You’re feeling overstimulated between the amount of schoolwork you have and just want a quick treat. You scurry over to the vending machine with the thought of Gushers, Kinder Bueno and Baked Barbecue Lays dancing in your head. And there before you is the worst thing imaginable.
“Vending Machines will be turned off from 8 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.”
Starting this year, the vending machines have been turned off during the day due to the constant disruptions. This is a result of too many students going to the vending machines during passing periods, creating chaos and poor attendance, not to mention the frequent damage to the machines and the constant refunds that plagued administrators. Instead of providing a solution like the administration hoped, shutting off vending machines throughout the day has become an inconvenience for students.
Yes, I do understand the administrative point of view. In the past, students would make a pitstop at the vending machines which increased tardiness. However, this was supposed to target a specific audience, and like with the rest of the policies this year, the entire student body is affected.
The vending machines were essential when students didn’t have time to stand in the lunch line that day, were craving a simple treat, didn’t want to spend a lot of money or even for those who forgot their lunch at home.
Taking away the vending machines during the school day is like taking a part of our autonomy away, freedom turned into a restriction. It seems like too much all at once: scanning, cellphone jails, restricted study areas and more.
While many of these policies promote attendance and other upstanding student behavior, this policy seems a little extra. Student are also complaining of having a hard time adjusting without the vending machines being open. Senior Zoya Siddiqui, who doesn’t have a lunch period, is struggling to attain food during the day due to not only the vending machines’ closure, but also the cafe being shut during passing periods.
“It’s especially hard on days I forget to bring a lunch from home because we technically can’t buy food from anywhere but the stable or cafetorium, and there’s no way I have time to wait in line before class,” Siddiqui said.
The vending machines stop working at 8 a.m., which is an inconvenient time because not all students are even at school yet , and some might be in office hours.
Keeping them open for another 15 minutes isn’t going to do any harm. I usually would finish my lunch and then, if I still felt hungry, I would go to the vending machine, not only because the prices are slightly lower, but because I only have Apple Pay. Most of the time, I don’t carry cash or my debit card, so I can’t use the “on the go” box or the cafe.
The whole point of our school shifting to block day schedules was to give students more autonomy over their school life and schedule; removing vending machines accomplishes the opposite.
For a school that is adamant about preparing students for life after high school, they simulate an environment more similar to an elementary school rather than a college or office space. This lack of freedom is not only frustrating but demotivating for students.
Administration must recognize that the student body should have access to the vending machines during lunch periods, but shut them during the other periods, not only for more snack access, but for more freedom for students as a whole.