DECA has made it official; students are now able to purchase food, beverages and other consumables during the second half of blue and red period classes. However, unlike previous years, students will need to abide by certain changes at the discretion of DECA staff and Liberty High School administration.
DECA has always been the place to buy snacks when class is slow, so it’d make sense that there is an uprising in students going to DECA during the second half of their block. However, with the new changes, including required DECA passes, increased pricing, and mandated times, these factors are bound to affect future demand and attention.
The hours for DECA this year go as shown: 8:30-9:00 a.m., 10:10-10:40 a.m., 12:20-12:50 p.m., and 2:00-2:30 p.m., giving students 30 minutes each period to grab concessions and other products.
The change to a limited 30 minutes per period to get concessions has caused some discourse among students. Junior Collin Fowler, who was in DECA a year prior and shops at DECA regularly, shared his thoughts on only having 30 minutes, “I think that we would still get enough customers in that amount of time, especially since it’s more enclosed in a timely manner, so everyone will come at the same time.”
As stated by Fowler, even with a short time frame, customers will still be encouraged to go during class, and it will be more dispersed with students showing up at different times.
When Fowler was asked about the other changes, including required passes and pricing, he further said, “ Increased pricing and required hall passes have decreased the number of customers that DECA receives, but students can now be more organized when visiting Deca and not just hanging out in the hall.”
Therefore, based on Fowler’s observations, DECA has become more organized, thus resulting in the benefit of more productive time usage and stable customer rates.
Furthermore, DECA Vice President Sophia Anizell, who oversees food and hospitality, shared reasons for the change and how it’ll impact demand. She stated, “We wanted to keep the DECA store and lancer lounge fun but also efficient, and so far it is working out amazingly. Our DECA membership has grown to over 300 kids and so many more who wanted to get in!”
As Anizell said, even through subtle changes, DECA is still supposed to be fun and efficient for students, which will result in DECA maintaining its customer base. Anizell further added, “We are focusing on a lot of the technical stuff this year to make our chapter grow to be the best. One of the biggest changes I would say is that as DECA students, we are walking into this year with more experience and our officers are becoming more involved.”
This year, DECA is going to resemble a new foundation for students and staff. By gaining more experience and establishing certain rules, students will be able to adapt to a more worklike environment. Beyond just DECA, students will still be able to relish in new and old traditions during their classes.
