Bicycles and School Spirit

There's been some buzz lately about the little reminder that went out about UMBC's Bicycle Policy. Apparently just a few too many students have been riding bikes around lately, prompting this memo that bicycles are to be parked only in designated pods or racks rather than chained willy-nilly to immovable objects around campus.

I'd like to echo some of the recent sentiments on UMBC Underground and ask the question - how does a memo like this affect our campus life experience? Steve and I had an interesting discussion with David Hoffman (Co-Create UMBC) this afternoon about this, so I'm sure at some point this will appear on his blog as well.

At any rate, there are really two conflicting priorities at work on our campus that can be described by thinking about grandmothers. The first grandmother's house is welcoming and inviting - there are the interesting artifacts and family pictures prominently displayed that you are careful to respect, but overall they add to the enjoyable experience you have when you visit. The second grandmother covers her sofas with plastic to ensure that they always remain pristine, but in doing so loses the comfort offered by the furniture. Her precious items are kept far from reach where they cannot be appreciated or enjoyed.

Personally, my priority is the first option - I would like to see UMBC take the plastic off the couch and allow students to feel comfortable and welcomed at their university. It's okay for the university to look and feel like students actually use it, even if that means everything isn't 100% "good as new" all the time. This objective was furthered recently with the posting of a very large banner on the side of the Commons. The game this Thursday will be an interesting experiment. I would like to see the students there excited about the game and their school's team regardless of fears about being "too rowdy." Let's show Morgan State that we are proud to be UMBC students and aren't afraid to enjoy ourselves at an athletic event. If somebody tells our students to sit down and be quiet, I want to see students stand up for themselves, if not at the game itself then in the week afterward. This is our campus, and we have the right to use it.