Zeta Beta Tau will attempt to re-enter campus this semester, but the fraternity will look different than when it left two years ago, national ZBT officials say.
"We're very intent as an organization on getting a quality group of guys," said Matt Tobe, director of expansion for the ZBT national organization.
And this means starting the new version of ZBT from scratch.
The fraternity was expelled from campus in January 2004 after participants at an unofficial pledge event were sent to the emergency room with alcohol poisoning and bodily injuries.
It was the fraternity's fourth policy violation in three years.
But the key to establishing a new identity for the fraternity at Penn is finding a new crop of recruits.
Tobe said students who were members of ZBT at the time will not be welcome in the recolonized chapter of ZBT.
"They weren't the right group of people for us," he said.
This month, ZBT will begin speaking with student leaders who may be interested in joining. They will also hold events -like pizza parties and bowling nights - in the next few weeks to make students aware of their return to campus.
Tobe said he hopes to have a group of 20 to 25 upperclassmen initiated this semester.
"They're going to get to be the founding fathers," he said. "They're going to get to shape the fraternity."
Over the summer, national ZBT submitted an application to the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs to recolonize.
In order for a fraternity chapter to colonize on campus, the fraternity must submit a written petition, list of members, statement of goals, names of alumni advisers and organizational calendar to the InterFraternity Council. The fraternity then makes a presentation to the IFC.
The IFC will likely decide later this semester whether or not ZBT will be recognized.
Chapters are generally colonies for one and a half to two years before becoming official chapters.
"We're really excited to add someone to the IFC," said College senior and IFC president Max Dubin. "They have all the right messages."
OFSA Director Scott Reikofski could not be reached yesterday to comment for this article.
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