When I think back to my first year at our great school, I remember our almost empty school building, Zoom classes and near eye damage from looking at a screen all day. Our only sliver of goodness in those days were the promise of sodas for less than two dollars. I remember the golden days of vending machines. One on every even numbered floor, always stocked, never broken. Even snack machines are a thing of the past. Now when I want a much-needed caffeine boost, I have to go all the way to the third floor, pray that the machines are working, and will actually take my money, it either won’t take card or it won’t take cash. And even after all that the machine will more often say that the sodas are out of stock, even though I CAN SEE THE DRINK RIGHT THERE, I mean seriously it is right there why won’t you just give it to me! I want to pay for it, I’m begging to give you my money!

The amount of times I’ve gone to every vending machine and still come back to class empty-handed is honestly embarrassing. Today’s freshmen will never know the joy of having a soda only one floor away or being able to ward off hunger with a healthy school sanctioned snack. Now our only hope is paying for overpriced energy drinks and chemical-filled Cinnabon from shady students sellers. We as a community have truly fallen into the hands of these capitalistic opportunists. I understand that the school is trying to encourage entrepreneurship, but this is not the way to do it! Just think of the amount of revenue the school could earn by returning to the old system for vending machines. But those days of the machines are gone, and every time a student decides against going to the machines is just less money our school can use to fund valuable programs.

The idea that our school may be backsliding on our quality of life saddens so many students and teachers. Some will say that they moved the vending machines to deter student from skipping class to buy sodas. But that simply does not work! Students still leave class to attempt a purchase, the only difference is now they spend long out of class going down all those floors. And they come back disappointed and discouraged, hardly an attitude that is conducive to an effective learning environment. The Warriors deserve much better than this struggle for every student’s human right – for their essential dose of caffeine. Especially when we’ve had such effective systems in the past. Vending machines are integral to the happiness of students and the health of our school’s ecosystem!