Goshen College named a Bike Friendly University

 

After an application and review process lasting nearly a decade, the League of American Bicyclists named Goshen College a Bike Friendly University on Oct. 24.

Now holding a Bronze certification, the school is one of only four in Indiana to receive a BFU designation. The other three — Indiana University, IUPUI and Purdue University — all have more than 25,000 students, making GC the only liberal arts college in the state to receive the award.

Gonzalo Barahona Hernandez ’24, farm apprentice at Merry Lea, began working on the extensive application process in January under the direction of Dan Barwick, sustainability coordinator at GC. After what Barwick described as “months of dedicated work,” Barahona Hernandez submitted the application in August.

Barahona Hernandez said that the new designation “not only shows GC as an institution that values biking and people who bike, but it also was given because we’re committing to being better at supporting biking.”

The League of American Bicyclists gives these awards to universities around the country that promote and provide more bikeable campuses. They evaluate five main areas: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and evaluation/planning.

The application process began in 2016, when then-student Nat Dick submitted the first application. GC was awarded an honorable mention at that point. Six years later, five students wrote a paper highlighting the school’s success with bicycle infrastructure and areas for improvement, which spurred Barahona Hernandez and Barwick to apply this year for an official award.

Barwick echoed Barahona Hernandez, saying that the award is “a great way to highlight the steps that Goshen College took to make sure the campus is safe and accessible for anyone wanting to bike to class or work, for exercise along the Winona Trail or as an avenue to get downtown. This status also helps create a blueprint on specific areas that we can improve upon and continue growing.”

The college now joins the City of Goshen in its recognition at the Bronze level. The city has been named a Bicycle Friendly Community since 2011, an award which was last renewed in 2023.