The university and the Interfraternity Council have invited three national fraternities 8212; Kappa Alpha, Beta Theta Pi and Delta Chi 8212; to begin the process of potentially becoming new fraternities on campus, IFC Adviser Keith Becklin said.

Becklin said the IFC planned to add one or two fraternities within the next 24 months, and, if there is a demand, a third fraternity. Sessions will be held early next week for the fraternities to present themselves to the TCU community.

“This is an opportunity for all stakeholders to have personal dialogue with the expansion committee from each of the fraternities,” he said.

IFC President Matthew Ngo said following the visits, the committee will extend offers to join TCU.

Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Shannon Sumerlin said the Board of Trustees approved the decision to expand the number of fraternities last November. National fraternities had until Feb. 4 to apply in an effort to become one of the three new fraternities on campus.

Becklin said the IFC Expansion Committee reviewed the applications of 16 interested organizations and picked the final three.

In a previous Skiff article, Sumerlin said the council will look at how successful the fraternities have been on other campuses as well as their ability to train and develop leaders.

Becklin said committee members would work with each organization’s individual procedures to ensure newly established fraternities have members on campus.

“They each have their own unique process and will work with the FSL office to help implement it,” he said. “Once established on campus, they will be involved in recruitment similar to our current chapters.”

Becklin said members decided to increase the number of fraternities from the current 10 to 13 because they hoped to provide young men with more options to strengthen recruitment and to enhance participation in the Greek community. He said that in the last four years, more than 400 men participated in recruitment but did not join a fraternity.

Ngo said besides giving current students more options, TCU wanted more fraternities on campus because of the expected increase in students on campus. Additional fraternities would offer more opportunities to a large amount of students who would have potentially not had the chance before.

Because of the expected increase in the incoming freshman class for the 2011-12 school year, students would have a harder time receiving a bid to join a fraternity because space for incoming members is limited, Ngo said.

“New fraternities will plan to actively recruit men of all years, not just incoming freshman,” he said.

Becklin said the last expansion occurred in 1998 when the university recolonized Sigma Phi Epsilon and added Pi Kappa Phi.

Delta Chi: 3&-4:30 p.m. March 28

Kappa Alpha: 3-4:30 p.m. March 29

Beta Theta Pi: 3&-4:30 p.m. March 30