Summary of the Key Points
A student from a financially disadvantaged family, using an annual scholarship of 4,500 yuan to buy Luckin coffee every day, had her orders collected by a classmate over 37 days and reported, sparking a debate about whether students in poverty should be allowed to drink coffee. On the surface, this seems like a matter of personal choice, but it actually reveals the anxiety and psychological struggles faced by these students, as well as the shortcomings in the university's support systems in terms of both financial assistance and emotional support. The underlying issue is that what these students need is not just money; they also need dignity and a sense of belonging.
1. Coffee Is More Than Just a Drink: It’s a Ticket to Belonging
For this student, the deep blue cup from Luckin represents something much more than a beverage—it symbolizes her desire to feel like she belongs to the same group as her peers. In college settings, items like coffee and milk tea have become forms of “social currency.” Just as elementary school students avoid using tired jokes for fear of being isolated, holding a cup of coffee makes her feel like an outsider when everyone else is doing the same. The so-called “identity masking through consumption” refers to students using affordable but branded products (like Luckin’s 9.9 yuan cups) to hide their financial situation and avoid being labeled as poor. What she drinks is not just caffeine; it’s a way to temporarily forget her status and feel like she’s on an equal footing with her classmates.
2. The Dilemma of Scholarships: Food or Prestige?
National scholarships are meant to help students in poverty meet their basic needs, but is it really “unreasonable” for her to spend most of her money on coffee? A quick calculation shows that 4,500 yuan per year would amount to 3,600 yuan spent on coffee each year, which is 80% of her scholarship. That amount could buy eggs and milk for half a year’s worth of nutritious breakfasts in the cafeteria. She must understand the cost, so why does she still do it? Because the pain of being seen as poor is worse than not having enough to eat. For her, the need to feel included is more urgent than simply filling her stomach—this is not foolishness; it’s a psychological struggle that overpowers rational decision-making.
3. The Coldness of Reporting: Should We Judge Students’ Consumption?
The classmate’s act of collecting and reporting her orders, though seemingly aimed at upholding rules, reflects a judgmental indifference. While the use of scholarships should be monitored, the purpose is to help students, not to find faults. Her behavior may have been inappropriate, but her question, “Do students in poverty not deserve to drink coffee?” highlights that her psychological needs were completely ignored. What we should ask is why she feels that drinking coffee is the only way for her to fit in, rather than immediately labeling her as a waste of scholarship funds.
4. University Support: From Open Assistance to Subtle Warmth
Traditional methods of providing support (such as public announcements) can make students feel embarrassed. However, Nanjing University of Science and Technology’s “warm-hearted meal card” is a clever approach: it uses cafeteria data to identify students in need (those who eat more than 60 times a month but spend less than 420 yuan) and provides subsidies directly to their meal cards without any application or public disclosure. Other universities offer psychological counseling through groups for new students to help them integrate without being singled out. The key is to provide assistance without compromising their dignity. This kind of subtle, supportive approach is more effective in solving the problem.
5. True Dignity: Achieved Through Hard Work, Not Coffee Cups
The saying “dignity built on consumption is illusory” is true. True dignity comes from achieving success through education, internships, and finding a job. We shouldn’t criticize this student for trying to overcome her feelings of inferiority in the only way she knew how. What universities and society should do is to help her understand that she can be just like everyone else without relying on coffee cups. Her worth is not defined by what she buys.
In conclusion, students in poverty certainly deserve the right to drink coffee, but they also need an environment where they don’t have to rely on it for a sense of security. When she graduates and earns her own money, she can buy as much coffee as she wants. For now, what we need to give her is the confidence to feel included without any need for disguise.
(The entire analysis is presented in plain language, free from technical jargon, so that non-financial readers can easily understand the underlying logic.)