Wisconsin College Freshmen Getting Free Bikes

According to a Feb. 14th AP article, "A tiny liberal arts college here hopes it has found an answer to a nagging shortage of campus parking: a bicycle giveaway. If incoming freshmen promise not to bring a car to campus for a full year, Ripon College will give them a Trek 820 mountain bike, a helmet and a lock -- a $400 value.

"'We're a residential college with a beautiful, historic campus in the middle of a small town,' said President David Joyce, an avid cyclist. 'Paving it over was not an option I was willing to consider.'

"He hopes the 1,000-student campus' 'Velorution Program' will protect it from building more parking lots. 'We obviously live in a car culture. That's not about to change,' Joyce said. 'But if a significant number of students learn that a car isn't a necessity at this stage of their lives, that's good enough for me.'..."

Source: http://tinyurl.com/3c5fvp
Archive search: use http://googlenews.com search
Title: "Wis. College to Give Bikes to Freshmen"
Author: AP