Sigma Phi Epsilon, or SigEp, announced last year that it would be returning to campus.

SigEp departed from Villanova several years ago when according to Jason A. Cherish, one of the representatives of SigEp, the previous chapter’s members were not living the values that the fraternity embodies.

However, several students approached Greek Life Coordinator John Osborne about starting a new fraternity at Villanova.

After exploring various options, the students ultimately chose SigEp last spring.

Currently, four official members of SigEp are working to recruit other members.

As opposed to other fraternities, SigEp has an ongoing recruitment process, allowing students to begin the process of joining at any time.

The fraternity is in the chartering phase, during which it matures and solidifies while being guided by the national office.

Members of SigEp’s national organization are leading the process of chartering the fraternity. Sean C. Cosgrove, Matthew Ontell and Cherish came to Villanova and began developing the fraternity beyond a small interest group.

A unique aspect of the fraternity is that there is no pledging process, but rather SigEp follows a flexible plan where students are offered membership. It is the largest fraternity in the nation with 14,000 members on 260 campuses.

“We pride ourselves on wanting to be different from other fraternities,” Ontell said, “We’re not interested in the frat-boy stereotype.”

He said his fraternity emphasizes “universal respect for self and others,” through mentoring, community involvement, experimental learning and the concept of “sound mind and sound body.”

Sig Ep is currently scheduling events, including a time-management workshop, a dress-for-success seminar, and a etiquette dinner with a sorority.

Additionally, SipEp is sponsoring a “Balanced Man” scholarship of $1,000 to men at Villanova who are an example of SipEp’s idea of “Sound Mind and Sound Body.”