MU to remove bikes from dorms Friday

Students found a surprise Wednesday when they went to retrieve their bicycles from MU residential halls. Red tags hung from their handlebars, informing them that if the bikes weren’t removed by today, they would be cut off the racks at the owner’s expense.

“Summer school is coming, and we need to clean out the racks and get ready for the next round of students,” said John Humlicek, associate director for Residential Life and the head of Facility Operations.

Residential Life will remove the bikes Friday and then turn them over to campus police in the Virginia Avenue Garage, 901 Virginia Ave. Students have up to a year to recover their bike by giving a description of it. After that, the bikes will be sold at a public auction.

There is no cost to recover the bike. The phrase “cut off at the owner’s expense” that appeared on the tags refers to the fact that the university won’t replace the chain after it’s cut.

Bikes can be parked at residential halls again next week, depending on whether Residential Life is able to complete removing all of the tagged ones Friday.

Students were informed at the end of the school year that the procedure would occur. Humlicek estimates that between 70 and 100 bikes received tags.