Sigma Phi Epsilon
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Sigma Phi Epsilon is the largest fraternity on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. It is known for organizing large philanthropic events, but has had its share of (http://braica.com/sigep/letters.gif) problems and controversy. Because of its size and some of its members, it is often viewed as the most stereotypical frat by both the Greek community and many other members of UW-Madison. It is also commonly refereed to as SigEp.
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Early History
The SigEp chapter at UW-Madison was founded in 1920. It went through a number of houses on Gorham, Langdon and Henry--it lost significant membership due to World War II. The chapter finally settled at 12 Langdon in 1965, where it stayed for 30 years. In 1995, the fraternity moved to 237 Langdon.
1999 Fire
On June 17, 1999, the house at 237 Langdon caught fire at roughly 3 a.m. Since it was summer term, only six people we inside the house at the time and all got out safely. A total of $500,000 in damage was done to the house. Renovations began quickly in the summer of 1999, and the house was reopened in April 2000.
<img alt="" align="right" src="http://www.sigep.org/images/housing/WIBeta.jpg" />
2004 Beatings
Stemming from an incident earlier that evening at a bar, on July 14, 2004, eight members of SigEp beat UW Student Robet Hillis after breaking into his apartment at the Embassy. They broke Hillis' nose and he required plastic surgery to repair it. All eight were charged with and convicted of substantial battery and criminal trespass, the latter a misdemeanor and the prior a felony.
2008 Hazing Allegations
A tip to The Badger Herald in May 2008 informed the news team that Sigma Phi Epsilon had taken part in a form of hazing. In the early morning hours of Saturday, May 3, buckets of "indecent substances"--possibly including vomit, fecal matter and urine--were poured on upperclassmen members of the fraternity by pledges. The event was suppoesdly a twice-yearly event that takes place at the end of Hell Week.
From the anonymous source:
They were there in their boxers and having shit dumped on them. There is no conceivable way this isn’t hazing of some sort. Anybody who knows anything about the Greek community and thinks it’s not hazing is delusional.
The Office of the Dean of Students began their investigation quickly, though when a fire destroyed the fraternity's house, the allegations seemed to go away. John Lucas confirmed with The Badger Herald in August 2008 that the individuals responsible had been investigated and ODOS is waiting for a meeting to be scheduled with the committee of student organizations.
SigEp officials maintain that they are not a hazing fraternity and that the event is not, by definition, hazing.
2008 Fire
At around 11:30 p.m. on May 12, 2008, a fire began on the right side of the SigEp house. MFD arrived shortly before midnight to begin fighting the fire which had<img width="195" alt="" align="right" src="http://www.dailycardinal.com/images/editorial/0001/4101/1-Kris_story.jpg" height="251" /> already engulfed most of the right side of the wooden house. The fire took place during finals week, leaving the 25 residents without books and computers. No injuries to students were reported, but three MFD firefighters had to be treated for burns. Water flooded much of Langdon and Gorham streets.
The cause of the fire has not officially been determined by MFD, but interviews shortly afterwards pinned the fire as starting outside, possibly in a dumpster. The house was completely destroyed, and over $1,000,000 in damage was done.
SigEp moved in with Tau Kappa Epsilon in August 2008, and will share space with them through the 2008-09 school year. SigEp officials are hopeful that they can lease a house for 2009-10, and are even more hopeful that they can have a new house built on the same property as the old one by the fall of 2010.
Links
- Fraternity to rebuild by Fall 2010: http://badgerherald.com/news/2008/08/06/fraternity_to_rebuil.php
- 8 men charged with beating: http://badgerherald.com/news/2004/11/19/8_men_charged_with_b.php
