The political science department has purchased new desks for three classrooms; however, the fire code has forced them to remove the desks from two of the rooms.

The old desks were about 30 years old and unstable, said Jeff Ashley, the chairman of the political science department.

“We had some department funds that we thought could be used for the students,” Ashley said. “We don’t always have the money though.”

The department decided to replace the desks to give back to the students.

After two days of students using the desks, the campus safety officer determined the amount of the large desks in two of the classrooms to be a possible fire hazard.

With the amount of desks necessary to hold the amount of students within the course, the larger desks created the possible fire hazard, Ashley said.

Now, the department will distribute the desks to other departments who are in need of larger desks.

“When we ordered them we weren’t aware they would be so much larger than the old desks, but the students seemed to like them a lot,” Ashley said.

Now the desks are only in Room 2210 of Coleman Hall; however, they plan to replace the desks that were taken out of Rooms 2140 and 2150.

“But they won’t be quite as big,” Ashley said. “All of the big desks limit the class size.”

The desks arrived during spring break.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction April 24, 2011:

The campus safety officer requested the desks be moved out of the classrooms, and the university now has the desks.

The DEN regrets the error.

Alyssa Henson, a senior history major, sits at her desk and chats with classmates Thursday before her Introduction to International Relations class in Room 2210 of Coleman Hall. The political science department ordered the new, larger desks for three cla

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