With the nations largest Greek community encompassing 60 fraternities and 36 sororities, Greek life at the University may seem as daunting as the school itself. But within this microcosm there just may be a niche for everyone.

The University has four different Greek councils: The Interfraternity Council (IFC), Panhellenic Council (PHC), the Black Greek Council (BGC) and the United Greek Council (UGC). They all offer ways to “Go Greek,” but each council, and each house within the councils, offer different ways to get involved.

“Some of the groups in the BGC/UGC were in the IFC,” said James Mueller, IFC president and senior in Business. “But they found more councils would work out better for them.”

The IFC can be seen as the traditional fraternity council. Its established tenure offer students a wide base of choices that focus on the values of brotherhood, scholarship and service.

“Within IFC we have a number of groups that are culturally based as well,” Mueller said, adding that it is hard to classify the IFC as a whole because there are 46 different houses with 46 different missions.

The Panhellenic Council is the sorority counterpart to the IFC. With a new organization being inducted to campus in the fall, and more on the horizon, its 24 sororities strive for scholarship, leadership, sisterhood, philanthropy and social development, said Yael Dvorin, president of PHC and junior in Education.

She said the reason for adding more houses is more houses will allow more women to “go Greek and hopefully get a more personalized experience.”

Women interested in joining a PHC organization will most likely have to register for formal recruitment on its Web site. Formal recruitment is unique to the PHC, and 19 of the 24 sororities use it as a way to choose its members. Events begin with open houses on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Students looking for a more culturally-based community may consider joining a fraternity or sorority within the Black Greek Council or the United Greek Council.

The BGC is composed of 13 fraternities and sororities “centered around diversity and (African Americanism),” according to its president, Ebonee Davis, junior in LAS.

“The BGC is a body of students that attempts to unite the campus along with upholding the morals and values that each individual organization was established and founded on,” she said.

The BGC hasn’t been around as long as the IFC or PHC, but it has a more established history than the newly formed United Greek Council, which was established in 2003.

Whereas ethnicity is not a prerequisite to join a house in the BGC or UGC, there is a cultural focus in their organizations. The UGC also focuses on the more underrepresented minorities on campus, such as Latinos and Asian Americans.

“The organizations are different,” said Osvaldo Torres, president of the UGC and junior in LAS. “The BGC is focused on Black Greeks and they have a very rich history and a very established history. And IFC chapters have a certain way that they go about things. The Latino associations, the Asians organization … are trying to find where they would fit best. It’s not anything against the other councils.”

Torres said that in joining a culturally-based house a student is simply making a pledge that they want to focus on development in that community and helping out through fund raising and philanthropy.

Students looking to get involved can find Quad Day the most useful. Each council will have booths set up for more information on how to get involved. There will also be events throughout the semester, such as meet-and-greets and variety shows, where students can attend and seek membership.