While the business affairs office at College of DuPage hopes students will be excited by the “Go! Slow! Woah!” program now offered by vending machines on campus, some students are simply saying “woah” at the rise in prices.

After spring break, business affairs introduced these new health-conscious vending machines to students on its Glen Ellyn campus.

“Go! Slow! Woah!” is intended to make consumers more aware of their eating habits, according to Laura Weiland, administrative assistant to COD’s director of business affairs. The new vending machines are equipped with “mindful screens” that will show nutritional content of the items. Weiland noted that these touch screen monitors are not yet functioning in all machines.

The machines feature three rows that are color coded with green, yellow and red. If the item is healthy, the item is located on the top shelf next to a green panel. If the choice is reasonably healthy but has added sugar or preservatives like cereal snacks or toaster pastries, the item is on the middle shelf, next to a yellow panel. If the choice is extremely unhealthy, like candy or cookies, the item is on the lowest shelf and next to a red panel.

Weiland explained that the new machines were installed after the college’s contract with ACE vending ended. After receiving bids from other companies, Weiland said that COD decided to continue with ACE, because of its “Go! Slow! Woah!” program.

However, it’s not the increase in healthy options that is upsetting students, but rather the increase in prices.

Jessica Gue, 23, a graduating student majoring in business, said seeing that she would have to give up an extra quarter when using vending machines was something that “ticked her off.”

“Not everything should be the same price,” Gue said. “A NutriGrain bar should not be the same price as [a bag of chips].”

The new machines have a more standardized pricing system. All food items from a bag of chips to a small bag of peanuts are $1.25. Gum is 75 cents.

For Gue, the increase in prices was something that would usually dissuade her from buying items from the vending machines.

“I am just really desperate right now because I’m really hungry,” Gue said. “That is probably why they raised it because they knew we would [be forced to use the machines.]”

Gue was not the only student irked by the hike in pricing.

On COD Snaps, a Snapchat account popular among COD students, several students posted pictures of the vending machines with captions claiming the new machines “suck.”

Weiland said that the raise in prices was something that simply came with the addition of brand new machines and changes in the economy.

“It was time to change the prices to go with the upturn in the economy,” Weiland said.

Weiland also claimed the prices rival the prices of many retail stores.

The “Go! Slow! Woah!” program is not a new concept. It has been tried in different variations is big cities such as Chicago as well as small school districts to promote healthy vending.

While Gue acknowledges that the “Go! Slow! Woah!” program is a unique take on healthy eating, she does not feel that it will help herself.

“I am not going to look at it, and it is not that important to me,” Gue said.

According to Weiland, though, knowing the nutritional content of food is something that is pivotal to some staff and students at COD. Weiland said that the business affairs office received feedback asking for “nutritional information and healthier options” in vending machines. She hopes that when the mindful screens that display nutritional content work, which should be in a few weeks, the reviews of the new machines will improve.

“It will be a great asset to anyone who wants to know the nutritional value of something before they buy it,” Weiland said.

Students at COD’s Glen Ellyn campus won’t be the only ones to get the new vending machines. Weiland said that once all machines in Glen Ellyn are operating correctly, students and staff at COD’s regional centers will get the new machines as well.