Not all chairs are created equal
Your torts professor finally wraps up the extremely detailed exploration of the gunner’s long and complicated hypo. It’s lunchtime. You microwave your food and emerge from the basement in search of somewhere to sit. This is no easy feat.
As we all know—and as the SLS has unfortunately heard at every town hall—there is insufficient seating at the law school. And, unfortunately, not all chairs are created equal.
As 1Ls, three weeks into our second term, we have spent approximately a million hours at the law school and all of them have been spent sitting (apologies to our spines). Here are our findings:
Moot Court Room
Adrienne: These chairs are sleek, easily adjustable, and give decent back support. However, their armrests impede my preferred legs-crossed position, precluding them from being the ideal classroom chair.
Annecy: I like these chairs because they are comfortable and have wheels so I can easily spin around to talk to the people behind me. However, the armrests are bulky and frequently bump into the armrests of adjacent chairs, leading me to mumble “sorry” every time I move in lecture.
Alexa: I really like these chairs. They’re ergonomic enough that my back doesn’t hurt after a 90-minute long lecture but not so soft that I find myself dropping off during class.
P105
Adrienne: If you’re looking for comfort in a classroom chair, these ones are your best bet. They have excellent (dare I say “thicc”) padding and no arm rests, so you’re free to position your legs in any way you wish. However, they can be tougher to adjust; although, Alexa and I can attest to this being a great source of bonding with your classmates. Some of them also have a tendency to randomly begin sinking mid-class, so choose wisely.
Annecy: These are my favourite chairs, but they are in my least favourite classrooms (that’s a topic for another time). They are very comfy, provide great back support, and the lack of arm rests is perfection.
Alexa: These chairs are so, so comfortable. I had these during Legal Methods and was misled as to the overall quality of life I can expect at law school.
Library Study Rooms
Annecy: Maybe these are actually my favourite chairs because they don’t have the armrest problem that the chairs in the Moot Court Room classroom have. So much better than the regular chairs in the library.
Alexa: These are basically the Moot Court Room chairs but without the arm rests. I like these.
Adrienne: Ditto.
Rowell Chairs
Adrienne: These are surprisingly comfortable for a glorified folding chair, but that doesn’t mean they’re good. Numb butts are inevitable if you’re sitting here for an entire lunch hour.
Annecy: I mean, these aren’t terrible but I would not recommend sitting on these for longer than you have to.
Alexa: These are regular plastic chairs but, because of the lack of supply, are always in high demand.
The Benches Lining Rowell
Annecy: These have a comfortable cushion, but the lack of back support really irks me—can these be modified to be more booth-like? Much like the regular chairs in Rowell, I wouldn’t recommend sitting on this longer than you have to.
Alexa: These benches are really close to the radiators in Rowell so your butt will never get cold, but they are the closest to the windows, so your head and your back might. It’s a bit of a thermal roller coaster, but sometimes there are just no other seats left.
Adrienne: I’m usually an ardent booth-over-chair chooser, but these leave much to be desired. Would rather just sit in a chair and at least have some semblance of back support.
Atrium Couches
Adrienne: I definitely find these comfortable, but I’m not a huge fan of their layout—slightly too far from each other to sit and chat with friends, and slightly closer than I’d like to sit with strangers. I would also be scared to see what lurks under the cushions, since they’re a popular lunch spot.
Annecy: These are pretty comfy, but the seat is quite deep, so I can’t quite lean back and rest my legs on the floor at the same time. Since they are more sofa than chair, it is very difficult to have a conversation with your friend in another chair-sofa, unless you drag them close together and want the entire atrium/third floor to be listening in.
Alexa: These are very comfortable, but I would prefer them in couch form rather than the slightly too large armchairs that we have in the atrium.
That Weird Bench Thing Outside Records Office
Adrienne: Great if you’re a sadist who wants to lay outside the records office and spectate students anxiously awaiting graded assignments. Not great if you’re a regular person who just wants a comfy seat.
Annecy: Has back support and a creative design. Mediocre at best.
Alexa: I’m not sure if this was meant to be an architectural experiment, but I am sure that I don’t like it.
Falconer Hall Chairs
Adrienne: I have only sat in these chairs for a total of 10 minutes, and I would like to keep it that way. They remind me too much of my textbooks—hard, sad, and heavy.
Annecy: The chairs make this awful noise when you move them. I can’t cross my legs on them without hitting my knee on the desk, and it’s just a terrible experience overall.
Alexa: These chairs are heavy and wooden, and you can’t shift in your seat without making a ton of noise and distracting the rest of the class.
Falconer Hall Chair—Back Row with Attached Tables
Adrienne: I have had the apparent fortune of never sitting in one of these.
Annecy: I have written one too many exams on this type of chair during undergrad, so I avoid them unless I absolutely have to charge my laptop during class. Also, their location and placement in the Falconer classrooms makes me feel like a second-class citizen.
Alexa: These chairs bring back traumatic memories of arriving late to classes in undergrad and having to awkwardly squeeze past people and into these tiny little chairs.
Honorary Chair: Stairs
Adrienne: These are an underrated option. Even though they are immensely uncomfortable and can result in scraped palms, they’re the perfect spot for people watching with friends and feeling like a budget Gossip Girl character.
Annecy: The stairs are good when Rowell is full during lunch hour if you don’t mind sitting where other people’s feet normally go. I would not recommend sitting on these alone.Alexa: The stairs are honestly not the worst, but come on, we deserve better. Seating for all in 2020.
Photos courtesy of Vernon Lin (2L).
