GONE are the days of twisting and turning for left-handed Thomasians using right-handed chairs.
The University has started providing specialized armchairs for left-handed students to provide comfort and “promote optimal learning.”
“We [requested] all the colleges through the faculty secretary to find out how many of the students are left-handed,” said Pilar Romero, former assistant to the rector of the defunct Office of Administration.
A 2008 survey showed that the number was “substantial” enough to warrant the purchase of left-handed chairs.
But the plan went in “hiatus” considering the costs and the length of time needed to produce a mold for the new chair, Romero added.
Jimmy Concepcion, project sales executive of Sentinel Manufacturing Corp., the University’s manufacturer of plastic armchairs, attributed the delayed production of specialized chairs to the low demand of the product.
“During [that] time, nahirapan kaming i-develop [ang left-handed armchairs] in terms of return of investment [dahil] nakita namin na maliit ‘yung population ng left-handed [students sa UST],” he said.
UST purchasing office clerk Rowen Alvez said the three metal molds for production of left-handed armchairs cost roughly P8 million, and took two years to complete.
Each left-handed armchair costs P2,000, and was originally priced at P2,800. The price is higher than that of a regular armchair, which costs P1,700.
Data from the UST Purchasing Office showed that seven faculties and colleges have availed themselves of left-handed armchairs as of June 2011. This came after a memorandum issued by the Department of Education Physical Facilities and Schools Engineering Division in 2010 that required at least two left-handed chairs for each classroom.
The most number of left-handed chairs, 250, went to the Faculty of Engineering.
Medical concerns
Alvin Atlas, a professor of ergonomics in College of Rehabilitation Sciences, said left-handed students who force themselves to fit into right-handed armchairs are prone to back pain and muscular-skeletal complaints, including mechanical disadvantages in terms of motor skills.
“If [left-handed students have been] using right-handed chairs for the longest time, the effect of improper posture might accumulate [over time],” he said.
Such improper posture may also lead to muscle imbalance, which could result in scoliosis, or the abnormal curving of the spine, Atlas added.
“Ergonomics, in this case, [is wanting] the chair to fit as much as possible with its intended user,” he said.
A left-handed Engineering student, however, said she does not mind using the right-handed armchair since she has been used to it since grade school.
“I’m more comfortable using the right-handed chair because during my elementary and high school years, there were no left-handed chairs provided,” said fourth year Civil Engineering student Joanna Marie Cañaveras.
Way of cheating?
UST High School Secretary Emmanuel Batulan, however, said some left-handed students could take advantage of the situation to cheat in exams.
“In our observations for the past school year, [it seems that it is] one way for [left-handed] students to cheat,” he said.
“We will devise ways on how to rearrange the chairs. We could regroup them [to one side of the room],” he said.
