Behold the brightly colored oranges and greens of what is now the most exquisite in Bellevue College’s furniture lineup. The purchase of new chairs and tables by the Associated Student Government was largely thanks to Faisal Jaswal, the assistant dean of Student Programs, and Takhmina Dzhuraeva, last year’s ASG president and interior design student who led the project. Dzhuraeva hosted trial events that allowed students to test the different furniture that had been under consideration, ultimately leaving the decision of what to buy up to a popular vote.
The money for the overhaul came from student tuition and fees in the form of the Student Program’s remodeling fund. A grand total of $42,112 was spent on the project. Made in the USA by the HON Company and delivered straight from the warehouses of Office Depot, the new chairs are welcomed replacements for the old. Previously, students and faculty who sought to relax in the commons had to contend with dilapidated and dangerous furniture, as detailed by Jaswal, “at least four of the chairs had torn cushions with metal springs showing, prone to causing injury or at the least snagging and tearing clothing.” Due to the dangerous nature of the old sofa chairs, they were removed and recycled prior to the start of the quarter. It was estimated that the cost of refurbishing would have been more expensive than a simple replacement.
Now the old wrecks have been replaced with sleek and light furniture allowing students to freely rearrange the commons to fit their needs. Various crowds gathered about and clustered closely around all of the new tables, either playing cards or simply enjoying the comfortable camaraderie of their friends, with added intimacy thanks to the modular design of the new “Flock Lounge Chairs.”
Students’ comments on the new furniture were positive. Dzuy Huynh, BC student, said that they are “really comfortable, and a huge upgrade to the old furniture,” while Alex Rembold, also a BC student, said: “Thank you very much BC, on behalf of the students of the student union building, for this excellent new furniture. There truly is no joy like scooting around the cafeteria on an orange chair pretending you are George Clooney in the movie “Gravity.”
The new green seats both provide support for a hard working student, as well as an impenetrable fort when two are put together to provide protection during the zombie apocalypse. Until now, I had never experienced the joy of combining both the roller orange chairs and the comfortable green chairs to build a giant chair throwing robot. So with much thanks BC, I will gaze in your direction and smile as my giant seat-army declares global domination.”