One of the new red tablet chairs at York. Photo Credit: Asar John
By Asar John
New tablet chairs are here at York and ready for student use! The new chairs replaced the old and dingy chairs used in many classrooms across campus.
The new chairs are all uniform (red) in color, and support both left-handed and right-handed users. They also feature larger desk space and underneath storage brackets.
“These new chairs that have been approved by the College Association and the SGA are sturdy, laptop friendly, more ergonomic, and accommodates more body types,” said Noel Gamboa, the Director of Planning at York.
The replacement was a continuation of the joint efforts between Facilities, Student Development, and the Business Office, which started with the replacement of Library and lounge furniture in 2017.
According to Micheal Candio, the project manager, 2,642 chairs were delivered at the cost of $280,000, or an average of about $106 per chair.
Replacements of the old tablet chairs began on Oct. 24 and wrapped up during the weekend of
Nov. 2.
Some students say the chairs differ from the older ones for many reasons.
“I would say the chairs are very comfortable and spacious,” said senior, Jevon Parbat, a Nursing major.
“The thing I like about them the most is that when you sit back you have a good posture and it keeps your body form,” Parbat added.
Gamboa said the replacement of the chairs is part of a “campus wide furniture improvement” project which began in the 2016-17 school year with seating replacement in the library and student lounges.
According to Vincent Banrey, the Vice President of Student Development, the old classroom chairs have been in use since York opened in the late 1980’s.
The new chairs were originally an idea to provide seating for a new classroom building. However, a review was done by the College Association and the Student Government Association and found that the existing campus lacked seating for student lounges.
“Rather than wait for this future building to come about, we indicated that there was a need for new furniture right now,” Banrey said.
Banrey added that the choice of furniture was determined by where they would be placed, the amount, the color, and the design.
“Based on that, a budget was put together that would address the lounge furniture,” said Banrey. “A second part of that was also the classroom furniture.”
Through a number of town hall meetings held last year, students were able to vote on the new classroom chairs. Originally, there were five different chair models which were then narrowed down to two that students could decide on. Banrey said over 90 percent of students who participated in the voting process selected the current classroom chairs.
In addition to the existing chairs, there are also future plans to install furniture that supports students with disabilities. The complete renovations of classrooms that do not have tablet chairs, such as some lecture hall rooms, is scheduled for completion by 2021.
