Jeff Stensland, USC associate director for public relations, reiterated to students that the email sent out last week announcing the hoverboard ban only restates a current ban.
“The ban was a pre-existing ban on all motorized devices, so any kind of motorized vehicle was already prohibited from the residence halls.” Stensland said. “This essentially just clarifies that the policy also applies to hoverboards.”
After a wealth of videos surfaced showing people being injured while using hoverboards, USC officials felt it was necessary to remind students of the safety policies.
“Safety is a main concern, and that’s why there’s an existing ban on all motorized vehicles,” Stensland said. “You could envision where folks who were trying to ride on a moped or Segway or something down the hall, you could have some dangerous accidents.”
Not only do hoverboards allow for possible collisions in the small spaces of hallways, but recent news reports showing hoverboards catching fire also show how unsafe they can be.
Campus Fire Marshal Todd Griffin said he believes the main reason for the ban is spontaneous combustion that can occur while the device is charging.
Students who are thinking of ignoring the ban might want to reconsider. Griffin reminded students that breaking the hoverboard ban will be treated like any other broken rule on campus.
“It’s going to be treated just like any other item that’s not allowed in housing,” Griffin said. “It would be handled through the judicial process.”
With that warning in place, students might wonder if there will be any places on campus to practice their hoverboard tricks. Rumors have circulated around social media about a possible prohibition of hoverboards campus-wide instead of only in residence halls.
Stensland has not yet made an official statement regarding the potential campus-wide ban of hoverboards.
With a fresh semester comes a fresh start. The policy makers and enforcers on USC’s campus want all of the students to be safe and follow the rules. Hoverboards can be something fun to look forward to using on trips home or during spring break.
More Like This
