The first day back from break one of the major things everyone noticed was one of the kitchen's vending machines being removed, where instead it was now replaced by the school's two refrigerators, totally messing up the feng shui of the kitchen. It was a big deal to walk into the kitchen and see a completely different arrangement. But how crucial, really, was that one vending machine to the students?

All we really used the vending machine for was to fulfill our unhealthy desires: literally. I personally didn't use the vending machines much, except for the occasional secret buddy gifts, but some people stock up on a Kit Kat between every other class and when students forget their lunch a delicious bag of Cheetos can temporarily satisfy their hunger. Thinking about it, though, doesn't that really show a need to get rid of our vending machines altogether?

The school probably does make a fair amount of money from the buckets worth of quarters we use on the machines, but is that really worth it? It seems to me that given all the information we get from health class, the media, and other sources, we would be more health conscious, but it seems that just by merely walking past all those illuminated snacks, we draw ourselves in.

And I myself have admittedly forgotten to bring food to school; as the lunch period ends, instead of using the two measly dollars I scrape up to walk over to Siebel and buy a whole-grain bagel, I can find myself tempted to insert those dollars into the vending machine, settling on a candy bar and bag of chips instead.

Some students claim that if healthier options were available they would buy those instead. Although the idea to just put your money in a machine and out pops a fresh orange or apple may be nice, that probably won't happen ... especially fresh.

Some of the healthier options the vending machines consistently supply, though, include peanuts, whole-grain snack bars, and trail mixes. Nonetheless, those items, when sitting next to a 3 Musketeers, are less appealing, and if you notice, the "healthier options" are always the ones that never get sold out.

Although it appears to me that the one vending machine in the kitchen was removed because it was continuously having problems, I think that by not having it there it has benefited students. If none of the vending machines were present students would be less tempted by the allure of the unhealthy treats provided, and if they really wanted the candy they would have to buy it from a store and bring it with them to school (which is considerably less likely).

And that way, if we did happen to forget our lunches, our good two dollars would be spent on something at least slightly more nutritious.