Jason is the President of the Interfraternity Council

Welcome to the University of Illinois! By joining the Illinois community, you have given yourself endless opportunities to discover who you are and to pursue what you love. It is that greater sense of community and belonging that I hope you will all quickly find as you open a new chapter in your life on campus.

In 1872, a great tradition was born at the University of Illinois with the arrival of Delta Tau Delta, the first men’s fraternity on campus. Several other fraternities would follow shortly thereafter, and in 1895, the University welcomed the first sorority chapters to campus in Kappa Alpha Theta and Pi Beta Phi. From this foundation rose our prominent Greek community, rising in stature and gaining chapters with diverse backgrounds and histories over the years. Despite their many differences, these chapters all shared a common sense of purpose in their efforts to uphold the integrity of the values left by their forefathers.

After 135 years, the Greek community at the University of Illinois stands stronger than ever and is widely recognized as the largest Greek community in the nation. With more than 6,700 Greek men and women in 97 chapters on campus, the Greek experience at Illinois is truly second to none. Greek men and women represent more than 22 percent of our undergraduate student population and generate members from all walks of life. In fact, 33 percent of chapters on campus are culturally-based organizations founded in the proud ideals of their heritage.

As Greeks, we celebrate the core values of friendship, leadership, scholarship, service, and social advancement together in our everyday lives. We look to the strengths that bring us together as one while appreciating the differences that make us unique. Greek men and women treasure the secrets and history of their organizations with the same love that founders shared when they created them. They look for opportunities to advance the interests of the greater good and offer the support for their members to succeed academically, socially, and professionally. Members of Greek-letter organizations overcome life’s adversity together, and build the fraternal bonds of friendship that last far beyond their college years. Only to become a member of a fraternity or sorority is to truly understand the meaning of the relationships that those bonds will bring.

As a leader within the Greek community, I encourage you to discover what Greek life has to offer at the University of Illinois. I sincerely hope you will find your place here as so many have before you. My experience as a fraternity man at Illinois has forever changed my life, and I truly believe that I am a better man today because of it. I wish you the best of luck in your four years at Illinois, and I can only hope that you will find such a rewarding experience as the lifelong commitment of our Greek community.