I’m big, 440 lbs big, and I can’t comfortably sit in/on most SFU classroom chairs and furniture. Even during years where I was in better shape, I still had chronic back pain. Also, I’m old, like old old, as you might have read in my article about my zig-zag life. All of this contributes to my struggle to find a comfortable seat on campus. But SFU’s furniture choices don’t help.
In the fall term, due to a forced class swap, I had six hours of back-to-back seminars on Thursdays. Sitting for that long on the hard plastic and metal chairs caused me so much back and hip pain that it would take a few days of bed rest and medication to recover. It got to the point where I stopped going to class. My professors were understanding, but there was little they could do.
Last term, it was a bit better with only one three-hour seminar a day. However, a lot of SFU’s commercial furniture doesn’t work for me. Either it’s too firm or there’s no back support, so it doesn’t take long before the pain starts. After spending an hour walking through different buildings in a solo game of musical chairs, I gave up and now head off campus after class.
Even when I was in much better shape, I still found most of the furniture to be uncomfortable, it’s just worse now. It’s unfortunate that I can no longer stay and enjoy the campus I’ve studied and worked at for over a decade.
