A new vending machine to be located in the Ventura College library will provide students with scantrons, blue books, notebooks, flash drives, and more for low cost at convenient hours.
The vending machine, which costs about $5,500 in funding provided by the Associated Students, should be in place by next semester in the spring. The machine is designed to make it more convenient for students to get the supplies they need during off hours.
The campus bookstore opens at 7:45 am and closes at 7 p.m., so students studying outside those hours have no way to purchase needed supplies.
“The vending machine is student-oriented,” explained Jeff Matt, VC Associated Students president. “It’s convenient for all students, especially nighttime students. It gives them resources and unlike the library, it’s open more hours.”
The new vending machine will provide students who are in a hurry for an exam or in need of a flash drive with the opportunity to purchase one at their own convenience. According to Matt, the ASB plans to sell the supplies cheaper than the student bookstore.
The new vending machine will make college life easier because it will not only supply necessities, but will provide them at a low cost, which helps save money for a student whose life is financially limited, Matt said.
Moorpark College has a similar vending machine located in its new open access computer lab in the library, and has been serving the students since the beginning of the semester.
The ASB will set up the machine in the lobby on the first floor of the Learning Resources Center.
In a cooperative agreement, the LRC staff will be responsible for stocking the machine, trouble-shooting when it is not working, and lending a hand in the supervision of the money made from the machine.
According to LRC staff member Sandy Hajas, there seems to be a rise in the number of students and a rise in the demand of students who want to purchase scantrons, flash drives, and other necessities.
“We want to meet that demand,” explains Hajas. “We want to meet that need quickly.”
