Plop down and lock in with DLSU’s newly revamped beanbags

Revamped beanbags at Goks features enhanced comfort, mood-sensing colors, and cleaner amenities for a more focused and pleasant-smelling study time.


From Lasallians camping out during exam weeks to some turning it into their second home, the first floor of the towering white edifice that is the Gokongwei Study Hall (Goks) has evolved into an unintentional haven for students. However, its popularity has led to growing concerns about its deteriorating condition: tables are often left in disarray, the once-iconic beanbags have become wrinkled and worn, and students literally fight over spots to settle in.

Earlier this term, numerous Freedom Wall entries regarding the situation circulated online after a TikTok user criticized the state of Goks’ first floor. In response, the University’s newly established Center for Academic Relaxation and Ergonomics (DLSU-CARE) took action, seeking to revamp the space. Their first initiative focuses on restoring the beanbags—a symbol of Goks’ identity—to their former glory.

Beanbag 2.0 

New and improved Gok’s bean bags have been procured as the University took action over several complaints.

Before the new beanbags were launched last weekend in time for finals season, newly appointed DLSU-CARE Director Ike Iya offered The LuhSallian an exclusive preview of the University’s collaboration with La-Z-Alle, a renowned furniture brand. Upon entering the CARE stockroom, a sea of gray-colored beanbags greets the eye, awaiting deployment at Goks. 

“Don’t react to the lack of color just yet,” Iya retorts, “there’s a reason for it.”

The beanbags, crafted from memory foam, promise to enhance students’ comfort. “No more of the white stuff,” Iya jokes, referring to the white beads that once littered Goks’ floors due to defects in the old beanbags. As she demonstrated, the beanbag’s color gradually changed to a deep red as she settled in. This is the result of La-Z-Alles’ emotional receptors, which allow the beanbags to change color depending on the user’s mood. The director explains that they added this feature so that “Kung sakaling galit ‘yung nakaupo, pwede mo nang iwasan at ‘wag pakiusapang mag-give way.”

(In case the person seated is angry, you can avoid them instead of awkwardly asking them to move.)

One defining quality of the new beanbags is that they are meant to “keep you seated.” The La-Z-Alle is packed with features like massage rollers, a built-in toilet bowl, a retractable whiteboard, a foldable table with a charging port, and a slide-out tablet for ordering food from the adjacent Agno food court. The new prototypes are “meant to provide everything without the need for unnecessary movement,” Iya eagerly explains.

Adding to its versatility, the beanbag mimics the Russian nesting doll—a beanbag within a beanbag within a beanbag—each equipped with the same advanced features. This is so one can have a beanbag with their beanbag with their beanbag. “Not only can you share the beanbag inside a beanbag inside a beanbag with your friends, but you can also use it as a proper bed,” Iya adds, explaining the design’s adaptability for various student needs.

Foamy luxury

Indeed, the power of technology has positioned DLSU as a pioneer of some of the most advanced beanbags in the world. But in the face of the sleep-deprived college students, can they improve the livelihoods of the study hall’s residents?

“There was a time when sitting on a beanbag meant simmering in someone else’s three-day-old sweat and pee, but we put up with it because it is what’s available. Now, beanbags have become desirable again,” John Aplazar (V, BSCS-ST) remarks. 

This shows the less glamorous reality. Despite being a fixture in Goks, the beanbags carry an unappealing aroma and texture, reminiscent of Taft Avenue’s garbage piles. Yet, the root causes of these problems stem from hygiene and etiquette lapses among CCS, COS, and GCOE students who trawl along the space. 

Excitement was apparent among students upon the La-Z-Alle’s launch. Aplazar noted the significant increase in Goks’ crowd during its debut. Sky Campos (III, BS-STT) praised the University’s decision, saying, “Maybe this term’s three-percent tuition fee increase was worth it for these beanbags.” 

While the connection between the beanbags and the ever-increasing tuition fees was never confirmed, the beanbags have undeniably made life easier for Goks’ residents. Students only need to plop down on a beanbag to have easy access to nearly every basic human need and luxury—except for a shower—and comfortably spend days “locked in” for their tasks. The beanbags have effectively transformed Goks into a space where students can camp out for days, only leaving to attend face-to-face lectures. Essentially, DLSU-CARE has turned Buy ‘n Large’s hover chairs into a reality. 

Nobody seems to fight over them anymore either. Aplazar observes how each friend group in Goks only needed to share a single, expanded beanbag. He points to a sequence of five beanbags that were all colored bright yellow, a color symbolizing stress to inform onlookers that every single person in that particular expanded beanbag is currently crashing out over CALENG2. 

In many ways, the beanbags encapsulate the best and the worst of Goks. They serve as a sanctuary for many students hammering away to meet deadlines or unwinding after a week of lectures and exams. The beanbags are always there for Lasallians 24/6. 

This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Spoof 2025 issue. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSSpoof2025.