It seems as long as skateboarders have been around they have been getting banned from places, parks, parking lots and streets. The University of Denver is no different.

Campus Safety just released a new pamphlet explaining in which areas skateboarding will be allowed and in which areas it will be banned.

There are basically two zones on campus, restricted and prohibited, which pertain to skating, as well as rollerblading and biking.

Tyrone Mills, interim director of Campus Safety, stated that “restricted” areas, which cover most of campus, mean that you can skate as long as you are not doing stunts or anything dangerous. Skating just for the purpose of getting to class is acceptable.

Mills stated that “prohibited” areas mean that there is no skating allowed in these areas. Prohibited areas are the Mary Reed Building, haybor gardens, Warren Circle, University Hall, and Daniels College of Business.

When asked why these specific areas were designated “prohibited” Mills said, “We feel that there is a lot more foot traffic there, so we feel that the possibility of someone getting hit is higher.” He went on to say, “Our main concern is the pedestrian traffic, and the other part is our concern about damage to university property.”

So what do the skaters think about this new policy? Freshman Sean Fenton said he has been busted a couple of times for skateboarding, mainly in front of Halls and Driscoll. When asked about the new policy he said, ” I think it’s useless because there’s not that much skateboarding anyway.” He also said, “I don’t really think it’s going to affect skateboarders because they’re going to do it anyway.”

It seems that the debate between skaters and authority figures will continue. Fenton also made the point that skateboarding is often seen as a crime when it should not be.

Surprisingly enough, Mills and Fenton both found some common ground. They agreed that banning tricks and stunts made sense. “I can see if they ban tricks, but if you are just trying to get somewhere, I don’t think they should ban that,” said Fenton. So there may be hope yet for skateboarders and Campus Safety to survive together peacefully.

If you have any questions about the policy, call Campus Safety at (303) 871-2334, and as Campus Safety Interim Director Mills says, it’s all about fun, right?