Editorial: Baruch Classrooms In Need of Seats

Baruch is becoming so overcrowded that now there aren't even enough chairs in some of the classrooms to seat everyone.

The crowded second floor of the Vertical Campus and the long lines for elevators in both the Vertical Campus and the 23rd St. buildings are old news. But no student should have to miss out on valuable class time because they are scouring open rooms for an extra seat.

Dr. Ben Corpus, vice president of student affairs, said he has yet to hear of any complaints from students or professors about the seating deficit.

"This spring we are up 300 [undergraduate students] from the fall and we understand there are enough chairs to accommodate," said Corpus in an e-mail. "In addition, we are utilizing the 17 Lex high school classrooms that were made available by the [high school's] exit last fall."

But for some students, the move to the 23rd St. Building hasn't made much of a difference. A Chemistry 1000 class that meets there every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. falls short of seats. While this introductory course is normally crowded every semester, it should not mean students must be packed into classes without a guaranteed seat.

The VC is dealing with a similar problem. In a political science class that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:10 to 5:25 p.m., students who show up a few moments after the start time are usually doomed to search the 11th floor for an extra desk. In addition, some seats are without a desk, leaving students to lean their notebooks on their laps when taking notes. But the seat deficit is not the only problem. Classes are becoming more of a sardine-can than anything else.

In the event of absences, there are enough seats. However, they are often clustered together with little room to squeeze between the desks to get to the front of the class. Aside from being inconvenient and causing delay when everyone bustles out, it could very well be a safety hazard with bags and books crowding the floor next to side-by-side desks.

Carl Aylman, the director of the Office of Student Life, said he was also unaware of the lack of seating for students, but noted in an e-mail that "classrooms should have an adequate number of chairs to meet the occupancy code of permitted people permitted in each room. Additionally, the class size assigned to the room should not exceed the occupancy allowed in each room."

Corpus also said that last year, Jim Lloyd, assistant vice president of campus operations "determined that there was a need and he purchased more classroom chairs and distributed them appropriately." Lloyd will be notified of the recent overcrowding this spring term, according to Corpus.

Since the administration is unaware of the situation, it is apparent that students are passively dealing with the tight-spaced rooms rather than finding a solution.

Hopefully, some extra desks in these rooms will clear up the situation. Let face it: the first step to establishing a conducive learning environment is having the seat that allows a student to be present.