UNC’s student body has just elected Houston Summers as its newest student body president. After last week’s controversial Board of Governors decisions, Summers is in a unique position to further the causes of student activists.
The events of this recent SBP election have contributed to a disillusion with student government felt by many students.
Even saying that the election results are indicative of the student body’s preference is in itself controversial — fewer than four thousand students participated in the election, less than 17 percent of the student body.
Regardless, Summers and his administration will soon be in charge of representing students to the Board of Governors at a time when we need responsible leadership.
Students should expect strong action from student government as UNC navigates the fiasco of punitive actions against academic centers.
Students do not want to be “incorporate(d) in the conversation” — as Summers remarked following his victory — or treated to other meaningless rhetoric, and the challenges of the present situation offer student government an opportunity for meaningful leadership.
Rather than adopting the passive style too often seen from the current administration, UNC would be best served by a leader who embodies the voice of the student body to the administration and the BOG — not the other way around.
