Gabe Mamallo

Nowhere to Sit
Fresh air and the smell of coffee. I love the Pod. You can find me
there almost every day, enjoying a beverage, doing math homework,
or just relaxing until the next class.
The POD in Miller is great because of the atmosphere. Its quite
but not silent, bright but not glaring, and warm but not hot. Unlike the
library the Pod feels like everyone is just kicking back, relaxing reading
their textbooks, or writing essays.
Last week I was heading over there with my friend Adam to cram
in a psych study session before our next classes. With only 20 minutes
to go over flashcards, so we thought the POD the perfect place. We
walk into Miller, past the market and into the glass atrium; we look
upon a sea of heads. Our stomachs begin to sink: theres nowhere to
sit. Reluctant to give up hope, we start to navigate through the
crowded tables in search for even a few extra chairs to pair together.
Alas we have no luck.
Eventually giving up, we go to search Miller for somewhere new.
We settle for a bench in one of the hallways, and plop down our
backpacks ready to dig in. Surrounded by other castaways of the POD,
we begin to go through flashcards but soon give up, as it is clear that
our hallway companions are not keen on learning about the
parasympathetic nervous system.

The Problem
Too little seating is the plight of the POD. Its a wonderful space
to work in, but when it comes to busy hours in between classes
students are often left to find refuge elsewhere on campus.
Furthermore, even when one fids a table in the POD, often students
find themselves sitting near others distracting them from their work.
This is why I believe that there should be a redesign of the PODs table
layout.
Current Layout
No one denies that the PODs current aesthetic is pleasing. The
open-air doorways, and walls of windows are complemented well by
the tables set up in the space. However this design doesnt supply to
the students demand. During the hours between 10 AM and 2 PM
students are lucky to snag an allusive seat in the POD. This is caused
by tables that are too scattered. The set up admittedly provides more
floor space, but leaves too little seats for students.
Types of Tables
The seating problem can also be accredited to the types of tables
in the POD. The biggest tables seat up to four people, yet are fairly
small; this ends up welcoming singular students to take up the space
that would otherwise be used by a group of four.

The smaller tables also lack in in their effectiveness. Spread

along sides of the POD, the high sitting tables have two chairs, but due
to the small workspace, two people can rarely use them. Such tables
barley contain both a laptop and a textbook, two staples of a students
backpack.

Noisy Neighbors
Like many students I have been disturbed while studying by
others. There is nothing worse when doing your readings to be
constantly distracted by those chatting about what time they should
get to their movie, where the best coffee is on campus, or what girl is
the most attractive in their econ class
When is this a Problem?
The majority of the work I do in the POD is for math. The POD is
close to many of my classes, and when I stop in I usually look to spread
out my graph paper, textbook, and notes over one table. However at
least once a week I am unsuccessful. Even though I stop in when most
students are leaving to go to class, there are only a handful of tables
large enough to work at, and unfortunately these tables could
otherwise sit more students. However due to the limited space I am
usually forced to be a hog. Its quite a vicious cycle, as students study
up to an average of 17 hours a week (according to the National Survey
of Students Engagements) and end up competing for locations to get
in their hours.

Solutions

Larger Tables
As already established the smaller, high standing tables are can
be ineffective for singular students. Similar to what you see in many
Starbucks coffee houses, a tables meant to house up to twelve people
can be put in place of singular work spaces. Such tables will give
students a great area to be filled with singular workers, as it is too
large for most groups, and will be avoided by those not looking to
disturb.
Smarter Layout
With more table space for singular workers, there will be less
single students inhabiting the smaller group tables. However we can
still maximize this space by swapping out the scattered design, with
more uniform staggered tables in the middle of the floor. With such a

redesign, more groups and pairs will be able to inhabit the space.
Even if there was to be only five more tables, the POD will be able to
increase its potential inhabitance by twenty people!
Designated Seating
Disturbances are seemingly unavoidable in a communal place
like the POD, but in fact they can be cut down on with the help of just a
few visual aids. Similar to the signs one can find at the library, we just
need to designate certain areas for studying, and others for enjoying
snacks and socializing. Imagine when you entered the POD, along with
the whiteboard displaying announcements, there was a simple sign
showing what tables are set out for studying, and those that are there
for leisure. If this were to be included, the PODs patrons would be
surrounded by like-minded people: those who are looking to study, and
those who are looking to chat.
Cost
Monetary
Currently there are only five round tables in the POD. These,
being the most popular would be the main purchases, along with the
addition of a long table. If we were to allot $1000 to the purchase of
such items, we would be able to make a huge impact in students
connivance. Adding tables is a cost effective way to provide more
study space. Designating a whole new area in Miller would both be
exhausting in production and in budget, while adding tables would be a
fraction of a cost.
Loss of Open Space

Part of the PODs overall aesthetic is its open layout. It creates a

stress free environment, that some will argue is part of the PODs
overall attraction, and that by adding more tables we will loose what
makes the POD a desirable study spot. I fully understand this, and
agree that if the POD served all its patrons its close to perfect. But the
reality of the situation is that the POD falls short of serving everyone.
A communal space is useless if the whole community cant use the
space. Moreover, the POD is great beyond its open space. Many would
argue that its access to food, placement in Miller, and natural light are
what make it so desirable.

Other Red Square Study Spots

Students are not lost on the fact that there are more places to
study than just the POD. However when talking to students who prefer
it like my RA Stephanie, they all seem to come back to the same point.
I have weird class times, Stephanie told me. I choose to go to the
POD because the time I take getting to the library, finding a table, and
eventually walking back to Miller is valuable to me. Its time I could be
studying.
Stephanie is not alone in her opinion, and many refugees out in
Millers hallways are a testament to that. If moving buildings to study
is so simple then why do so many students choose to work on the floor
of Miller? To make things worse, overflow students have to alter study

practices when placed in the hallways, purely on the basis that

hallways are not meant for studying. As Paul Heikler says in On
Genres as Ways of Being, this genre of furniture, if you will, makes a
host of demands on its users, on how we need to be, on how we need
to be present in the world. The hallways are not for studying, therefor
forcing students to adopt a community of practice that is impractical to
their objective. However students like Stephanie are still forced to use
hallways as they see themselves having no other option.
Conclusion
During most of the day the POD sits relatively empty with plenty
of tables to use. We know that Millers POD isnt always filled to the
brim, but for when it counts only a finite amount of students can use
the POD at one time. This problem needs to be resolved. The POD is a
place you can pop into for a small amount of time, a place where you
work in-between classes. We need to make sure that all students can
utilize this resource. Adding tables to the POD will up both
productivity and satisfaction of students.

Bibliography
Cogswell, Stephanie, vocal/personal, November 12th 2015
Heilker, Paul, Prof. ""On Genres as Ways of Being"" Genre 106 Purdue.
N.p., 30 Aug.

2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

"How Much Do You Study? Apparently 17 Hours a Week Is the
Norm." USA TODAY
College. National Survey of Student Engagement, 18 Aug. 2014.
Web. 18 Nov. 2015.