A new bike repair station has been installed on the west side of the Memorial Union. The station includes an air pump, two tire levers and a variety of screwdriver and wrench options. 

The new installation comes as a part of Iowa State’s Green Initiatives Fund, a sponsorship in which student-led organizations around Iowa State and Ames can apply to receive money for their projects, events and initiatives that promote environmental, economic or social sustainability, according to the Student Government website. 

A sum of $15,000 is set aside for the fund each year at Iowa State. Applications are submitted to and reviewed by the Student Government’s sustainability committee, led by Olivia Miller, a senior studying environmental science.

The idea for the new bike repair stations originated after Miller’s virtual tour of Iowa State as an incoming freshman. 

“Something that really stuck out to me was when they mentioned that there were two bike repair stations on campus for students to have free access to, I thought, ‘Wow, this university really cares about its students and wants to be a more sustainable place,’” Miller said.

However, when Miller finally arrived on campus, her first experience with the bike repair stations did not go as planned. On her way home from class one day, Miller’s bike tire had begun to lose air in one of its tires.

“I tried to inflate it, and basically I left the station with a tire with absolutely no air and was left with a flat tire…I was very, very grumpy about it,” Miller said. 

When Miller assumed the role of Student Government’s director of sustainability, she recalled her past experience and ultimately decided it was time to take action. In addition to her own encounter, Miller had recently seen two individuals working on a bike in front of the Memorial Union, but rather than utilizing the university’s repair station, they were opting to use their own materials and tools. 

“I had heard a lot of horror stories since about people trying to fix their bikes there and not succeeding because [the stations] were previously installed in 2013, so they were very old and broken before we replaced them,” Miller said.

Miller then reached out to the university’s director of sustainability, Merry Rankin, who put her in contact with Chris Strawhacker, a campus planner for Iowa State’s facilities planning and management department. Miller then formed a subcommittee within the Student Government’s sustainability committee. 

Miller also joined the university’s bicycle advocacy group, which she said was pleased with the idea of the Green Initiatives Fund being utilized to repair the stations on campus, as they themselves did not have the funds available for the project. Miller proceeded to write the application to the Green Initiatives Fund which was ultimately approved by both the sustainability and finance committees.

Following its construction, the new bike repair station located on the west side of the Memorial Union was unveiled to the public with a ribbon-cutting Feb. 12. Miller and the rest of the sustainability committee also plan to replace the university’s other bike repair station located just north of the Hub. The second bike repair station is set to be completed this spring after nearby construction concludes.

Looking toward the future, Miller and the rest of the sustainability committee has several upcoming projects and events that it looks forward to. The committee will host the upcoming One Sustainable Iowa Student Conference on April 26. 

“[The event] gathers students, faculty and staff from all the upper education institutions across Iowa to connect and talk between campuses about issues of sustainability and how to inspire others from different ideas,” Miller said.

The sustainability committee is also in the midst of collaborating with the Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) in efforts to promote proper recycling practices within dorm buildings and the rest of campus. The committee is currently designing posters and magnets featuring QR codes linking to the Student Government website, which provides information on where and how to recycle, both on and off campus.

With an array of projects in the works, Miller said the team continues to work to make Iowa State a more sustainable place and improve the overall student experience on campus.