The Gamma Eta chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity will return to campus in the fall of 2008 after an absence of more than three years, a spokesperson for the fraternity said.

When the chapter returns, an expansion team of three to four chapter leadership consultants from the fraternity’s national office will begin the recruitment process on campus. Over the course of five weeks in the fall they will interview prospective members, said Nick Goldsberry, director of expansion for Delta Tau Delta.

“The fraternity has worked with GW since the Gamma Eta chapter’s closing in February 2004 to return at a time appropriate for both the University and the fraternity,” Goldsberry said.

Goldsberry said the fraternity is currently forming an advisory group of five to eight Delta Tau Delta alumni. The advisory group will then help establish an undergraduate executive committee that the alumni will help during the initial stages of forming a new colony, he said.

At this time, current GW students are not involved in the process of bringing Delta Tau Delta back to campus, said Dean Harwood, director of Greek Life and assistant director of the Student Activities Center.

Delta Tau Delta will recruit after the Inter-Fraternity Council’s fall recruitment period ends, Harwood said.

Initially, the chapter applied to return in the spring of 2008, but the president’s council of the IFC voted to delay the return until the fall of 2008, said junior Chris DiBitetto, president of the IFC.

“We wanted to push back Delta Tau Delta’s return for another semester so the IFC could have a steady membership increase and adjust appropriately,” DiBitetto said.

The Hatchet reported in September 2004 that the Delta Tau Delta chapter closed in February 2004 after allegations of hazing. James Russell, the executive vice president of Delta Tau Delta at the time, told The Hatchet that the fraternity’s main office agreed with the University that the fraternity could renew its charter and return in 2008.

Delta Tau Delta previously occupied a house on campus at 2020 G St. The house was leased to the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity following Delta Tau Delta’s disbanding.

“(Delta Tau Delta) still has property on campus, so we knew they weren’t going to go away anytime soon,” DiBitetto said. DiBitetto said he is unsure what will happen with the property on G Street when Delta Tau Delta returns.

Delta Tau Delta has a strong alumni network that will help with recruitment, including some Delta Tau Delta alumni who graduated from GW just last year, DiBitetto said.

Among its alumni is Henry “Ric” Duqu?s, an alumnus and trustee of GW. In 2002, Duqu?s and his wife, Dawn, donated $5 million to construct Duqu?s Hall, the building that houses the School of Business.