The Chi Omega sorority will colonize at GW next month after a 40-year absence from campus.

The Panhellenic Association, which is the primary umbrella organization for sororities, said last fall that Chi Omega could reorganize on campus. The sorority discontinued its GW chapter in 1968 during a period when there was a waning interest in campus Greek-letter organizations.

“Chi Omega is thrilled to rejoin the Greek community and looks forward to making positive contributions,” Chi Omega Communications Director Ann Boarman said.

Boarman said there are many benefits for joining Chi Omega during its colonization this year.

“The founding members of Chi Omega will be pioneers,” Boarman said, noting that there will be “immediate leadership opportunities” for all new members. “They will shape and mold the identity of Chi Omega at GW. There will be immediate leadership opportunities in Chi Omega as the colony begins to establish itself on campus.”

Chi Omega will hold two information sessions on Oct. 20 and 21 for any women interested in joining. The new colony will officially be established on Sept. 25. Boarman said the new chapter would quickly begin electing officers, holding weekly meetings and participating in social and philanthropic events.

Boarman said she was certain that a new sorority could compete on a campus with nine other Panhellenic organizations.

“The University and Panhellenic invited Chi Omega to recolonize because there is a growing interest among women on campus to go Greek,” she said. “(We are) confident that there are plenty of women interested in starting something new and making it their own.”

GW will be the 174th college with a chapter of Chi Omega. The sorority has 260,000 members worldwide.