Opinion: We Need More Vending Machines On Campus

Luz Margarita Benitez

(Edited by Herman Aguilar)

Feeling the breeze of the soon-to-be fall season on campus these first few days of college got me thinking about how beautiful Southwestern Adventist University really is. I started imagining what, if anything, could be missing on campus.

The announced theme for the new college year is to become healthier students. Facilities on campus like the library are announcing an earlier closing time to persuade students to get more sleep. Although many students do not agree with the new decision, it is a true attempt to achieve better health. Some new modifications should be implemented in order to get a healthier nutrition around campus. A quick idea that arose in a conversation with friends that also targets this issue is to add better and more vending machines around campus.

It’s no secret that a vast majority of college students skip meals for various reasons. Some will skip meals because of their schedules and because they spend that time studying instead of eating. Other students will skip meals simply to save more money. On a personal level I have seen how the whole college student demographic indicates unhealthy nutrition. A vending machine that offers healthy but affordable snacks could really encourage students to eat a little more.

It can be a guide to better health if the right snacks are offered and at the same time could be a way to save a little money. With more vending machines around, a college student can also facilitate the purchase of their needed healthy snacks or even water. Sure we have Rusty Bucket, but some of the off-campus students that don’t have a meal plan hardly ever step into the cafeteria building. Also, Rusty Bucket has very limited hours and students tend to be in need of snacks at very inconvenient times of the day or night.

A lot of students on campus don’t have a car and although Dollar General is within walking distance, it closes early compared to the curfew most students have. Also, if something closer were offered, it would be better. The money that is collected through the vending machine could get more snacks once it is time to restock and if there is more left over could also be used for the benefit of the students here on campus.

Southwestern has buildings that are packed at different times of the day where at one time or another, someone somewhere is hungry for a snack. The Chan Shun Centennial Library, the Findley building and Pechero Hall would be strategic locations for these vending machines that can serve the students, faculty, and workers. The library is where a lot of people study and sometimes are in need of a light snack. There is indeed the micro garden room where students may enter with water and food, which makes it a perfect place to purchase a snack. The other buildings are also places students frequent. If more vending machines were realized, students wouldn’t have to worry about finding spare change since a lot of them carry their cards on them at all times. Perhaps this could be a partial solution to getting more students to eat healthier snacks and at the same time benefit the campus as a whole.

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