Upper Health Reform Unwelcome
In recent weeks, the general student body has expressed a substantial amount of discontent regarding the Health Department’s passing of a new plan to change the health requirement.
Currently, preps and new lowers are each required to take one full year of health, and seniors take a single term in the spring. This new health plan would spread three terms of health already in place across prep, lower and upper year.
The general opinion regarding the current requirement appears to be that these health classes are not necessary and occupy two valuable 50-minute blocks per week. In addition, health classes have never seemed to positively affect students. They simply cut into time that could be better used on homework, socializing or extracurriculars.
The article also reported another motivation for these classes; ALES appealed to the administration for more classes on race and cultural competency due to feelings that we do not have conversations touching on these important features of campus life. However, lowers have already spent the winter term talking about race and identity in English class and there is a large contingency of lowers who share the sentiment that to be forced to talk about race for another term, in a class that takes up two valuable frees a week, would be a terrible experience, even if the classes are on an important subject. In fact, judging by a circulated online petition with more than 295 signatures, a sizable portion of the Exonian population, not just uppers disagree with this sentiment. The students that suggested a health class on the subject of race clearly did not get a consensus from the total student body and it’s imperative that the administration looks to the entire student body for input. Otherwise, we’ll end up with a scenario similar to the EP fiasco where an idea was rolled out without the knowledge of most students, causing chaos, and only after the backlash, administration took hasty steps to make amends.
Furthermore, we must look towards the actual effectiveness of health classes. My main takeaways from prep health were that we should rest, refrain from using drugs and avoid sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies. However, many students at Phillips Exeter continue to use drugs, and this calls into question whether students actually listen during health classes. While having more discussions on race and identity should be welcomed, it would not be fruitful when executed in a setting where people are disinclined to listen as a result of their overall dislike of the class.
Despite what the health department and a minority of students believe, health class, especially during upper year, would be a most unwelcome addition to our curriculum. In addition, the student uproar over this issue should cause the administration to pause and consider if their current course of action is the one that will benefit the students most. Students are most apt to learn when they are taking a class they find interesting, for which upper health most certainly would not fit the bill. As a result, it is up to the administration to listen to the students on this sensitive issue and put an end to these classes.