Even though the Government of the Student Body is responsible for distributing the proceeds of student activity fees — which last spring amounted to a collective $2 million — and therefore can do a great deal of work to improve the vibrancy of student life at Iowa State, sometimes the body gets distracted by superficial resolutions that are powerless but act as if student assent is necessary before a proposal can be implemented.

For an example of that distraction, look no further than the advice from GSB president Jared Knight that the senate considers a resolution in support of the Iowa Board of Regents’ proposal that tuition be frozen.

Other times, however, such as at Wednesday’s meeting, they will consider measures that actually travel along the path of “enhanc[ing] students’ experiences at Iowa State University through active representation, engagement and support.”

To see that — a fulfillment of their mission — in action, we need look further than the proposal that a bicycle service station be constructed outside the Maintenance Shop of the Memorial Union. This proposal, we think, is an ideal example of what GSB should be up to.

Tip O’Neill, a former U.S. Speaker of the House, once said: “All politics is local.” All political activity comes back to what representatives can do to improve the lives their constituents share with one another. Although small in size and hyper-local in focus, GSB is indeed a political institution. And their responsibility is to the students of Iowa State.

Colleges are already populated by cyclists pedaling their way from one end of campus to another in an effort to arrive on time for class. Iowa State is no different. With a record enrollment of 31,040 students, there are sure to be more bicycles as well. While pedestrians and cyclists alike need to take steps to share the sidewalks and streets more courteously, one thing is certain: Even the cyclists deserve student support.

The GSB bill does that. Funded by GSB and the Inter-Residence Hall Association and maintained by the resident experts in the field — the Cycling Club) — the station will make it possible for students who rely on bicycles for travel and use them for recreation to refill their tires with air and make basic repairs year-round. At a cost of only $3,000, who can complain? The most dedicated pedestrians might find someday before they graduate that riding a bike is better.

The M-Shop has not been a maintenance shop since 1974. With this bike station proposal, it may become a maintenance shop once again, albeit of a different sort.