Food Lockers

Last Saturday, food deliveries returned to campus with the introduction of a newly installed locker system. Located behind Keil Hall, the lockers provide students with a convenient and organized way to receive food deliveries while addressing campus safety concerns.

The school introduced the food lockers to address the problems associated with the previous food delivery system. Dean of Students for Community Life Andy Brown stated, “Our goal was to allow students to still have the food delivery option, but in a way that was safe for all those on campus. We had issues with cars driving all over campus, and issues with delivery drivers trying to get into buildings they shouldn’t get into.” Jenny Wang ’27 said, “I think the delivery locker does help with previous problems such as stolen food. Last year when I ordered Chinese food one of the bags was ripped open by a squirrel and then the squirrel ate my food, so I think the delivery locker really does help with such problems.”

Students have eagerly awaited the food delivery restart, since they have been unable to order since the beginning of the academic year. Jerry Kwok ’27 said, “I was ecstatic that food delivery was back on campus. I can’t live without food delivery.” Wang echoed the sentiment, “When I first heard that food delivery was allowed back on campus, I was super excited because, after school started, I’ve been wanting to order food with my friends during the weekend.”

While students appreciate the new system, it still has several flaws that can be improved. Ray Huang ’29 explained, “This [system] is a very nice and creative idea, but I would say it is not very convenient, since it’s hidden behind Rutledge.” Amara Okoye ’29 added, “I walked there, and then had to walk around instead of just going to the front of Rutledge. Then I had to open my email and then go find the email. There are so many steps.”

Other students have already experienced issues with the system. “[The locker] is not convenient at all,” stated Kwok. “A lot of the delivery drivers struggle to understand the instructions on the food delivery lockers. My delivery driver put Kerry on the name list instead of Jerry. I had to wait a whole hour before campus safety came over and saved the day with the master code.”

The newly installed system has presented initial challenges that the Mercersburg community will need time to adapt to. Andy Brown stated, “I think when you do anything for the first time there’s always going to be things you need to learn and adjust.”

For now, the new system seeks a balance between convenience and safety. As Andy Brown concluded, “I think [the food delivery lockers] right now is going to be the best option we have to try [to] navigate food deliveries and campus safety. So we are hoping it checks both those boxes.”