Here's the response to the email I sent, apparently the majority of students do indeed support the idea of more study space:

Hi Amy Lia,

To be honest, you are one of only two students to express concerns thus far about the elimination of the program. Far more have been interested in purchasing one of the used laptops (which will not be sold), which tacitly shows a lack of concern.

Ending the laptop program is part of a larger set of budget cuts, and I think it's important to understand it in that context. We are cutting over a million dollars combined from our salary and collections budgets, so the difficult financial times alluded to in the announcement are impacting us in many ways, arguably more deeply and profoundly than ending the laptop lending.

I get your point that one need not lead to the other, i.e.- that it had to be laptops or seating. It's not that simple, of course, but with the resources we have, we feel (and have the signal from
students) that putting them into student spaces is a better strategy.
It's worth noting in that regard that it's not just the cost of the laptops in question here, but also the staffing that it takes to support them on an ongoing basis. That's a significant investment both in terms of finances and human resources.

Best regards,
Dale

Well, that's it, then, isn't it? :(