Submitted Photo: Zack Gorman, International transfer student and soccer player, rides his scooter on campus earlier this semester.
By Nina Bivens
Casper College does not currently allow rollerblades, skateboards, or anything similar on campus, as interpreted by CC security.
International exchange student and soccer player Zack Gorman explained that the regulations prove especially challenging for foreign students with little access to other transportation,
“During my time at Casper Community College, I have had the privilege of meeting several international students who face numerous challenges when it comes to getting to class in a timely manner. Many of these students do not have the money or the time to obtain a driver’s license, let alone a vehicle,” Gorman said.
With the current regulations, some students are at more of a disadvantage than others.
Regarding one particular incident, Gorman said, “My friend was late to her class due to long commutes from building to building. Despite leaving her class as soon as she was dismissed, she encountered unexpected delays and arrived late. Witnessing her frustration and disappointment made me realize how crucial it is for our school administration to address this issue.”
To mitigate the issues they were facing, the soccer teams and other international students turned to using scooters on campus.
According to Dean of Students Corey Peacock, campus security originally denied the use of scooters due to current policy.
When asked about the current policy surrounding other means of transportation besides cars and bikes, Peacock said, “It’s generally well-known by students that skateboards are not allowed on campus. I think there was an assumption made by a lot of folks, including campus security, that scooters fell into that classification. So, security asked students with scooters at the beginning of the year to not have them on campus.”
In response to the current policy, Gorman and others who owned scooters decided to try and get the rule changed. To do so, Peacock said the students started a petition.
In regard to the petition, Peacock said, “This one happened to be very successful in getting a lot of names. They presented to student senate, and student senate was able to go through the proper channels to try to look at policies.”
Peacock said that the meeting included students, student senate, security officers, and himself. They very amicably put their heads together to come up with solutions.
Peacock said. “We want to see these devices be allowed, but we also want people to be safe and responsible with their use.”
Considering the reasons that students wanted scooters on campus, and that the current student policies do not mention scooters specifically being banned, student senate as well as Peacock drafted a policy for CC’s policy committee to consider.
However, a policy change must go through a step-by-step process before it can be implemented.
“What we’re proposing is a policy that does allow all of these non-motorized vehicles, so skateboards, rollerblades, longboards, and non-motorized vehicles,” he said.
Peacock spoke about the main deciding factors in changing the policy.
He said, “I’m all for student advocacy. I think it was a good example of students bringing up something that they would like to see us looking at and what our current policies currently say.”
While it takes time for policies to go through the proper channels, the future of allowing non-motorized vehicles on campus is potentially up for a big change.
When asked whether he will personally invest in a scooter, Peacock said, “I will not, mainly because I’m old. I don’t want to break my face.”
