UNC’s Panhellenic Council elects new president

Ana Samper isn’t looking to make radical changes to the Panhellenic Council.

Samper, who was elected president of the council Monday night, said she will instead focus her efforts on perfecting projects implemented this year.

Samper, a junior and member of UNC’s chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma, will take office in January.

Projects to be enhanced include improving campus safety and becoming more welcoming to upperclassmen, she said.

Samper serves as vice president to Panhellenic Council President Lindsey Stephens, who will step down at the end of the year.

Stephens said she thinks Samper’s role as vice president has prepared her for her new position as president.

“From the beginning, she’s known what my goals have been, and she’s helped in the brainstorming process for ideas we’ve had this year,” Stephens said.

“I think that will help her a lot in succeeding me because she knows how we do things and what we wished we could have done differently.”

Samper said safety is a chief goal of the Panhellenic Council, and she plans to make changes that will improve the accessibility of the organization’s Safe Ride program.

Samper said she will also work to clarify the upperclassmen quota — which was established this year — and create new goals for the recruitment process.

“We want to make the Greek system more acceptable to upperclassmen and make it the best possible experience for potential new members,” Samper said.

This fall, the council instituted a policy that mandated that each sorority house have a quota for the number of upperclassmen it would accept during recruitment.

The change followed an examination of the Greek system by the Board of Trustees in which the inclusion of upperclassmen was emphasized.

Samper pledged to Sigma Sigma Sigma during her freshman year in the fall of 2009. She went on to represent the sorority as a delegate in the Panhellenic Council.

Stephens said Samper’s experience on the council for the past two years will be helpful.

This year, the Panhellenic Council established various changes to its structure, which included the reduction in the number of delegates per sorority, she said.

“I think Ana will definitely aid the reinforcement of that structure and make it even better,” Stephens said.

She said she will assist Samper with the transition process and remain active in helping her when needed.

“I will definitely continue to turn to Lindsey as a resource,” Samper said.

Interfraternity Council President Brent Macon, who frequently works with the Panhellenic Council, said he believes Samper will be a good leader.

“She’s informed and experienced and passionate,” he said.

“I have no doubt she’ll have the same kind of success that they have had in the past.”

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