Mount Mercy Times
IowaWatch.org college Debt story
While at Mount Mercy University, I had the opportunity to perform a video interview on graduating college students for the state-wide college debt story published by IowaWatch.org (The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism) May 15, 2013.
By Christopher Emery
Staff Writer When it comes to biking, Mount Mercy is one of the most ideal locations in Cedar Rapids. With access to nearly 70 miles of connected trail within a mile from campus, free student bike rentals, free biking events in Cedar Rapids and opportunity to form the MMU team to ride the longest race across the state, the opportunities to enjoy biking at Mount Mercy are limitless. Less than a mile from campus is the Cedar River Trail, a paved trail that runs South throughscenic sites in downtown Cedar Rapids (connecting to the Hoover Nature Trail to Ely)and runs North to Hiawatha where it connects tothe Cedar Valley Nature Trail—a 52 mile trail through the Iowa countryside that’s end point is just outside Waterloo, providing a full-day biking experience.It also has a scenic loop around Cedar Lake near campus. Also near Mount Mercy is the CeMar Trail, a simple half-mile recreational trail just down the road on Prairie Drive (near the Franklin Middle School track), whichis ideal for any form of exercise such as jogging or skating. Sarah Botkin, Assistant Dean & Director of Student Activities (and an avid biker), noted that Mount Mercy has multiple options for students interested in biking, including an added bike rack outside of Regina Hall (in addition to others located at Warde, Donnelly and the Regina patio) as well as two rental bikes. One bike isequipped with saddle bags for students to carry supplies with them, such as textbooks, store purchases and groceries. “If students want to ride their bike to HyVee or Walgreens, they’ll be able to transport their purchases,”said Brenda Steinke, Coordinator of Recreation & Wellness. Steinke said that the saddle bags are ideal for students who may not have access to a car but would like to make trips to the store or travel around town.“You can get a lot of places.” Mount Mercy’s two rental bikes are available for checkout with a student ID at the Information Desk in the University Center. In previous years, some Mount Mercy students and faculty have rode RAGRBAI, an annual race across the entire length of Iowa in the summer. “There are a number of Mount Mercy people that ride,” said Botkin. Both Botkin and Steinke have participated in RAGBRAI in past years and students can form their own group to ride the race together. Steinke, whose rode RAGBRAI with her husband for the past 20 years, recommends any interested student to ride. “We would love to get more students biking [RAGBRAI].” For events in Cedar Rapids, student bikers can attend “Meet Me at the Market,” a free, casual ride, run or walk Thursdays from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at New Bo City Market (accessible by the Cedar River Trail). The event starts and ends at New Bo City Market and includes free music. If you would like more information on RAGBRAI, please visit ragbrai.com and contact Sarah Botkin at [email protected] for information on MMU bike jerseys. To register for “Meet Me at the Market,” visit newbocitymarket.com and click the “Meet Me” tab. If you’d like to know more about bike safety and rules in Iowa, please visit bikeiowa.com. |