After second period last Friday, students across campus took a health survey distributed by the administration of Phillips Academy. We were asked about our experiences with mental illnesses, alcohol and drugs. Similar to the State of the Academy survey The Phillipian releases every year, surveys like this serve as an accurate image of our school as possible. This health survey was mandatory, long and may have included questions which were sometimes uncomfortably personal. But reflecting back on the experience, I would say that this survey, and others of the same nature, are not only beneficial, but necessary for our campus to grow and adapt to changing circumstances within the community. Amidst the fast-paced and competitive atmosphere at Andover, we seldom take the time to reflect on the questions addressed in the health survey. Outside of PACE class, most of us do not find a need to discuss and think over these topics. The questions in the survey brought to our attention real issues that often get lost underneath the stress of homework, exams, grades, extracurriculars and college applications. Whether or not you answered the questions honestly, by taking the survey, you were forced to think and reflect on what you are exposed to on campus. You were forced to face issues regarding personal health that are traditionally overlooked in the day-to-day life of a Phillipian. And finally, you were forced to think about the well-being of your closest friends and classmates. Assuming that most people were honest in their answers, the school administration is now in possession of critical information about the Andover students. As a result, the administration could make great strides in supporting the students. Identity is irrelevant. As long as the problem is understood to exist, help can be offered in various forms such as support groups and Graham House counseling. Some students were annoyed that the lengthy survey was mandatory. But they have missed the point of the activity. By making the survey mandatory, the administration demonstrated its effort to assist each and every member of the Andover community who needs help. It was a message that we are not alone in our struggles. Every option for every question was put on the survey for a reason. Others have undoubtedly selected those options in the past. Even if an option is not on the list, it can be added for future participants. The results of the survey could bring about permanent, necessary change on our campus. If any answers stand out within the data as particularly alarming or as a cause for concern, the administration can address them immediately in an effective, hands-on way. For example, more effective programs could be instituted on campus to address issues concerning drugs or alcohol, which may have gone unnoticed before. Even better, no one will have to be personally identified or receive disciplinary action in order for these programs to be put in place. The survey was entirely anonymous, and therefore, the true state of our academy can be understood without sacrificing any students academic or social welfare. We should not be offended by the types of questions on the survey. Even if they were irrelevant to you, they are likely to be relevant to someone else, and without the survey, the school may have never been aware of the prevalence of an issue on campus. Moreover, the questions may help to make students more aware of the issues going on around them. Reading about a possible illness or form of abuse in a question for the first time, a student could realize that they have a friend who shows signs of this same exact distress. An illness which may have before gone unnoticed or untreated can then be helped in a healthy and positive way. The health of each one of us is something that the school should and does take seriously. As members of this community who strive for academic success and fundamentally caring individuals, we should also care deeply for the welfare of our fellow students. That is why this survey is important: it serves as an instrument to further assure our community’s health and prosperity. Time and time again, the student body has shown its strength and overwhelmingly apparent willingness to help each other during difficult periods. Now, after having been exposed to real, gritty issues that affect each one of us in some way, we will hopefully have gained an awareness of the many facets that help to make up our general well-being and health. Only after awareness will we be able to find effective and pertinent ways to support one another and strengthen our community. Ada Li is a two-year Lower from Reading, Mass.