Practically abandoned and outwardly terrifying, the former dormitory known as Jones Hall looks exactly like the kind of creepy place you’d try to avoid this time of year. But down in the basement, amid a graveyard of broken bikes, something wonderful is beginning to take shape.
Bikes EMU was founded by of a group of students with a shared ambition to give back to the university. Recognizing a need for a bike organization, they collect used bicycles from the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor area in hopes of rebuilding and repairing them. Led by geography professor Chris Mayda, whose Sustainability, Environment, and Society class first proposed the club in fall 2008, Bikes EMU provides an opportunity for students to learn mechanical skills and play a little part in something grand.
Ben Cox, who has experience working in a bike shop, has been the group’s president for two years. At their bi-weekly meetings, he gives a short lesson to the club and then lets the members free to work.
One such member is freshman Ian Fromm.
“Bikes EMU is a positive reinforcer of maintaining physical health awareness on campus,” Fromm said, noting the group isn’t all work and no play. “They take regular bike rides together and share a common passion for biking.
With the push to “be green,” bike riding is becoming a prominent mode of transportation, especially at universities like
Eastern Michigan. Taking a bike to class cuts down on commute time and eliminates any waste that would have been given off by using a combustion-powered vehicle. Not only is it good for the environment, but it’s also good for your body. Want to avoid gaining the freshman 15? Take a bike ride around the city and enjoy an easy—and fun—cardio workout.
Another EMU freshman, Antonios Chionis, is particularly fond of the wide range backgrounds that the members come from, being from Greece himself:
“It’s a group that not only helps the campus by fixing bikes—it also reflects diversity through its members.”
Not long ago, Bikes EMU met with EMU president Susan Martin in hopes of articulating the goals of the club. Mayda has high hopes.
“Our plan is to give a bike to each department for use by whoever needs it,” she said. These bikes would be used by the inter-office deliverers as they deliver envelopes and parcels to other departments. The bikes would cut the time it takes to complete their deliveries and allow for ease of transportation from one part of the campus to another.
Even with all of the ambitious goals Bikes EMU is working to bring to fruition, it doesn’t forget the simple joy bike riding can bring. At a time of year when nature is so beautifully painted and the air is finally cool enough to break out your favorite jacket, a leisurely cycling expedition seems like the perfect way to wind down after classes.
As junior Leo Cartier simply put it, “I joined Bikes EMU because I enjoy riding my bike.”
If you’re interested in joining the Bikes EMU crew, make sure to attend its next meeting in the basement of Jones Hall from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13. If biking or repair isn’t your thing but you still want to help out, feel free to donate a used bike in working condition to the club.
