PantherCycle Program

Reasons to join PantherCycle:

  • It’s exclusive to UWM students only
  • It’s good for the planet by promoting sustainability and reuse culture
  • You can win prizes from the Off Campus Resource Center just for joining
  • Avoid being fined by the city for putting trash on the curb

Have questions? Contact the Off-Campus Resource Center at rent-offcampus@uwm.edu.

Facebook Group Guidelines

How to Join the PantherCycle Facebook Page

1. Click the link to the PantherCycle Facebook group from this page.

2. Once on the Facebook page, click “Join Group.”

3. Answer the 3 questions in the pop-up box. Please make sure to enter your Student I.D. Number.

4. After reading over the group rules, check the “I agree” box and hit “Submit.”

5. Your request will be checked by the PantherCycle Admin Team. You must be a UWM student to be approved for the group!

Legal Disclaimer
  1. UWM does not inspect any of the items offered and makes no representations about their quality, safety, or fitness for a particular purpose.
  2. UWM accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage, or legal liability that may arise from any student’s voluntary participation in this group.
  3. All postings, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, or other materials (“Content”) posted on, transmitted through, or linked from this site are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated (the “Poster”). UWM does not endorse any Content posted to this site. UWM also does not regularly review Content posted on this site, but it reserves the right to remove any Content for any reason, including but not limited to, Content that it deems threatening, obscene, a violation of intellectual property or privacy rights, entirely off-topic, commercial, in violation of UWM’s Discriminatory Conduct Policy, in violation of UWM’s Nonacademic Misconduct policy, or otherwise illegal.
  4. Any Content or conduct in violation of UWM’s Nonacademic Misconduct policy, including theft of items not intended to be taken, will be reported to the UWM Dean of Students Office.
Group Boundaries
GROUP BOUNDARIES MIRROR BE ON THE SAFE SIDE (BOSS) BOUNDARIES.
South: Brady St.
Northwest: Capital Dr.
Northeast: Glendale Ave.
West: Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.
East: Lincoln Memorial Dr. / Lake Dr.
Location boundaries are in place to make transactions easy for students. While we do not require all participants to live within these boundaries, a location within these boundaries must be an option for drop offs, deliveries, and/or pickups. All posts must clearly state a location within these boundaries. For example:
  • “P/U on the 4100 block of Oakland”
  • “Drop off to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time in the Union Concourse.”
Posting Guidelines
When you would like to post an item, your post must follow the following rules:
  • The item may not be on the Not Allowed list.
  • The item must be listed for free.
  • Sales, trades, barters, or exchanges of any kind are not allowed.
  • Your post must include the following information:
    • The pickup location
    • An accurate description of the item that you are posting, including the condition of the item, inclusions or exclusions, or other relevant information must be noted. For example: “Gently used. Does not include case or batteries.”
    • If the item is cross-posted (listed on marketplace or another page) please note it in the description by saying “cross posted.”
In the event that someone expresses interest in an item, the Poster should private message the first interested person. To make sure that people receive private messages, comment “pm sent” (bold their name via @ tag) and that way they know to look for the private message. A helpful tip is to screenshot the item they are interested in and send via pm with pick-up details.
If the recipient cannot pick up within two days, the Poster has the right to move on.
There is no limit to the number of items that any participant can offer or claim.
Posts Allowed

Allowed

You may offer any item that is free, including free gifts of self in the form of services, skills, assistance, so long as it does not appear in the Not Allowed section below. You may also request anything you might otherwise want or need to buy, as “In Search Of” or “ISO”. Examples of allowed posts include the following:

  • Table, chairs, couches, dressers, nightstands, end tables, desks
  • Home décor, posters, picture frames
  • Bed Frames
  • Electronics, including iPads, tablets, gaming console, DVD players, headphones, printers, computer monitors, TVs
  • Shoes and boots
  • Shirts, jackets, pants, hats, and accessories
  • Shovels, lawn mowers, rakes, gloves, other yard supplies
  • Books
  • Kitchenware and cookware
  • Sporting goods, hobby supplies, board games
  • Volunteer services:
  • Yard work, tailoring, photography, organizing, mock-interviews, fixing appliances, moving, etc.
  • Posts sharing information on free activities in Milwaukee
  • ISO posts (so long as the ISO item is not on the Not Allowed list). ISO posts can ask for physical items or services an individual community member may need, but may not request money.
Posts Not Allowed

Not Allowed

  • Coupons, gift cards, gift certificates, and money
  • Marketing or advertising
  • Offers or requests for paid employment
  • Offers or requests of items for sale, trade or rent
  • Pet rehoming and pet supplies
  • Items you wish to barter, trade or exchange
  • Real estate for sale or rent
  • Encouraging people to buy, sell, or trade items or services elsewhere
  • Mattresses, rugs, and bedding
  • Cars
  • CBD or prescription medicine
  • Alcohol and drugs of any kind
  • Fundraising, GoFundMe or Kickstarter campaigns
  • Promotional tickets
  • Items that are recalled
  • Personal clothing items (underwear, socks, bras)
  • Subleases, roommate postings, apartments/houses for rent, parking spaces
  • Parties, gatherings, or events (unless they focus on sustainability and recycling and are approved by the administrator in advance of the post)
  • Construction supplies
  • Fireworks
  • Weapons of any kind
  • Petitions
  • Political campaign activity, including solicitation of campaign contributions, service in furtherance of candidates, political parties and PACS, or advocating for a particular position on a referendum.
  • Recruiting to encourage people to join your business or other organization
  • News articles
  • House rentals, subleases, parking spaces, and roommate searches: There is already a great site dedicated to these things on our website. Please utilize that resource for these items!
Free Services and Volunteering
Students who wish to offer free services such as photoshoots, design-work, tutoring, shoveling, yardwork, etc. are allowed to post in the group.
  • Post would need to include whether the student is affiliated with any organization as part of offering such services, what services are available, and how to contact you (feel free to link a website or Facebook page).
  • No restrictions or eligibility conditions allowed.
Reselling
  • There is no rule against reselling items claimed in this group to those outside of the group, but reselling should be done in ways that build trust.
  • This is accomplished by sharing your intent to resell a gift when you indicate your interest in it.
  • The disclosure of reselling respects each participant’s right to make informed and mindful choices about their giving.
  • Posters are always free to give as they choose and are not obligated to give an item to someone who has indicated that they will resell it.
How to Claim an Item
  • Items should be given on a first come first serve basis. As such, the first person to comment in response to the Poster with the word “interested” is first in line. “Interested”, and “next” both count for claiming an item.
  • Tagging a person does not put them in line. However, you may write the word interested for (tagging person) and that will count for that person.
  • “Me”, “sold”, “mine”, “I want,” or “possibly interested” is insufficient to claim an item or hold a place in line.
  • Private Message (PM) exchanges are not allowed and may not take the place of those interested under comments.
  • If the recipient cannot pick up within two days, the Poster has the right to move on.
  • There is no limit to giving or receiving in the group. Participants may offer and request as much as they’d like, as often as they’d like. No one is under any obligation to give or receive, but everyone may ask as they choose, and give as they choose.
Picking up an Item
Please only post “interested” if you intend to receive the item. Students who claim an item need to be able to claim it within two days. If they are unable to do so , the Poster has the right to move on. Alternatively, both parties may mutually agree to hold for a period of time. If the Poster has not heard from the person who commented interested on the item within 8 hours of posting interested and the Poster has tagged and sent pm, the Poster has the right to move on.
A recipient is not obligated to take the item if it is not in the condition they were expecting. Each person has their own interpretations of what good used condition vs usable condition would be. Please note this is only available for bin/porch pickup or meeting. If an item is delivered by the Poster as agreed by both parties, and the recipient is not available when they drop off, the drop-off is final.
UWM PantherCycle strongly recommends utilizing public locations, such as the Union Circle Drive or the Sandburg Circle Drive for any and all pick-ups if possible.
Once you leave the pick-up location with the item, the exchange is complete. There are no returns. Some Posters may allow for try-ons or returns but they are not required to do so.
Piggy-Back Postings

If an item is posted and you have the same item to give, you are not allowed to “piggy back” off of someone else’s post. Please post your own item and the photo as you normally would. You are allowed to tag interested parties from the other post to alert them of your item. Interested parties must still use the word “interested” on specific posts per standard procedures. The same rules apply.

Complaints
If you have a complaint about another member or a complaint related to this group, you have several options:
  • Ignore content that bothers you, knowing that everyone participates as they like and that no one is ever forced to request or offer a gift.
  • Start a discussion with the group.
  • Approach the person via other means, away from the group, to suggest a discussion to resolve the issue, as you would for complaints about people in your life.
  • Each UWM PantherCycle participant is responsible for resolving their own conflicts. Group Admins are not professional mediators or counselors and cannot step in to resolve conflicts between group participants.
  • If your complaint is about the group admin, please email acotter@uwm.edu.
Safety
UWM PantherCycle is not responsible for injuries or accidents while participants are dropping off or picking up items. Anyone dropping off or picking up should use their own best judgement. NEVER enter someone else’s property, especially if the location does not look safe for any reason, including snow, ice, pets, etc. Anyone expecting pickups is to ensure the pick-up area is clear of snow and ice and well-lit for evening pickups.
UWM PantherCycle strongly recommends utilizing public locations, such as the Union Circle Drive or the Sandburg Circle Drive for any and all pick-ups if possible. Large item furniture must be removed from the property by the resident who lives there. It is recommended that exchanges of items happen outside, in public view, with witnesses watching. It is also strongly encouraged that all exchanges occur during day-time hours.
City of Milwaukee Donations and City Pickups for Bulky Furniture
If items go unclaimed in the group, please dispose properly of your items. Note: it is illegal to place trash or unwanted items on the curb without a special pick-up ordered from the city. Violators can be fined for this.
Additional Community Resources
If you are looking for more free items, consider Buy Nothing Facebook groups. Buy Nothing is a network of hyperlocal gift economies. No strings are attached and everything is given freely.  “Everything” may include an item, but could also include time, assistance, or advice.
Check out your neighborhood Buy Nothing Facebook pages: