Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity will cancel Lily’s Classic, its annual fundraiser and social event on the frozen Lake Mendota, this year after the University of Wisconsin-Madison imposed expectations fraternity leadership said they were not comfortable with.
The event will transition from the traditional philanthropy boot hockey tournament to a private social event after multiple rounds of negotiations with university officials, Harrison Long, SAE’s philanthropy chair, told The Daily Cardinal. He said the fraternity “doesn't want to be liable” for issues on the ice.
The fraternity originally proposed several changes to its annual hockey tournament and fundraiser, including expanded fencing, increased law enforcement presence and stricter attendance policies, as early as November.
But members said detailed feedback did not arrive until the last week of January, and after consulting their national chapter, SAE decided the university’s final proposed policies outlined in a Feb. 6 email were too restrictive and liability-heavy.
“It’s the biggest philanthropy event in [UW-Madison] Greek life,” Long said. “We really focus all our efforts on this because we know we can raise so much money.”
Last year, the event raised nearly $18,000.
Long also said the fundraiser is one of the few times the fraternity is able to “gather both Greek life and people outside of Greek life together.”
Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) — an office representing the more than 60 sororities and fraternities on campus — main concerns included straining campus resources, increased liability in student housing and safety risks from individuals on the ice who were not connected to the event or its philanthropic purpose.
SAE offered to eliminate the hockey tournament component entirely after the university originally vetoed the entire fundraiser, which opened further negotiations. The university offered the Bakke as an alternative site to host the hockey tournament, but SAE rejected that option due to capacity constraints.
SAE members said they were frustrated a compromise could not be reached and that the university waited until the week before the planned event date to impose significant conditions.
“How can you tell us ‘no’ for this big event when it should be a good thing that we're bringing so many people together for this cause?” SAE chapter President Ryan Noori told the Cardinal.
In an email to the fraternity obtained by the Cardinal, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Mark Guthier said SAE may be held accountable for property damage or disruptions to university services and would be responsible for “safely” dispersing crowds gathering outside the fencing throughout the day.
“We can’t tell our security to do that, because [people] have every right to be on the ice,” Long said. “If you want people off the ice, get UWPD to do that.”
University officials told SAE in the Friday email the fraternity’s private security, the same group they hired to police last year’s event, would be expected to go onto the ice to move people, according to fraternity members. SAE said it has no jurisdiction over Lake Mendota. Guthier further indicated the fraternity could be held liable if someone were injured on the ice or in Memorial Union.
SAE members also questioned why the Langdon Invitational, a similar philanthropic hockey tournament hosted by Chi Psi last month, was allowed to proceed. University officials told SAE that the invitational was expected to draw fewer attendees than Lily’s Classic.
“It’s kind of weird, because us going from a philanthropy event to more of a party seems like the opposite of what the school would want,” Long said, adding that the changes would likely significantly hurt fundraising endeavors.
Lily’s Classic was last canceled in 2024 due to hazardous ice conditions.
FSL did not comment in time for publication.
This is a developing story.
Ella Hanley is the college news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as associate news editor and wrote for the city and state news desks. She is a fourth-year journalism and criminal justice student. She has written breaking news and in-depth on Trump administration funding cuts to UW-Madison and local Madison people and organizations. Her work reporting on Yung Gravy has been featured in the New York Times. Follow her on Twitter at @ellamhanley.
