By Sam Torrey

Staff Writer

Let’s table this discussion and get down to brass tacks! We all have a special place for the desks, tables, and work surfaces that populate the RJR campus, but the sheer desktop diversity can be overwhelming. From the classic student desks to the collaborative tables in the library, it’s a real jigsaw puzzle trying to figure out which stack up as superior and which are just…well, board-ing.  

    I’m here to surface the truth and chair my findings on what makes a desk truly outstanding for the average RJR student. We’ll leaf no stone unturned in our quest to make the ideal writing surface. So, let’s pencil this in and get started.

    “I actually like it when there’s a whole table,” junior Ty Smith said. “I feel like when you are at a table people tend to mind their own space.”

    The table vs. desk debate is a long-standing conflict with passionate opinions flying left and right. It’s a fight for the ages with no clear victor in sight. 

    “No no no,” Charlie Beck, another junior, said in response to hearing her friend nearby argue for tables. “Those desks with the little cubbies beneath them are amazing, I love the extra storage space.”

    Charlie’s not wrong—those little cubbies under some desks are a storage dream. But tables offer a different kind of perk—personal space for all! A spot to spread out, just like the teachers at Reynolds do across campus. But enough of the desk vs. table drama, let’s pivot to something else.

    Ah, the age-old Metal vs. Wood debate! A pretty trivial conflict if you are not invested in the heated Desk War, but for our Table Warriors it’s a vital difference. 

    “I prefer wood,” Smith said. “It’s more pleasing to the eye, and much better than the metal desks.”

    Some students clearly prefer the warm, aesthetic charm of wood, splinters, and all. But, then again, some swear by the practicality of metal desks.

    “I do like the metal desk,” junior Parker Romney said. “I can crack my back easily on the table, and the colors of the chairs are nice.”

    Romney brings up an interesting point—it’s not just about the desk surface but the attached chair too. Some students like the metal desk setup because of its sleekness and the comfy convenience of having the chair built right in. But the question remains: is the chair attached or separate from the real issue?

    “No,” Smith said, chuckling a little. “I like my legroom too much!”

    Ah, legroom—the true unsung hero of the Desk Wars. The importance of having room to stretch and move around is a theme that comes up time and time again. Many students, like Romney and Beck, can’t get enough of it.

    “Leg room is the most important thing to me,” Smith said. “I just have a need to stretch my legs and, if I can’t do that, it’s just all bad. I want a large table with lots of legroom and space for me to put all my binders and notebooks and junk all over.”

    For students like Smith, they value space, space for their legs over space for their binders, notebooks, and everything else that piles up over the day. But, funny enough, that same idea could be solved with a cubby or side storage—if only it didn’t block the all-important legroom!

    The Desk Wars rage on, with legroom and material now key battlegrounds. Students crave large wooden havens offering space to stretch and sprawl, plus room for all their belongings. They don’t want to sacrifice legroom for storage.  

    The perfect desk isn’t just a surface; it’s a sanctuary for academic genius. Finding that balance is the ultimate quest, meaning the Desk Wars are far from over.