Clunk! Thud. Swoosh! Skateboarders are flying by on the concrete and doing tricks on the various ramps located on campus.

They make turns around the buildings and zoom past students like the skateboarders themselves are the only ones who exist.

“When I see them, (skateboarders), I ask them to watch out, and they don’t even act like I’m there. Or that I’m in a wheelchair, “said Tony Williams, 31, business and music major.

Students with disabilities, either in wheelchairs, with mobility devices or with canes, have concerns regarding students using skateboards on campus, Julie Land, learning disabilities specialist to the Special Resources Center, said.

“As a Disability Specialist, I have seen some alarmingly close calls,” Land said. “Skateboarders using the wheelchair ramps (next to) Schauerman Library and the Communications Building for skateboarding maneuvers while students with low vision or mobility impairments are nearby,”

Students, including Justin Johiro, 18, public relations major, sometimes skateboard to campus, either from home or from the parking lot and are aware of the hefty fine imposed if caught riding while on campus.

“I ride my skateboard to school,” Johiro said. “It’s more convenient for me. I’ve been doing it for about a year, even though I have a car.”

He said he’s respectful of others, and doesn’t want to cause a problem to other students.

“I don’t see a lot of skateboarders riding on campus,” Johiro said. “Once in a while I’ll see a rider on campus, when the police isn’t around.”

Land said she is concerned because she thinks the skateboarders have a disregard for safety of others.

“To me, skateboarders, especially those using cell phones as they skate, pose serious risks for those who cannot dodge out of the way in time,” Land said.

Land added that she would like the entire campus community to be involved in efforts to eliminate skateboarding on campus to promote safety.

Kyle Murray, 36, undecided major, said he makes his way around the campus in a wheelchair using the ramps, which are located at various locations, to allow students with wheelchairs or disabilities to access buildings without any problems.

“I saw a skateboarder riding on campus who was asked by a police officer to stop riding,” Murray said. “As soon as the officer turned to do something else, the rider continued to use his board.”

Williams said that skateboarders should respect the safety of others and not skateboard on campus.

“One day I had to wait an hour and a half, watching them ride on a ramp I needed to use to get to an appointment,” Williams said. “When I returned to  (the ramp after the appointment), four young men were using it, so I was unable to leave the building.”