While sitting in class today the dean of students at MSU popped in for what I thought was going to be a quick presentation, but rather to my delight and I am sure many others, he informed us that he had nothing prepared and simply started conversing with the students. Isn’t this guy too busy to come talk to the students? My misconception was wiped clear when he stated that one of the duties of his job was to be the intermediate between the faculty, student senate, and other organizations on campus. A liaison for the student body so to speak. Of the many questions that were brought up, there was one that really caught my eye and seriously made me wonder if it was a joke. The question referred to banning bicycles on campus because there have been a few complaints from faculty members about these two wheeled fiends flying at high speeds down campus and endangering themselves and others around them. As we may all know, bicycles are at the crux of the many outlets of transportation to navigate around campus quickly and efficiently. Along with bicycles the other varieties of wheeling around (no pun intended) are long boards, unicycles, skateboards, and even the ever so classic Razor scooter which still continues to give mothers heart attacks when their child comes home with a matching bloody elbows and a twisted pile of shrapnel that was formerly the scooter little Johnny just had to have for his 12th birthday. Point being, this idea is absurd. Banning bicycles on campus would enrage many, and surprise even more.
Instead of banning bikes on campus, the student senate and faculty should think about options for bicycle education, safety, and awareness. All students at MSU take an online class that educates the wide-eyed freshman (we were all there at one point) about alcohol use. A quick bicycle safety awareness course that would cover the basics of commuting to and from campus or a video specified to educate students on riding on or around campus in a safe manner. Students and faculty would be encouraged to write in to the senate about their most common problems with the swift bikers and long boarders and their opinions on how to fix them. After compiling all of these ideas, the film department at MSU could make a video on bike safety that would be mandatory for every student to watch. A quick 5-minute video wouldn’t be too painful, and certainly not the end of the world. Re-route the bikers, or make them more visible, or give them lanes around campus would all be possible ideas to consider. The top five reoccurring concerns would be looked into in further detail by the student senate and faculty alike.
I feel as though there are other options than to simply do away with bicycles completely. Bozeman and MSU boast about their “green prowess” and sustainability alike with programs like taking back the tap, or increased recycling bins around campus. Banning the eco-friendly efficient bicycles would be like banning all alcoholic beverages in a local bar. The hypocrisy would be immense, and the parking problem would only skyrocket. But please, raise tuition and fees for that new parking lot to accommodate for the parking issue at the expense of the bicyclists. That’s definitely a stretch, but I once thought no bicycles on campus was a stretch as well…
