Lewis, who in the past has opposed sending mass e-mails to students, justified this particular instance of spamming.

“It was hard to think that for a survey like this, where it is of institutional importance to understand ourselves and to compare ourselves to our peer institutions, it would have made more sense to send it on paper or to use other ways of getting word to students,” Lewis wrote in an e-mail.

“President Summers wanted us to participate in this survey because it’s being good to our peer schools,” said Carroll, Harvard’s contact for the survey.

Students who complete the survey will be entered into a random lottery for prizes that include meals at Harvard Square restaurants, and those who complete the survey by this Friday will be entered twice, according to the e-mail sent to all undergraduates.

Carroll—whose office also administers the first-year housing lottery, placement tests, the House tutor surveys and annual surveys for first-year, senior and Ph.D. students—said the funding for the prizes will come from either her office or from the president’s office.

“We do value all the student input,” she said. “Every one of [the surveys] is read.”

And students who deleted the e-mail before completing the survey, she said, will have another chance to finish it.

An e-mail reminder will be sent to all students who do not complete the survey by Friday, including the Web site link at which they can access their personalized survey, Carroll said.

Despite the incentives, some students said they would not complete the survey.

“I was willing to devote five minutes to it,” said Bill Fradin ’05. “I thought it was way too long, so I stopped.”

Christopher R. Townsend ’03 said he had no interest in advancing the project’s progress.

“I’m apathetic about that type of thing,” he said.

—Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu