By Nicole Maldonado |Staff Writer|
It’s 1:55 p.m. and you make it to the door just in time for your exam when you remember you forgot the most vital utensil for a midterm—a Scantron.
You run to the Santos Manuel Student Union only to find all vending locations are completely out of the test taking material you need. Without spare change on you to purchase one, you race back to class, late.
“Does anyone have an extra Scantron I can borrow?” you ask breathlessly, disrupting the beginning of the test.
This frustrating situation has never failed to haunt every classroom and almost every student on exam day.
Why can’t these students get a Scantron of their own?
The main reason is the places that sell them or give them away on campus are often completely out when you need them the most.
We can avoid this problem by placing multiple Scantron vending machines around campus.
Just look at those vending machines that deal Apple products in the Tyler Mall in Riverside; it might be a luxury, and it might be conventional, but it fits a need or a niche, and they must be profitable less they be removed. It only makes sense to have numerous Scantron vending machines at CSUSB. They will get used.
The company that is exclusive to these user friendly machines is UAI Vending, Inc. based in Moreno Valley. President Ray Cumplido said there are over 300 campuses across the United States with over 400 machines, with some even in Canada.
Chaffey College has six machines that satisfy a busy student’s every need at their convenience, especially at the last minute. There is no waiting in line, no running across campus to the bookstore before it closes or waiting until a store opens.
Over 20,000 students attend Chaffey College and they have six Scantron machines, which is a ratio of one machine to every 3,333 students. Compare that to one Scantron machine for 17,500 plus students at CSUSB.
We actually have one supply vending machine on campus in the library. However when I went to visit this machine, it was out of Scantrons.
We need more of these machines on our campus to accommodate students and not put the weight on a single device.
Student Ivonne Rivera simplifies the Scantron issue when she said “they should make all classes have a universal Scantron that way there isn’t any problems if you get the wrong type.”
I feel that these vending machines are trustworthy, reliable and convenient enough to establish more of them.
All parts are manufactured in the U.S. and accept $1, $5, $10 and $20 as well as CoyoteOne cards.
The standard but customizable machines run for about $6,495 and may be tailored to fit our school with colors and logos.
These vending machines will be a very efficient way to alleviate CoyoteMart wait times and ensure students always have the school supplies they need to succeed.
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