A take on the new take-out boxes

TOBY REEVES
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

JAMIE DIEDRICH
LAYOUT EDITOR

9/8/2025

During Spring term here at Alma, students still had the option to obtain take-out boxes for free. If you were an introvert who did not like the crowded commons, or an athlete who didn’t have time to stick around, or someone who just did not want to sit alone, you could leave and dispose of the box afterward for free.

In my opinion, the new Nourish system is a negative change for a significant enough number of students on this campus, including myself.

Under Nourish, students pay $7.00 to check out a container, fill it, and eat from it either within two hours in the commons, or for however long you need outside of them. Students then ‘rinse’ and return the container, gain a clip, and bring that clip the next time they eat for a sanitised container.

Rinse is the word used in Alma College’s announcement, but if you are someone with issues towards germs, there is no way this is an appropriate solution. The announcement doesn’t specify if it’s the same container being circulated to the person who turned it in. In the case that it isn’t, the program forces students to trust the cleaning process done by their peers.

While useful for some, Nourish alienates people who have complex circumstances when it comes to mealtimes on campus and need a simple solution. It’s great that Alma wants to make more eco-friendly choices, but what about biodegradable materials instead of Styrofoam? Why does it have to be plastic, or whatever near-plastic the containers are made of, and isn’t that worse?

Looking at it from the financial perspective, while it’s a broken record here at Alma, we pay a ton in tuition. Why do these options always have to be a financial concern for the student? It is not a huge amount, but given that the disposable, more convenient option was free, why would someone pay that for an inconvenience?

Perhaps it’s to discourage stealing, which is fair, but so was having containers that could be thrown out. I was a frequent user of the disposable boxes right after I learned we had them, but there is no way I’ll partake in Nourish, and I feel bad for students who feel uncomfortable sitting and eating in the commons.

“I like the concept of the take-out boxes and I understand the reason behind them, but I dislike that we don’t have drinks,” said Lillian Sierwakowski (’28).

During the time students have been dealing with the change to Nourish, by the way, Alma had changed their wifi. The campus wifi wasn’t great to begin with, but now it runs even slower; a great change to start out the new semester. The change was first noticed on move-in week, where the wifi would consistently drop.

If it were up to me, the Nourish system should have been given more thought with every student in mind. The long run will not matter if students are getting food elsewhere in order to avoid eating in the Hamilton Commons. Good luck finding places to eat with the new Alma College wifi.

“It’s very stupid how they changed it over the summer as well, as it worked for some apartments and not others. For example, if you go to Dow or SAC, it doesn’t work anymore,” said Khalil Chalouati (’26).