Students interested in participating in Greek Life will soon have more options than in the past.

Two sororities, Alpha Epsilon Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha, and two fraternities, Sigma Chi and Alpha Tau Omega, are all returning to campus after taking extended leaves of absence.

Both Alpha Tau Omega and Alpha Epsilon Phi were asked by their national organizations to leave campus in 2005 due to hazing incidents and risk management problems. Sigma Chi closed in 2003 also because of a hazing incident and Zeta Tau Alpha was asked to leave in 1995 because they couldn't recruit enough members.

In order to return to campus, fraternities must receive support from 75 percent of the Interfraternity Council, the body responsible for governing most fraternities. Then they are invited to an IFC meeting to give a presentation and the IFC must approve their return by a two-thirds vote.

Blake Toll, the IFC's vice president of public relations said council tradition limits the number of chapters that can return at a time.

"We can only have one frat expand each semester," Toll said.

Sigma Chi hasn’t fully completed the return process yet, but it is recognized by the University and has all the benefits of other fraternities.

Chris Mathews, Sigma Chi's president, said that before the national organization will recognize the University's chapter, it will have to prove it's ready.

"We have some requirements that we have to fulfill such as hosting two philanthropic events, social events, and a minimum number of brothers in the colony before we will become a recognized chapter of Sigma Chi," Mathews said.

Sigma Chi will be participating in both this winter and next fall’s recruitment along with all other IFC fraternities on campus. However, winter recruitment will be slightly more challenging since Sigma Chi don't have a house yet. Next fall, the fraternity plans on moving into the house that is currently being used by Sigma Phi Epsilon.

"It will be slightly difficult for us to recruit because we don't have the use of the house yet," Mathews said. "So we will be doing our recruiting from the Union, Palmer Commons, and the recreation buildings on campus."

As for ATO, the other fraternity returning to campus, this semester will be spent expanding and participating in winter rush. Their housing situation is still yet to be determined as well.

Mary Beth Seiler, director of the Office of Greek Life, said before sororities are invited back to campus, the Panhellenic Association works with chapters individually to figure out the details of their return.

Seiler said Alpha Epsilon Phi completed this process last year and is now recruiting new members.

"Alpha Epsilon Phi is considered a full chapter in the Panhellenic Association," Seiler said. "They did their process this fall and they are just continuing to recruit to build the chapter."

Alpha Epsilon Phi didn’t participate in recruitment last fall because it is still going through the process of returning to campus. Next fall the chapter will be able to participate in formal recruitment and will be moving back into their house on Church Street, which is currently occupied by the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

The Zeta Tau Alpha sorority is just now beginning the process for its scheduled return in the fall.

Seiler said the details of Zeta Tau Alpha’s return have yet to be determined, but the sorority is definitely coming back to campus.

"I met with some of their National Executive Directors in December and they are going to be sending some representatives to campus to meet with the Panhellenic councils and we will work out the details," she said.