Alpha Epsilon Pi’s national headquarters has suspended activities at its Madison chapter while investigating a suspected hazing incident that led to the arrests of the chapter’s president and vice president. Madison police went to the fraternity house on Langdon Street Wednesday night after an anonymous tip about possible hazing. Officers reported finding about 30 partially clothed men in the basement, covered in food, condiments and other liquids. Several had fresh injuries that police said were consistent with assault. Chapter president Brayden Klein and vice president Samuel Vane were arrested on suspicion of hazing and disorderly conduct. The allegations have not been adjudicated. The national fraternity’s cease-and-desist directive bars new-member meetings, social events, brotherhood events and most other chapter activities while the organization investigates alleged violations of its health and safety rules. AEPi said members found responsible for criminal conduct will be expelled and that it will support prosecution. The case reflects dynamics that can make hazing persist beyond any one event, said Elizabeth Allan, founder of StopHazing and a researcher who has studied the issue for more than 30 years. Her work includes a national study of more than 11,000 college students. Group pressure, uneven power relationships and the desire to fit in can make participation feel coercive, Allan said. New students may also hesitate to report what is happening because they fear losing their place in a group. Allan said more than 100 deaths since 2000 have been primarily connected to fraternity hazing incidents. She cautioned that hazing can be minimized as a prank, tradition or initiation, and said prevention requires ongoing education and making it safer for students to speak up—not just one-time training. The University of Wisconsin-Madison ended its recognition of the AEPi chapter in 2015. In a statement Friday, the university said it does not oversee the organization and has limited ability to intervene proactively, though it can discipline individual students who violate the student conduct code. Unrecognized groups can operate independently while their members remain university students, leaving schools with limited oversight, Allan said. She urged universities to make clear which organizations are recognized and explain the difference to students and families. Warning signs can include marked changes in behavior, persistent tiredness, being unable to spend time with certain people or changes in personal hygiene, Allan said. StopHazing.org provides information on prevention and warning signs, while HazingInfo.org lets students and families search reported incidents by campus.