New South residents wanting to get a snack from vending machines in their dorm basements will have to peer through a gate protecting the front of the machine in order to peruse the selection.
During the summer, AVI Foodsystems Inc. installed gate covers on all but two of the vending machines on New South. Vandalism is more of a problem on New South because the machines are in an area with less traffic, said Bill Fetty, food production coordinator for AVI, which is based in Warren, Ohio.
Ewing Hall and Brough House do not have gates on their vending machines, although Fetty said the reason is unclear.
On average, when a machine is damaged, more than $200 in merchandise is taken and an extra $80 is needed to repair the broken glass, Fetty said. The protective gates cost $10.
Vending machines aren't very profitable
he said. We are losing a lot of money by being with OU (as a result of the vandalism).
When a damaged or vandalized machine is found, a resident assistant or anyone on Residence Life staff picks up any merchandise and locks it up, said Jeremy Schirra, an RA in Fenzel House. The RA then calls the Ohio University Police Department.
Most machines that I find look as though they have been pried open with a crowbar said Schirra.
Since becoming an RA on South Green last winter quarter, Schirra has seen five vending machines vandalized.
Some other security measures include replacing the glass fronts with Plexiglas, which prevents vandalism because it is harder to break. While the Plexiglas fronts help, the gates are the most successful method of deterring theft and vandalism, Fetty said.
OUPD also has suggested moving vending machines to the first floor where there is more traffic and the machines are more accessible. The disadvantages of this situation include an inconvenience to employees loading the machines and the noise that would have a negative impact on the students living on the first floor near the vending machines, said Lt. Rich Russell of OUPD.
I am pleased with the outcome of the gates Russell said. It has deterred a lot of criminal activity.
Repercussions of vandalizing vending machines are severe. Students charged with vandalizing machines are sent to OU Judiciaries. Vandalism is a Code A offense, in which possible judicial sanctions include suspension or even expulsion, said Judy Piercy, director of OU Judiciaries. Two factors that also affect judicial sanctions depend on the severity of the vandalism and whether or not the student has a previous record.
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Ohio University freshman Kyle Randstead scans his student ID card at a gated vending machine in Fenzel House on South Green earlier this week. The gates were installed to ward off thieves because of recent vending machine vandalism.
