The Triangle

Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Bianca Pulido-The Triangle The University is implementing a Drexel Bike Share that will allow students to rent a bike for free after completing a user agreement form. This project is part of the Power Of Ten initiative.

The division of Student Life and Administrative Services has released a new campus initiative called "The Power of Ten" in response to suggestions students have made to the University.

The first proposal is categorized as "Mobility" and includes the Winter Shuttle Loop, the creation of a Drexel Bike Share program, and the installation of more bike racks around campus.

The Winter Shuttle Loop runs approximately every 10 minutes from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and stops at Caneris Hall, the Kelly/Myers Hall Quad, and the Creese Student Center. Since its debut in early of winter term, ridership has increased on the shuttle, according to James Katsaounis, the executive director of communications and marketing for SLAS.

The Drexel Bike Share is a new program that will provide the usage of bikes free of charge after a student completes a user agreement form through parking services. SLAS is looking for the bike share to accommodate students that need to run an errand or for students to use the bikes for leisure recreation.

The bikes will be available to rent during the week, or for an entire weekend, if it is signed out on Friday, according to Rita LaRue, senior associate vice president of Drexel Business Services.

"There will be 10 bikes to start, and that number can increase if the student demand is there," LaRue said.

The third project, the installation of new bike racks, has been an initiative of the Undergraduate Student Government Association for a while, according to Katsaounis. More bike racks will be added to at least six locations including outside of certain residence halls and in the quad area.

The Power of Ten initiative began two months ago when Senior Vice President James Tucker wanted to do something in response to the student suggestions, according to LaRue.

Tucker and the SLAS were looking to implement changes in an organized fashion, according to LaRue.

According Katsaounis, the SLAS picked the most realistic student suggestions. However, these suggestions cost from $10,000 to $100,000.

The initiatives that are proposed in this year will be completed by the end of the academic year in June.

The Power of Ten, an annual initiative, is a series of projects that will be presented every two weeks through the end of the spring term.

The next initiative, under the category of Special events will be released in The Triangle on Feb. 29.

"The Special Events project is interactive, building on an already popular program on campus that is student driven and enhances student experiences," Katsaounis said.

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