I remember when I was in high school and just dying to go to college and live on campus. One of the main things I looked forward to, outside of making friends and going to classes, was longboarding around campus. After making the move to Biola University in the fall of 2009, I was abruptly made aware of the “no longboarding rule” after I was stopped by a Campus Safety officer while riding. I couldn’t believe it when he told me that longboarding was not allowed on the premises but riding a scooter was.

Insurance covers scooter injuries

The one thing I wanted to do at college, I wasn’t allowed to do. Why is it that at many other campuses, public or private, skateboarding is permitted, but at Biola, where there are no considerably dangerous hills or hazards, it is not? The surroundings should not even matter though, we are all adults here. Sure, the reasoning here is that a rider could get hurt or a board might hit someone else nearby but you know what? That’s life. Someone could fall on a scooter and do the same thing. The main reason Biola does not allow longboarding is because of the university’s liability insurance. The policy does not cover a student getting injured as a result of skateboarding, but does however cover a scooter incident, according to Justin Shelby, public information officer for Campus Safety.

Bikes similar to carts and scooters

The bike rule also needs to go. The rule is that we are only allowed to ride where cars drive. Why are we not allowed to ride around campus? What is the point of walking my bike to class? A Campus Safety officer once told me that I could not ride where people walked because I might hit someone. Alright, but scooters and carts can’t possibly do the same? I see carts and scooters flying through “walk areas” all the time; a cart can do more damage than a bike can. Even if the cart drivers have to be trained, they still can get close to pedestrians too. As for allowing scooters to be the exception because they have handlebars and a brake … newsflash, so do bikes.

I do understand if skateboarding and riding bikes on campus was allowed, some could see it being treated like the XGames, being reckless and showy to others around them and unsafe. I can also see where damaged property caused by a skateboard might be a concern for the establishment, but, honestly, I do not think that would be a problem or even an issue. I am sure students would not abuse the opportunity to ride on campus by performing a kickflip boardslide down the Metzger stairs. Safety is a high priority at Biola and I know campus safety officers have a genuine concern for the student body and their well-being, but they are making skateboarding come across like it would destroy the university, or should I say, its checkbooks.

Allowing options for transportation

Give longboarding a chance, and cut cyclists some slack. They can see people. They can move. They can brake. Sure they are a little bigger; they are a lot smaller than a cart. There is control over what is going on, as long as the rider knows their surroundings and takes it slow around pedestrians, what is there to fear? Longboarding and biking on campus are not dangerous or terrible activities designed to hurt people. They are reasonable ways of transportation to and from class that are accepted under the University Governance section in the Student Guidebooks of numerous college campuses in California including, California Baptist University and the Universtiy of Southern California. Why not add Biola University to that list? If people can handle scooters intermingling with pedestrians, then they can do the same with longboarders and bikers.