Former members of the off-campus Tri Phi sorority, who last year faced sanctions ranging from one-semester suspensions to permanent expulsion, have had their sentences reduced through appeals filed with Loyola University.

Several women who had received suspensions of two semesters or less will be returning to campus later this year, while others are eligible to return for the fall semester. Seventeen of the 25 accused members of Tri Phi filed a civil suit against Loyola

last spring claiming that their rights had been violated and that the university was in defiance of its own disciplinary procedures. Tri Phi left campus in 1984 and was permanently disbanded last April following allegations of hazing.

Randall A. Smith, the group’s attorney, confirmed on Wednesday that the case was still pending, and that he remained in ongoing discussions with Loyola’s lawyers. Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Vicki McNeil, who was named as a defendant in the suit, declined to comment on the reduced sentences due to the ongoing litigation.

One former Tri Phi member, who requested to remain anonymous, said that the 17 plaintiffs combined had spent more than $50,000 in legal fees to date, but that most were now disengaged from the pending civil suit and disinterested in the lengthy legal proceedings.

Several former Tri Phis who faced the heaviest sentences have either transferred to other schools or have remained in New Orleans while finishing out their suspensions. A few of the women are also performing the community service and attending the counseling sessions ordered by Loyola as conditions of their return to the university.

Tri Phis which had long ceased to be a chartered organization for Loyola students but had remained a fixture in Loyola student life, achieved citywide notoriety last spring when allegations surfaced that the group had humiliated, harassed and physically abused their pledges.

Three students who had dropped the sorority during pledge season withdrew from the university last spring, claiming that they were afraid of retaliation from the group.