Skateboarders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette could receive citations for performing maneuvers that cause property damage on campus.
A trick called grinding—sliding a skateboard across a surface with the board, rather than its wheels—has caused damage across campus, said Greg Zerangue, UL Lafayette Police Department deputy chief and the University’s associate director of Public Safety.
“We’ve had problems in the Quadrangle, around the Student Union, and pretty much anywhere there are benches or any type of railing or stonework,” he said. “It ranges from scraping paint from benches, to damage that has been estimated as high as $10,000.”
Some of the costliest damage has been to the fountain that surrounds a large fleur-de-lis monument at the center of the Quad, where skateboarders have carved chunks from the stonework rimming the fountain.
“Once that stone is damaged, the whole piece has to be replaced,” Zerangue explained.
University police officers will dispense warnings through January. In February, they will begin issuing citations for simple criminal damage to property, a misdemeanor.
“Hopefully, we can get the word out, and that will be sufficient. There’s no ban on skateboards, which can still be used as a mode of transportation. We just want students who use them to be responsible and safe,” Zerangue said.
University officials plan to meet with skateboarders and representatives of the Student Government Association to discuss the issue.