Students will no longer be able to use or store electronic skateboards in campus housing.
Students living on campus received an email Dec. 18 saying the boards could no longer be stored in residence halls starting in the Spring. The skateboards present a potential fire hazard, Sharon Blansett, the assistant to the associate vice president for student affairs, wrote in an email.
The ban starts immediately and will be in effect until industry safety standards are developed, she said.
“Students will be asked to remove the devices from their rooms,” she said. “If students are not in compliance with the new policy, additional steps through the student conduct process may be implemented.”
Neena Schueller, a UF business junior, said she thinks the ban won’t be effective.
“It’s kind of surprising because I feel like people are going to keep them in the dorms anyway,” the 20-year-old said. “If you own a several-hundred-dollar board, you’re not going to ditch it.”
Schueller, a member of the Gator Longboarding club, said although no one in the club has a Hoverboard, she has frequently seen them on campus.
“Probably whoever made that rule thinks they’re dangerous, too,” she said. “Once you understand how (the skateboard) works you’re completely in control.”
Schueller said she wasn’t aware of electronic skateboards causing fires, but she knows it’s possible.
“I definitely understand their concern,” she said. “I know there was a fire in Keys a few months ago.”
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @k_newberg
Aaron King, UF alumnus and founder of RedRock Board Shop, rides down the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail on one of his electric longboards Oct. 9. The electronics for a board cost $300.
