A new vending machine containing condoms, hygiene products and healthy snacks has been installed at CUB, but students have had mixed feedback.
ASWSU’s new wellness kiosk was installed on the first floor of CUB on March 18th. Junior literary studies major Alison Hilliker said she believes the new kiosk will have a positive impact on WSU and make it easier for students to get the products they need.
“I think this system will have an impact on people being more likely to seek help. I also think there are people who need things like pregnancy tests but end up not getting them because they’re afraid of what the public will think. We hope to see fewer “grocery stores,” Hilliker said.
Professor Hilliker said university students have a right to access safety supplies and materials, and placing them in commonly used spaces on campus will ensure that everyone has access to these supplies. He said he thinks other universities should introduce similar kiosks. She believes the Wellness Her Kiosk is perfect for students who live on campus and don’t have a car, but need quick access to health care supplies.
Thomas Ball, a junior anthropology major, doesn’t think it’s a good idea for WSU to set up kiosks selling condoms and birth control pills because it encourages unsafe sex and increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. He said that
“As these products become more available, more of them are used, and people become less safe in general because they can more easily avoid the consequences of being unsafe. They will be incentivized to go lower,” Ball said.
Ball said she believes products such as contraceptives that can be purchased from wellness vending machines may make students less proactive about practicing safe sex.
Jada Marks, a junior psychology major, said there are mixed opinions about the new kiosks and thinks it’s convenient to have these products available, but they also accept RDA and credit cards, not just debit and credit cards. He said accepting Cougar Cash could make the kiosk more accessible to certain students. .
Marks said she is pleased with the pricing of the kiosk’s products, which is reasonable compared to other stores on campus. The market tends to overprice personal hygiene products. Additionally, along with medications and health care products, we also need Narcan, which can treat drug overdoses in emergency situations.
“I think it should be implemented in kiosks so students can access Narcan,” Marks said. “But the prices are very comparable to other retailers, which is great. The main drawback is that it doesn’t require an RDA, so it’s less accessible for certain people.”
