University of North Carolina Athletics
A Q&A With SBP Houston Summers
February 23, 2015 | Track & Field
University of North Carolina track and field student-athlete Houston Summers was recently elected Student Body President for the 2016 graduating class. Summers is an All-ACC javelin thrower as well as being USTFCCCA All-Academic and All-ACC Academic student.
What made you run for student body president?
I had been thinking about bigger leadership roles on campus, but didn't consider study body president until I knew the Wainstein Report was going to come out. The University, the country and even the world, to a certain extent, looked at the University of North Carolina in a light that was not representative of what UNC stands for. Really being able to stand up and lead and be a voice to show individuals that this is not what student-athletes are at UNC, this is not what the University of North Carolina is like. I want to be able to speak out for groups of people that felt like they were slighted in some way by the events that were identified in the Wainstein Report.
When did you first consider running?
It was two or three months before the (Wainstein) report came out that I was thinking about this. Never in my wildest dreams did I think about being at the University of North Carolina, on the track and field team and now student body president. There's no way you can dream that, but it's happened. I'm excited to take advantage of those opportunities and make a positive change.
How will you handle the additional responsibilities of student body president with your academic workload and track and field practice?
It's going to be difficult, absolutely it is. I've put a lot of work in the classroom on the front end so I am ahead in hours and have a little bit of a cushion there, so that's nice. Over the last few weeks I've had some of the best practices I've ever had. I've been able to relax and let my talent and the things I've been practicing come out. I don't have time to dwell on the negative aspects of it. In fact, I think the additional responsibility has helped in certain aspects.
Do you also think it's helpful that you don't compete indoors and only compete outdoors?
Yes, our first meet isn't even until the end of March and ACCs are not until the second week in May. I'm basically only competing through the last couple weeks of school. It definitely gives me a lot of free time that a lot of the other track and field athletes on the team don't have, so that's definitely an advantage.
This may be the first time in UNC history that we've had a student-athlete win student body president. Is that significant to you?
It is and I think that's a pretty cool thing. I didn't know that. That's awesome to me. I want to challenge other student-athletes and individuals that you're not just one thing on our campus. When you come here, you should be expected to get out of your comfort zone and stretch a little bit and really understand what it's like to affect change in other areas. That mentality can go a long way in helping out student-athletes and other groups on campus.
Are you hoping to ignite a passion in other student-athletes?
Absolutely. I understand that there are a massive amount of things on student-athletes' plates and many of them have to put more hours and time into their sport than I do, and I respect that. But I do think there are a lot of instances where we can use the platform we have, as student-athletes at this great University, to get out there and affect change in whatever way we see plausible. There are a lot of student-athletes that do that already, and I applaud them for that, but I really think more can be done. We have been given this opportunity to compete here and have a responsibility to uphold the tradition of excellence on the field of play, in the classroom and in the community.
How does the competition for student body president differ than competing on the field?
For me, it really is all the same. It's the same mentality of attention to detail, smart but hard work, and making sure you pour everything you have into it. When you toe the line or step on the track or when you're sitting in office, you have to do your absolute best and that's keeping an open mind and making adjustments as you go.
Robbie Harms wrote an article on you for the NY Times about how you're trying to get the most out of your college experience. Is there anything else that you want to do that you haven't done?
There's nothing specific and it's never been about having a title or doing this or doing that. It's been about getting into a solid community that knows how to work together for the greater good of something bigger than the individuals within that community. That's what I see here and it's the same thing I want out of the student body presidency. Building a team of individuals from all walks of life that affect positive change with the realization that we have very limited opportunities of life and we only get one shot at this thing. You only get four or five years in college. You have to make the best of it and use this opportunity to leverage our potential for others.
So have you gone to a Duke-Carolina game in the Smith Center?
I have not. I've applied for tickets through the lottery every single time and haven't gotten one yet. That's part of the Carolina experience I haven't had yet.
Players Mentioned
