All four Greek councils representing the 29 fraternities and 14 sorority chapters on campus were in attendance, as well as MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.

The Panhellenic Council serves as the umbrella of the organization that governs sororities on campus, Panhellenic Council President Camryn Ginsberg said.

Because the agreement is in its early stages, specifics about exact plans to deepen the relationship between the two parties are broad at this point, officials said.

“We just make sure that the community is safe, that we make sure that all of our scholarship practices are in order and governing all of those organizations,” Ginsberg said.

Simon began the ceremony by thanking council members for their commitment and efforts to make the relationship statement signing a reality through months of preparation beginning last spring.

“If you’re successful, we’ll be successful,” Simon said during her speech.

Ginsberg felt that Tuesday’s signing was a great way to end their positions as council members at the end of this year.

“We want to have a strong relationship with the university, and this is the next step to it,” Ginsberg said.

The university’s Greek life hosts numerous events on campus and in the area, but has been housed off-campus for years.

When asked why it has taken the university years to formally name the Greek community as a group of organizations, Richards believed it was simply overlooked when council members sought out a tangible, unified commitment.

“I think it’s kind of one of those things that goes under the radar,” Richards said. “I don’t think there was ever necessarily harsh feelings with the university.”