Some of you are aware of the recent events in our neighbor to the West. The Davis Bike Church (which has been around even longer than the SBK!) is going to be losing their space on campus. This is very sad news and it is unfortunate that the powers that be at UC Davis have not stepped up to offer more support. There was a benefit dance party on Saturday (pictures here) that drew a huge crowd. It is great to see such support from the community. The party might be over but now comes the hard part, working towards non-profit status just like us. A few of us at the SBK are planning on helping out and we’d like to see others join us in helping our old time neighbors and friends in Davis.
Update: There is a community meeting today at the Domes to discuss the next steps for the Bike Church. Click the link on our calendar –>
What follows is the letter the received:
Thank you for checking in with us to inquire about the status of the
Bike Church. We are aware that there is a group of people who would
like to see the Bike Church succeed and offer services to the community.
There are actually a variety of updates I can share with you and I
apologize for the delay as I am still in the process of talking to a
couple of people responsible for addressing the recent concerns.As we look at the recent development of the Bike Church and its 4-5 year
history on Student Housing property, there are a variety of concerns for
our department. One concern relates to the general risk and liability
of this kind of operation on residential property. Health and safety
issues are always going to be under a microscope and any injury or
concern is a liability for our department. Another liability is the
money and property you collect as “donations”, which can be a large
concern for the campus and Student Housing if it does not meet strict
regulations. Now that you are a registered student group the Student
Programs and Activities Office (SPAC) might be of assistance to you in
this area as you grow (see UC Davis, Policy & Procedure Manual Sections
260 & 270). Another health and safety concern relates to this
organization having open membership to the Davis community and the
security issues that can arise since this facility is located in a
housing area. The final concern is related to the fact that the Bike
Church established itself on Student Housing property without specific
approval and continues to operate and grow as its own entity. The
current location of the Bike Church results in our involvement and staff
time to address any issues that arise.Student Housing has been notified by the UC Davis Fire Department that
the Bike Church structure does not meet code and should stop being used
immediately. Along with the concerns from the Fire Department there are
a number of requirements that the structure needs to meet to receive
campus approval. These requirements include items such as submitting
detailed schematic drawings of the structure, receiving approval from
multiple campus committees, and receiving official approval from Student
Housing for use of the land. Based on the time, money, and on-going
commitment needed to receive approval it does not seem like the Bike
Church structure will be able to receive campus approval.Another reason for the delay in getting back to your group relates to
our due diligence in finding a possible solution and positive outcome
for everyone involved. We have reconfirmed with the Fire Department
their stance on the need to immediately stop use of the facility. We
have conferred with the UC Davis Office of Resource Management and
Planning as to other campus options that might be considered. In our
research, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the Bike Church is
now a registered student group with the Student Programs and Activities
Office (SPAC) which, as previously mentioned, might be of some
assistance in helping your organization. We have made some initial
contact with their office and had planned on meeting with them. You
should consider doing the same.We understand and appreciate the mission and goals you strive for with
this program. Many of your objectives are in alignment with Student
Housing objectives as they relate to sustainability, recycling,
promoting health and wellness, etc., but we are not in the bike repair
business. Based on the notice from the Fire Department and the other
concerns listed above we need to have use of the Bike Church structure
stop immediately and for the Bike Church in its’ entirety to be removed
from Student Housing property. The structure should be completely
dismantled by December 1, 2008 and everything should be removed from
Student Housing property by the end of this calendar year (December 31,
2008). We will be posting flyers in the next couple of days in the Bike
Church area. Anything you can do to help notify your members would be
appreciated.Chuck Huneke
Assistant Director, Residential Education
UC Davis Student Housing
(530) 752-1736
fax: (530) 752-4345
Please distribute this email widely:
As many of you know, UC Davis Student housing has issued an eviction notice to the Davis Bike Church. You can find plenty of information about the situation in the attached press release on our Davis Wiki page, or by contacting the ministry by email. We’re writing to ask you to speak out against the eviction and to express your support for the Bike Church by encouraging the UC Davis Administration to recognize the value of Bike Church in our community and to work collaboratively with us to find permanent resolutions to their concerns. Here are a few ways you can help:
· Join the 70+ others in our community who have sent personal emails to UC Davis Student Housing
Use the letter copied below and add your own statements of support
Send your email to: jchu…@ucdavis.edu; bmpe…@ucdavis.edu ; ecga…@ucdavis.edu; few…@ucdavis.edu; bike…@gmail.com. These are mostly Student Housing administrators.
· Sign the online petition which we’ll deliver to UC Davis Administrators later this week http://www.petitiononline.com/SaveDBC/petition.html.
· Join the Facebook group to stay connected and hear the latest news: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2484976956&ref=ts
· Rally! Meet at the Bike Church Thursday at 2:00pm and stand with us in support as we deliver our response to Student Housing’s notice of eviction
· Spread the word and encourage others to speak up as well. Send this call to action out widely. Let the Administration know how important the Bike Church is to our community.
· Personally contact anyone else you think you could voice your concern to.
· Join with the Bike Church and Davis Bicycles! on November 19th at 7:00pm in the Domes Community Center for a community meeting to envision ideas and options for a permanent bicycle cooperative in Davis.
· Keep riding your bike, and visit the Church Wednesday and Saturday 12-6pm for our regular open hours.
Sincerely,
The Ministry
USE THE FOLLOWING TEXT AS A BASE FOR YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL TO UC DAVIS ADMINISTRATORS
SEND YOUR EMAIL TO: jchu…@ucdavis.edu; bmpe…@ucdavis.edu; ecga…@ucdavis.edu; few…@ucdavis.edu; bike…@gmail.com
Dear UC Davis Administrators,
The Davis Bike Church has served us, the Davis and UC Davis community, for four years as a unique repository for tools, recycled parts, and knowledge about bicycles. During that time, thousands of us have been empowered through education received at the Bike Church. It is for this reason that we are troubled by the sudden eviction of the Bike Church from the University campus. Though we understand the concerns expressed about the Bike Church, we are thoroughly disappointed by Student Housing Administration’s unwillingness to work constructively toward viable resolutions. UC Davis as a proud history of fostering the roots of unique community service organizations; consider the Experimental College, Craft Center, KDVS, the Bike Barn, Outdoor Adventures, and Unitrans as examples. It saddens us to see the current UC Davis Housing Administration snuff the efforts of an emerging group of volunteers proving a valuable community service. We respectfully request that Student Housing, and other appropriate departments of the University, spend the time and effort necessary to allow Bike Church volunteers to comply with University regulations and thus continue to serve the community for years to come.
In the eviction notice sent to the Bike Church, Student Housing expressed several concerns which we believe are easy to resolve if the University staff would only communicate and collaborate with the Bike Church volunteers. Concerns about liability have already been solved by such organizations as the Craft Center, and it would be simple to implement a similar waiver system. Environmental Health and Safety concerns have been addressed since Student Housing first began to press the issue, and the efforts of Bike Church volunteers need only the review, additional guidance and approval from University Environmental Health and Safety experts. Fire Department concerns can be solved through communication and cooperation in implementing modern fire prevention. Monetary transactions of other campus organizations have been structured and regulated, and certainly clear guidance from University officials would allow the Bike Church to operate according to necessary accounting policy. Student Housing’s concern about the Bike Church serving non-student community members in a location near student housing seems unfounded since the EC gardens, with an equally immediate proximity to the Domes, has a long standing history of serving people from throughout the community. Lastly, the Domes community approved and supported the Bike Church from its inception and continues to express clear and strong support for the Bike Church activities.
We implore the UC Davis administration to stay true to their public service, educational, and environmental promises by taking the time to work collaboratively with this grass-roots community service project, rather than pretentiously brushing it aside. The Bike Church volunteers provide education and a welcoming community for bicyclists, filling a niche that is neglected by other campus programs. Losing this organization may seem small compared to more pressing administrative concerns, but it would be a sad blow to the base of the UC Davis community and would reflect a lack of University support for community building, public service, and sustainability.
Sincerely,
Jason Moore
Minister, Davis Bike Church
PhD Student, MAE, UC Davis
Fulbright Scholar, TU Delft, Netherlands
http://mae.ucdavis.edu/~biosport/jkm/