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Spokane, WA — Established in 1887 Gonzaga University has undergone a sort of metamorphosis over the past century— evolving from a frontier boarding school for boys, into one of the premier regional universities in the west. The campus, located within minutes of downtown Spokane, has grown to encompass nearly 90 buildings on 108 acres. It now enrolls 5,600 students and offers degrees in 92 fields of study.
In order to accommodate their changing needs as a growing University, Gonzaga started a major building campaign, adding two new residence halls, a new science building, a new 12,000 square foot fitness center, and a new 6,000 seat arena.
Yet, even as Gonzaga continues to erect more buildings and accommodate more people, its administration remains ever mindful of their most important role _ preparing students for others and the lives they will lead when they leave the University. During their rebuilding effort, Gonzaga also added 60 American Bicycle Security Company Lockers to their campus.
The presence of bike parking complements the University’s goal to educate the whole person, “mind, body, and spirit,” and their guiding theme, "cura personalis," care for the individual, by encouraging them to include heath and fitness activities, like bicycling, into their schedule. The majority of our population tends to become less active as they get older _ bicycling improves personal fitness, enhances energy, and is easy on the body.
The lockers Gonzaga elected to purchase are from American Bicycle Security’s 300 series, which includes a variety of styles. They received model number 302 which accommodates two bikes in each locker, the 301P which can house one bike and can fit into a pie shape group with other units, and the 301 which can also hold one bike but can be installed up against a building or other structure.
One of the primary reasons Gonzaga elected to install American Bicycle Security’s lockers was because of their versatility — these lockers helped meet the unique needs of all of Gonzaga’s locations. What’s more, the lockers were shipped to them completely assembled, so they did not incur any additional installation or assembly charges.
So far, the American Bicycle Security program has been extremely popular among the students and staff. According to Scott Murray, Director of Campus Services, “100 percent of the lockers are currently rented! The students and staff love them and want more,” he added.
Stella Kent, Crime Prevention Coordinator at Gonzaga, and member of the Campus Bike Patrol, uses the lockers regularly, and echoed Murray’s comments. The lockers are, “100 percent better than locking your bike to racks outdoors, where they are more likely to be stolen! And they are very easy to get your bike in and out of,” said Kent.
What’s more, you can “ride away from the site without having to carry your bike up and down the stairs, or in and out of buildings,” she added.
Prior to installing the lockers, the University relied on traditional bike racks. According to Kent, the lockers have, “definitely reduced bike theft on campus — the thieves have become frustrated.”
This is great news for Gonzaga because statistics compiled by the FBI indicate that an average of 450,000 bicycles are stolen each year! Furthermore, other reports, suggest that twice as many as that are stolen each year, but they are never reported.
Kent added that the lockers have also been very easy to manage – a great plus for a lean organization. No damage has been reported to the lockers, and they haven’t had any break-ins.
The lockers are currently available to staff and students free of charge, and are rented on a first come, first serve basis. In the future however, administrators may charge a nominal fee to use the lockers.
For those students and staff at the University who don’t yet have a locker yet, don’t despair, help is on the way. Plans are already underway to add 20 more lockers to the campus in the next year, with hopes of eventually doubling their current capacity.
For more information about Gonzaga University visit:
www.gonzaga.edu
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