Cal State Long Beach students might soon skate to class without fear of being ticketed — as long as they stay outside the lines.
Skateboarding on campus is and has been illegal for years under a city municipal code, but the university is trying to make changes to the policy so students can use skateboards for transportation, according to University Chief of Police Fernando Solorzano.
Even so, the policy would still come with some restrictions on skateboarding, Solorzano said.
In order to change the municipal code, the university needs to provide a detailed plan outlining how it intends to manage the use of skateboards and other wheeled vehicles on campus, according to Vice President of Administration and Finance Mary Stephens.
“The university wants to do whatever they can to encourage people not to drive,” Stephens said.
The administration has been working with University Police and facilities management for the past year and a half to create a map of designated pedestrian-only zones on campus, according to Michael Gardner, manager of capital and physical planning at CSULB. University Chief of Police Fernando Solorzano said the University Police have also drafted possible changes to the municipal code that are waiting for approval from the City of Long Beach.
The pedestrian-only zones, which will cover areas with heavy foot traffic, will require students to carry or walk their skateboards, bikes or scooters in those areas.
Stephens said the goal of these designated zones is to ensure the safety of students. Some of the proposed pedestrian-only zones include the quad on upper campus and the Brotman Hall plaza.
Many students, like sophomore communications major Bryant Almendares, said they agreed that skaters should be safe when cruising on campus but thought the plan could use some improvements.
“They should only enforce it during certain times,” Almendares said. “I just count on campus being packed in the afternoon so I don’t do it. If there was a no-skating time period on upper campus, it would make more sense and people might actually obey it.”
Gardner said he thinks that the majority of administration is in favor of allowing students to use skateboards on campus but that there are a few concerns.
“The question is where to draw the line between using it for transportation or use that disrupts people’s use of sidewalks and streets,” Gardner said.
In the past, students like senior sociology major Larry Zepeda were reprimanded or issued tickets for skateboarding on campus.
“I’ve had a cop yell at me by Brotman Hall, but I honestly didn’t even know it was illegal,” Zepeda said. “The only sign I’ve seen is the temporary one they propped up by Brotman Hall.”
Solorzano said that tickets have been issued for “gross negligence,” such as skating quickly downhill or moving dangerously close to pedestrians.
However, Solorzano said that his goal has recently changed from enforcement to a warning campaign.
“We now understand that skateboards are being used a lot more as a means of transportation to get students from point A to point B rather than just as a toy,” he said. “We’ve been working very diligently to make proper adjustments so that students will be allowed to do so.”
Despite the current policy in place, 49er Shops has partnered with Ditch skateboards to create a board with a custom CSULB design that is now available in the University Bookstore. The boards are meant for cruising or transportation and are not typical trick boards, according to co-founder of Ditch, Winston Tseng.
Tseng said the timing of the partnership is ironic because skateboard use is currently prohibited on campus, but he hopes it will help change the stigma about skateboarding.
“Maybe these will hopefully push skateboarding to not be seen as a destructive act only and that it can be used for transportation,” Tseng said. “Despite certain rules and regulations, I think our product will really resonate with the students there.”
The university’s plan still needs to be reviewed by students and administration again before it can be finalized, according to Stephens. She said she plans to meet with student representatives to receive feedback from them sometime soon.
Students should see the policy change sometime this fall, according to Stephens.