The newly re-established gay fraternity is still waiting for approval from the university before it can attain official fraternity status on campus.
Delta Lambda Phi must receive a majority vote by all of the fraternity chapter presidents before it can officially be recognized by the UA, said Michael Katzman, president of the Interfraternity Council.
The fraternity was originally founded at the UA in 1990 by Dominick DeCarlo. A year later the new president was impeached because of "internal issues," and the fraternity shut down in 1993, said Christopher Newman, president of Delta Lambda Phi,
Newman said he re-founded the UA colony in January because he and his friends were being discriminated against in the conventional greek setting because of their sexual preference.
Although the members have created their own fraternity to avoid such discrimination, people still have misconceptions about how a gay fraternity functions, said Vice President Dan Churgin.
The biggest misconception many people have about their fraternity is that the men are trying to start a dating service, but dating other fraternity members is prohibited and is taken seriously, Churgin said.
"We are a brotherhood just like any other fraternity," Newman said, adding that they hope to establish a strong foundation and longevity as a social fraternity that provides an opportunity for gay and progressive men to experience greek life.
The fraternity should have no problems gaining approval because Delta Lambda Phi is a nationally recognized fraternity, but they still have to wait on the vote, Katzman said.
DeCarlo could not be reached for comment, but said in a Nov. 22 Arizona Daily Wildcat article that he hoped Delta Lambda Phi would come back to campus and encouraged gays to start it up again.
"I would love to see it back," DeCarlo said. "It was about learning about yourself and giving thanks to the older generation that paved the way for us."
Recruitment for Delta Lambda Phi begins the first weekend of November, but members are utilizing Coming Out week to spread the word about their colony and to recruit new members, said Newman, a secondary education senior.
Delta Lambda Phi has organized a week's worth of events with help from the Associated Students of University of Arizona's Pride Alliance and Students Promoting Respect for Individuality Through Example, for Coming Out Day, which is celebrated nationwide today.