Patrick McVee–By now, it’s old news- there are new vending machines in the Drinkward Center and the old Student Store room. The student store itself and the “snack shack” (the after-school food service) are gone. In their place are machines dispensing sugary drinks and a variety of junk food- from healthy to “healthy” to Hot Tamales.
The student-store system was flawed. It relied upon student volunteers to run it, who would open the store roughly whenever they felt like it. Service was infrequent, and there were frequent shortages of popular items. On top of that, someone, probably one of the student-store volunteers, was stealing money from the store’s cash register. The store’s replacement makes it clear that administration no longer trusts students to handle the store with integrity.
The student body’s reaction to the vending machines has been mixed. Many are excited about the selection and reliability of the vending machines. Others are opposed, concerned by the vending machines’ mysterious appearance and plethora of unhealthy options they make available. One former student store worker opposed, saying that the vending machines are “so counter to how we operate here [sic]”.