Sigma Alpha Mu, the historically Jewish fraternity known as Sammy, is shutting down its University of Michigan chapter in the aftermath of an incident that resulted in criminal charges against its president.

The Ann Arbor chapter’s president, Joshua Kaplan, and Zachary Levin, both 19, are facing misdemeanor charges for allowing drug and alcohol use by minors at a weekend party in January at a Michigan ski area. The wilding at Treetops Resort left 45 hotel rooms trashed and $430,000 worth of damage and legal fees, according to CBS Detroit. A third fraternity member was charged with a felony, malicious destruction of a building, according to the report.

Sigma Alpha Mu’s international board voted last week to shut down the chapter, and the University of Michigan called the students’ behavior “reprehensible.” A lawyer for Kaplan and Levin told CBS that his clients were involved only in planning the weekend, not committing the vandalism themselves. The students have been ordered to pay restitution to the hotel and the city in which it is located, Gaylord.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Otsego County prosecutor Michael Rola said more charges are likely, according to the report.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount