BEAST promotes bike culture on the UST campus and in the broader local community by: creating a community bike space, advocating for bikers, supporting commuting by bike, providing maintenance, and safety education. The group also seeks to connect with other bike organizations beyond campus.
This history of BEAST begins with a UST student bicyclist co-founder who had been hanging around MAC folks a lot and met up with MAC BIKE to do some work in their shop. After a few week day evenings the decision was made to start a group on the UST grounds. A meeting was called by posting a lot of flyers with stenciled art. These flyers were everywhere on campus and significantly aided word of mouth. After the meeting BEASTers had a group, but a club was going to require serious legwork to get the necessary paperwork in order.
By nature the BEASTers who had met together wanted a collective ownership by all, since there were those who could not make the meeting that still wanted to participate. But UST club guidelines required the assigning of key roles, president, treasurer, etc. The group decided to adopt the guidelines for the purpose of becoming an official club*. As members stood in for roles, while tasks and duties were shared by those who, depending on a number of variables, could accomplish what was needed, like securing a bike helmet & light program.
This got the first lube-o-tommies off the ground and into Foley Plaza to repair basic bike problems. Sibly Bike Coop showed up too! It also got some t-shirts stenciled with MAC bike on a cold November night. And in the spring the 1st annual "Taxman Cometh Alleycat" was held on April 13th, which brought over 50 bicyclists from all over the Twin Cities to race. The competition allowed riders to win three possible ways; through an art contest at one of the stops, by answering correctly to questions on the manifest, and by finishing first. At $5 an entry it was a pretty big kitty and a fun time had by all.
Afterwards, BEAST got movin' on its lair in the basement of LORAS hall, started accepting bikes from donaters, such as UST public safety, which confiscates lonely bikes during the vacation holidays, and wrote to Park Tools (St Paul) to aquire a bike stand and tools. BEAST partnered with Youth Farm & Market Project West Side for a Pedal Vegetable Delivery Program over the summer. Now BEAST has returned its focus to campus and started the long awaited Bike Share program for the community in and around UST!
*by becoming an official club, BEAST would have access to funds appropriated by USG every year, which is no joke if you are trying to clean the bottom bracket and you need a pin spanner
If you would like to know more information about BEAST, send an e-mail to jadietel@stthomas.edu