People on campus have been using Mississippi State University’s new bicycles to get from place to place. However, some have taken bicycles off campus.
Associate dean of students Thomas Bourgeois said university officials are trying to get the word out that the bicycles are for on-campus use only.
“We’ve partnered with Starkville police and the Oktibbeha County sheriff, at this point just informing students,” he said. “We’re not trying to arrest anybody yet, just saying, ‘Look, work with us at this point to keep them on campus.'”
He said there has been an interest from the city about expanding the program citywide.
“That’s just preliminary,” Bourgeois said. “One of the students has talked to one of the aldermen about it and they at least expressed some interest to do that.”
John Thompson, the Student Association administration liaison, said off-campus use is not what the bikes were designed for, but he is glad they are being used.
“We were wondering if they’d be used or laughed at,” he said. “They’re definitely being used, so that can be a positive that comes out of it, but they’re strictly supposed to be used for on-campus transportation.”
Many bikes have been seen in the Cotton District.
Art instructor Jayson Triplett said he saw one in the district.
“It kind of bummed me out because I’m hoping people will respect the idea of it instead of just jumping on it, taking it somewhere and not returning it,” he said. “Hopefully everyone will be respectful of the purpose of these bikes.”
Abby Collins, a waitress at Bin 612, said when she came into work Monday there was one on South Nash Street.
“There was a cop parked in the front,” she said. “It was in a random yard, just right up against a tree.”
Freshman biological sciences major Luke Scott said he spotted one near the Cotton District.
“It wasn’t too far off campus,” he said. “It was close to where it was probably recovered and brought back.”
The Cotton District is not the only place off campus where the bikes have been taken. Some bikes have ended up at apartments near campus.
Senior communication major Owen McGuire said he sees the bikes at Campus Trails all the time. He said he is OK with students taking them there because the apartments are so close to campus.
“They should just leave them at the common bike rack in the courtyard,” McGuire said. “I wish they would all stay on campus though. That’s the original purpose.”
Sophomore communication major Kimberly Ragsdale said people ride the bicycles to 21 Apartments.
“People just ride them over from campus and put them in front of their apartments and then the big truck comes and picks them up at nighttime,” she said. “I’ve seen about three, but I only live in the front of the building so I don’t know what’s going on in the back.”
Some students ride the bicycles to other places in Starkville as well. Josh Gilbert, junior construction management major, said he rode one to Regions Bank. He said he is trying to help the environment and drive less.
“Gas prices have gone down, but I’m still trying to conserve,” he said. “I just had to go to cash a check, so me and my buddy, we could only find one bike, so I rode it down there and he walked and on the way back he rode it and I walked.”
He said the bicycles make him very happy.
“As you pass by everybody, they’re [the bicycles] just so big and awkward looking and goofy,” he said. “Everybody else, they get that same little feeling also. I like seeing that happen.”
Bourgeois said the program has far exceeded their expectations and they are trying to put together a package to get an additional 100 bicycles early.
“It takes about three months for them to come in, so we’re trying to plan already for maybe the end of the semester and of course for orientation and to have them spill out over the summer,” he said.
Bourgeois said there has been a good response to the program.
“Feedback from faculty and staff and students has been pretty tremendous,” he said.