The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

Newsletter Signup

Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

* indicates required

SGA continues work to lift skateboarding ban

SGA is advocating for the Town of Boone to lift the ban on skateboards, saying that lifting the ban would help the university in its goal to become more sustainable. Photo by Lacy Matusek | The Appalachian
Lacy Matusek

SGA is advocating for the Town of Boone to lift the ban on skateboards, saying that lifting the ban would help the university in its goal to become more sustainable. Photo by Lacy Matusek  |  The Appalachian
The Student Government Association has been working with Appalachian State University officials and the Town of Boone to potentially lift the skateboarding ban, said SGA President Dylan Russell.

The Town of Boone does not allow skateboarding on sidewalks or streets, according to Town of Boone Ordinance Section 71.10. Appalachian prohibits skateboarding on the entire campus as well. Skateboarding violations carry a $50 fine.

“We are trying to take the emphasis off of specifically skateboarding and move toward the idea of encouraging human-powered transportation,” Russell said. “With the removal of the skateboarding ban, it would lead to an overall improvement in the campus’ sustainability.”

Russell said that the university wants to work for and with the Town of Boone and discuss collaborative ideas to continue the progress of lifting the ban.

Carson Rich, SGA director of sustainability, said that in general, the idea of human-powered transportation is not well understood on campus.

“The idea of increasing human-powered transportation is somewhat of a culture change to many,” Rich said. “The more students we can get onboard with the concept, the better our campus’ sustainability will be.”

Appalachian was ranked the 18th greenest college in the nation by Sierra magazine. Rich said that the human-powered transportation concept includes walking and using bikes, scooters and skateboards.

A data-driven pilot plan that both the university and town could use is a work in progress, said Eric Frauman, chairman of Appalachian’s Transportation Subcommittee, a component of the Sustainability Council.

Frauman said that the rising popularity of skateboarding for commuting purposes locally and nationwide has prompted revisiting the ban.

Appalachian Skatepark, which was located at the Watauga County Recreation Complex, closed in 2009, leaving the town with few legal skating venues.

“The Town of Boone will ultimately require Town Council approval to lift the ban,” Frauman said. “It will take student initiative, including student government and the skateboarding community, for the issue to move forward at Appalachian, since the majority of users are students.”

Story: GERRIT VAN GENDEREN, Intern News Reporter
Photo: LACY MATUSEK, Intern Photographer

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Appalachian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *