Food vendors at Cerritos College need to allow students to purchase food via EBT [electronic benefit transfer], which would provide low-income students the ability to purchase food on campus.

This drastically needs to change. Some students spend more time at school than they do at home, and being able to consume adequate meals greatly helps studying, attention span and not to mention a student’s desire to participate in education.

Each and every Falcon on campus, regardless of economic status, needs to support the hope for such a change. Write letters to congress, make phone calls.

Do something to assist in the equality of us as students.

If students fall into the unfortunate category of “low income,” they very possibly may not be able to afford to pay for meals on campus.

Often times, financially strained students rely on EBT benefits as a means of supplementing the state of their finances.

The problem is that unless a student is considered homeless by the welfare division, the division that approves EBT benefits, said benefits can’t be used to purchase hot meals.

Unfortunately, the solution to this problem is not as simple as a food vendor agreeing to accept EBT as an acceptable form of payment.

This is why we all need to invoke our rights and make a stand. Not allowing benefits to be accepted for food services rendered is indeed law, but we as students, we as members of varying generations, we as Americans have a right to question that law.

By making this change, it would put each of us as students on a leveled playing field thus allowing us all to eat and recharge, and ultimately provide more of a stress free, positive educational environment.

It would also bring additional money to the vendors.

One would have to assume that this would only help our economy.

Why should less fortunate students have to go off campus to a nearby grocery store in hopes of throwing together a meal when the same funds could be used to actually feed the students?

Sure, some restrictions would undoubtedly need to be in place to ensure that it is not taken advantage of, but it is not that crazy for us as students to seek an opportunity to do that.

The school could even seek a cut from each purchase should it see fit. It could charge $1.00 per transaction.

The school wins, the vendor wins, the state wins, and most importantly, the students win.