By Timothy McCulloch
When students returned to school in the fall, a missing presence was felt throughout the halls. Hungry students walked around campus looking for vending machines that had unfortunately been removed. During the fall semester, schools around the district had to get rid of their vending machines, leaving students in shock as a quick and easy way to get food at school disappeared. One of the biggest reasons vending machines were so important at Dana Hills was the convenience they provided. Many students have busy schedules that do not allow enough time for meals like breakfast and lunch, making the quick relief provided by these snacks especially important. In my opinion, removing the vending machines was not the right choice, although I believe some students may have taken advantage of the privilege we once had. As many people have probably heard, the loud banging of vending machines in the mall during class came from students shaking them in an attempt to get free snacks. This is not something that should have been done by us Dolphins. Many students also used bathroom passes to get food during class, wasting instructional time and potentially contributing to the district's decision to remove the machines. Instead of completely removing the entire system, I believe different disciplinary actions could have been taken to prevent students from abusing the machines. Demerits could have been used to discourage students from wasting class time at the vending machines or aggressively shaking them to cheat the system and get free snacks. By giving consequences to students who used the machines improperly, we could have avoided their removal while still holding students accountable for their actions. One of the biggest issues with relying solely on the cafeteria to feed hungry students is time management. With only 15 minutes between classes, the amount of time students have to get food is simply not enough. As a student with a class in the new history building, the walk back to the mall takes about five minutes. This leaves only ten minutes to stand in the cafeteria line, eat, and walk to the next class. This situation feels unrealistic for someone who needs to eat while also trying to arrive at their next class on time. One potential solution would be to add a food cart near the new building. This cart could offer the same options as the regular cafeteria while reducing the stress of having limited time between classes. The absence of vending machines has been felt throughout the student population, and hopefully, solutions will be made to fill the void in both our hearts and our stomachs.