1. written by Siqi Yuan
“GO! GO! GO!”
The crowd is shouting passionately for Josu Leibrandt, an
exchange student, who is riding a brand new green bike.
Josu starts out in the Novelty Race
23 seconds later, he wins the novelty race.
It is the 7 of March at launch of the Bike Club at the Housing
Service for the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
Balloon Bike to Celebrate the Launch of the Bike Club
The Bike Club provides the residents of UTS Housing with up to
72 hours access to bikes for free, including helmets, locks, lights
for night time riding. Also, there are cycling events arranged every
month, in which residents can ride to Bondi, Darling Harbour, the
Rocks, etc.
“With a bike, I can go everywhere I want. I can go much further
than walking. If I come across something I never met, it will be
great”, says an exchange student who comes from Japan, Mayuko
Imai.
Most of the residents at UTS Housing are international students
th
THE WHEELS TURN AT THE UTS
HOUSING BIKE CLUB
MARCH 14, 2014 | AREDGRAVE| LEAVE A COMMENT
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2. from all over the world. Many of them had a bike back home,
however some cannot afford bikes here, and the public transport
fares are expensive for them too. As a result, many residents only
“stick around” the campus.
For this reason, UTS Housing started to arrange the Bike Club and
applied some financial support, recently approved from the City of
Sydney – the local government authority. The money has already
been used to buy two cargo bikes and provide maintenance for
many bikes. With these bikes, the international students can learn
about the city much easier without spending any money, says
Housing Officer Rachelle Barouh who started the club.
“At the UTS Housing Bike Club, we give student residents the
opportunity to explore Sydney and new places, take groups for a
ride, or use the bike for shopping instead of taking a bus or train”,
says Amit Mitra, Manager of Housing service at UTS.
Amit talk to Siqi about the Bike Scheme
For international students, studying at overseas universities is not
easy. Not only do they have to deal with their academic work, but
they have emotional challenges too. It is common to feel
isolated”. Amit Mitra says, “in the Housing Bike Club it is much
easier for international students to make new friends with others
who share similar interests.”
“We aim to make their time here as amazing as possible, while still
allowing them to focus on their studies. It’s important for residents
to feel that this is their home away from home. We want people to
be able to make friends, have fun, graduate and become the best
person they can possibly be”, says Rachelle Barouh.
In addition, UTS Housing Bike Club runs workshops every month.
In these workshops, the residents learn how to maintain their
bikes, reducing their cost of repairs.
UTS Housing Residents Learn Bike Maintenance Skills
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3. However, the benefits of participating in Bike Club are not only for
international students, but also local students. It is a pleasant way
to learn new cultures and new knowledge. It is a good opportunity
to become a global citizen in this strongly multi-cultural country,
Australia.
“It doesn’t matter where you are from, and there is no boundary.
It is very exciting that the young people mix amongst each other,
share ideas and their own differences“, says Amit Mitra.
Apart from the Bike Club, UTS Housing organises as many events,
clubs and parties as they can. As Rachelle Barouh says, these are
for all the residents. “We try to build a conducive living and
learning environment for everyone”.
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