On campus long after vehicles go away …

Unassembled

Click on each bike’s photo to follow it back to its original look.
Nov. 16 // Nov. 3 // Oct. 19 // Oct. 6 // Oct. 5 // Sept. 28 // Sept. 9 // Aug. 30, 2006

Priming and Sanding Workshop (Nov. 16)

Speech Professor Gary Marshall will oversee sanding and priming the Wandering Weevil Wheels in the bike workshop in 104 Jeter Hall from 12:30-4 p.m.

He’ll supply sand paper and rust inhibiting primer ready to apply to the frames. If you have not yet adopted a bicycle but would like to be on the second round of fix-ups, please contact Marshall, Buren “Buck” DeFee or Ron Sitton.

Commuting by Bikes Offers Great Benefits (Nov. 3)

See this article by Nancy Stephan in The Voice (http://thevoice.uamont.edu/4_8/bikes.htm )

Fix-up Workshop – IMA members Jennifer Brown (center) and Cody Tornberg (right) work on the group’s adopted bicycle as “Buck” DeFee observes. (photo by Nancy Stephan)

The Ambassadors – Stephen Cagle and Esbeida Arce dismantle their adopted Wandering Weevil Wheels bicycle. (photo by Nancy Stephan)

The Creative Society – Choragus Shannon Stivison removes the fender from the frame. (photo by Nancy Stephan)

Journalism Club — Brittany Pickett and Jasmine Bolen work on rims.

Brooke Burger (kneeling) and J.J. Jackson work on the Journalism Club’s bike.

Kevin Sims sands a chain guard outside of Jeter Hall.

Adoption Day (Oct. 19)

Nearly 15 people huddled into Jeter 104 Thursday afternoon to adopt a bicycle in the inaugural stages of the Wandering Weevil Wheels on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

The rooms present a challenge for space to tear the bicycles down, but cramped quarters provide a better alternative than working outside.

“Buck” DeFee let each group present choose its favorite bicycle to adopt. He told the groups that the next step will be taking the bicycles apart and then sanding them down. He advised everyone to wear grubby clothes during this process as workers are sure to get grease and other stains on their persons while working on the bikes.

A second adoption day will be planned for those who didn’t make the first event. Only six bicycles remain in the inaugural fleet. The following pictures represent the groups that adopted a bicycle in the first adoption. Some pictures turned out better than others. We plan to post re-takes when they become available.

While the bikes won’t be ready for Homecoming, some suggested we should roll them along in the Homecoming Parade to show everyone what they look like before they get all gussied up! Click on the pictures of the Creative Society and IMA to see a picture of the bike as it originally appeared.

The Ambassadors

The Journalism Club’s Brooke Burger, Brittany Pickett, Marcus Roberts and Michael Ford chose the bicycle project.

Time to Fix Up the Bikes (Oct. 6)

Mars sent the campus an invitation to help with the Wandering Weevil Wheels:

Be part of the start of a new Weevil Tradition:

WANDERING WEEVIL WHEELS

Contact Dr. Buck DeFee, in Forestry, defee@uamont.edu to pick out your bicycle. We have a bike workspace in Jeter Hall. His wrench hand is itching to start fixing up these bikes. Some need more repair than others. So the early group has less work.

We’ll strip the paint and redecorate in Weevil colors (Shades of green and white). You can write your organization’s name or whatever you want in words and/or pictures on the bike to advertise that your organization is adopting this bike.

Down the road, when the center of campus is closed to auto/truck traffic; your bike will still be rolling, carrying students around campus.

Weevil Wheels, turning on into the future!

In other news:
– The UAM graphic design studio plans to design a circular sign for the Bike shop with Wandering Weevil Wheels circling a Weevil on a bicycle.
-The Advance Monticellonian ran a picture of the bikes this week. It featured Lt. Eddy Deaton helping Sitton unload the bikes.

Wandering Weevil Wheels Arrive on Campus (Oct. 5)

See this article by Michael Ford in The Voice (http://thevoice.uamont.edu/4_5/wheels.htm)

Campus Arrival (Sept. 28)

The Wandering Weevil Wheels continue to gain momentum.

Of the 10 bicycles donated to the University of Arkansas at Monticello, six came from the city of Monticello and four were provided by UAM faculty and staff. Student Activities provided a room (Jeter 104) to house and work on the bicycles, and the Student Activities Board approved a $250 purchase of tools.

Gary Marshall, Buck DeFee, Shannon Stivison and Ron Sitton keep pushing the project forward on campus.

Mars sent out a call for campus organizations and individuals to adopt a bike, which means volunteering to help fix-up and paint the bike in distinctive Weevil colors. If you or your organization wants to volunteer to help fix-up tune-up or LEARN to fix and tune bikes, e-mail Buck at DeFee@uamont.edu.

Lt. Eddy Deaton of the Monticello Police Department and Michael Ford, editor-in-chief of The Voice, helped unload the bicycles into our new digs while Orkhan Rzayev took the pictures below. Sitton sent a picture from the unloading and the previous blog item to Beverly at the Advance-Monticellonian.

When Campus Police officer Mike May spoke to Sitton’s journalism class, he mentioned the Wandering Weevil Wheels as an example of something good happening on campus.

Unloading – Monticello Police Lt. Eddy Deaton (right) helps Ronald Sitton, UAM assistant professor of journalism, unload bicycles to be used for the Wandering Weevil Wheels program. The Monticello Police Department donated six of the 15 bicycles, with other donations from faculty and staff. (photo by Orkhan Rzayev)

Home – The Wandering Weevil Wheels now reside in Jeter 104, where students and organizations will fix up and paint the bicycles before they’re released to the campus. (photo by Orkhan Rzayev)

The Initial Donation (Sept. 9)

Whoa! It’s Wandering Weevil Wheels! (Aug. 30, 2006)

Read the initial information sent to the campus community as seen in The Voice (http://thevoice.uamont.edu/4_1/bikes.htm).