges helped cut and package cocaine brought in from New York and Philadelphia.
Madison police responding to an anonymous report of hazing at a Wisconsin fraternity found about 30 young men, many only partially clothed, crowded into a sweltering basement. Authorities said the men were covered in food, condiments and other liquids, while several appeared to have suffered physical assaults.
Officers were sent to the Alpha Epsilon Pi house on Langdon Street at approximately 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Madison Police Department. The basement thermostat was set to 81 degrees, producing hot and humid conditions inside.
Police said most of the people found at the house were 18 years old. Officers determined the event was unlawful, ordered everyone outside and assessed the pledges for possible injuries or signs that they had been incapacitated.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison does not recognize or accredit the local chapter, which the school shut down more than 10 years ago, police said. AEPi’s national organization, however, told News Media that it continues to recognize the Madison chapter.
Young men wearing little clothing were photographed inside the basement of an Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house in Madison, Wisconsin, during an alleged hazing event. (Madison Police Department)
Madison Police Capt. Kipp Hartman said Thursday that he saw fresh redness and marks that could have been caused by blows. He said he did not observe any open injuries.
Hartman said he had no information indicating that anyone was taken to a hospital or otherwise transported for medical care.
Fraternity president Brayden J. Klein and vice president Samuel N. Vane, both 20, were arrested on suspicion of hazing and disorderly conduct. They were booked into the Dane County Jail, police said.
Hartman said the allegations against both men are misdemeanors. The Dane County District Attorney’s Office is expected to review the case.
Bascom Hall is seen on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wisconsin, on October 12, 2013. (2013 Getty Images)
Investigators have not yet established exactly what took place inside the fraternity house. Hartman said officers found conflicting accounts when they interviewed people at the scene.
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“We had limited cooperation,” Hartman said.
Police collected statements from those present, but Hartman said some accounts “did not align with what everybody else’s statements were,” adding to investigators’ concerns about the incident.
The alleged hazing took place during rush week at UW-Madison. Hartman said he believes everyone at the gathering was a university student.
The University of Wisconsin campus is pictured in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by: Robert Knopes/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Alpha Epsilon Pi bills itself as “the world’s Jewish college fraternity,” with more than 150 chapters across four countries and numerous college campuses.
Jonathan Pierce, AEPi’s chief communications officer, confirmed to News Media that the national fraternity recognizes its Madison chapter. He said members remain bound by the organization’s health and safety standards.
“AEPi Headquarters takes the allegations involving our Pi Chapter in Madison, Wisconsin, extremely seriously,” Pierce said in a statement. “We will cooperate fully with the authorities investigating this matter.”
Pierce added that any member determined to have engaged in criminal behavior would be expelled, and that AEPi would support efforts to prosecute those responsible.
“Hazing is a betrayal of everything our fraternity stands for. There is no place for it in AEPi,” the statement read. “No exceptions. No excuses. We educate our members about their responsibility to ‘Be Your Brothers’ Keeper.’ This is not an optional value.”
The statement later read, “Anyone who engages in hazing forfeits the privilege of being an AEPi brother.”
News Media also reached out to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the fraternity’s local chapter for comment.