When Tom Gugliotta, math major, found himself late for class, he decided to hurry it up just bit for fear of missing part of the test.

Next thing he knew, his trip to the Math Building on his skateboard not only caused him to miss a test, but hit also cost him a $150 fine.

Police officers and campus security are looking for students who decide to ignore the warning signs being posted that say bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, rollerskates and scooters are not allowed on campus.

Chief of Police Mike Trevis said that the police department is all about focusing on safety.

“We know some students get upset, but all we care about is everybody’s safety, and that’s the bottom line,” Trevis said.

Trevis said that any form of riding on campus will not be tolerated due to the fact that many students have been injured in the past.

Although students acknowledge the rule, they think $150 is too much to pay, considering some of the students who get cited ride their bikes or skateboards because they are late for class.

“I don’t think it is fair, especially the economy we are in today,” Richard Garcia, nursing major, said. “One hundred fifty is a lot for many students like myself because not all of us have jobs.”

Even if the citations are a hefty amount, Trevis said that campus security and police are lenient toward students who decide to ride their bikes or skateboards by giving them an initial warning.

Trevis said this rule should not be taken lightly because it can cause injuries to other students or even faculty.

“We are very understanding and very flexible,” Trevis said. “But you just can’t ride a bike or skateboard on campus because first of all, the person skateboarding could get hurt doing a trick,” Trevis said.

Some students wish that they can be allowed to ride a bike or skateboard because some students are safer than others.

“I hope they let us ride our skateboards,” Art Mendoza, art major, said. “Especially since I have an hour and a half to kill between classes, I can just do tricks on my board for fun, but I can’t anymore.”

With students attempting to bike ride or skateboard on campus, Trevis and the police department hope that students will abide by the rules because so many bad things can happen.

“We understand that students think it is not fair for us to ban bike riding or skateboarding,” Trevis said. “There are more negatives than positives that can happen. There’s too many what-ifs that can happen and we are just trying to avoid that because we care for everybody’s safety.”