If you have ever had a small craving between classes, but no time to go down to the cafeteria, a vending machine would seem to be the perfect solution.

Recently, freshman Tristen Tate wrote a proposal through Student Government to try and  implement vending machines at Parker. This proposal was denied by the administration a few days after it was submitted.

Tate attended Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy in Chicago—a school of 800 students––before she came to Parker this fall. There, they had two vending machines: one with drinks and one with snacks. “It would be convenient because it can go in a place that is easier to access than the cafeteria, ” Tate said. But she is not the only one who thinks vending machines would be beneficial to the student body.

There have been multiple student movements to try and implement vending machines at Parker. One of them was two years ago when the freshman class proposed vending machines as a part of Civic Engagement March Madness. In this activity, each Upper School grade came up with a proposal for something they wanted to see added to the school. Even though the idea of vending machines was one of the top contenders, it never came to fruition.  

“I think vending would be beneficial to the student body,” junior Nicole Feitler said, “because depending on where they would be located in the school, it is a quick and easy option for a snack in the middle of the day. Sometimes people are hungry before classes but don’t have time to go all the way down the cafeteria, so this would be a good and accessible solution.”

Putting a vending machine in the school has advantages, such as easy access to snacks, an absence of cafeteria lines, additional food options, and grab–and–go food.

However, placing a vending machine in the school comes with some hidden negatives that the average student might not think about. “They’re too expensive to get the caliber of a vending machine that would a) last a long time and b) that the school would want to have,” senior and Treasurer Jack Maling said. “They would cost $3,500, which is way more than the money we have for Participatory Budgeting for the whole year.”

A vending machine raises awareness of financial issues. Vending machines utilize cash or sometimes credit cards, whereas in the cafeteria you can use a personal code with money already placed in your account. With the cafeteria already existing, a vending machine might decrease the annual income, the overall success of the cafeteria, or impact its current staffing.

As students continue to push for a vending machine, senior Anette Njei, sophomore Julia Auerbach, and freshman Tristen Tate are currently crafting an email to the Head of the Upper School Justin Brandon to propose a vending machine outside of the Student Government budget.

The discussion over vending machines is not over and students keep finding new ways to enter into a conversation with the administration.