A new policy at The Well prohibits Sacramento State students from bringing their skateboards and longboards into the facility.

The new policy requires the boards to be locked up on a metal rack adjacent to the front doors of The Well. Students may not enter the facility with their boards.

The locker rooms inside the facility are free to use for members. Before the policy was created, students were allowed to store their boards in the lockers.

Natalie Imbert, a junior dance major at Sac State and a front desk attendant at The Well said two lockers were damaged before the policy was adopted.

Imbert also said before the policy, the lockers were being used as storage for boards rather than gym equipment.

“Some people were shoving their boards into the lockers,” Imbert said. “In order to save money and not have the lockers destroyed again, we decided to create the new policy.”

Besides the damage to lockers, Imbert said the lockers were unavailable for its original use.

“We would have members come into the facility and keep only their boards in the lockers, which left no room for other members who really needed a locker for their clothes or gym

bags,” Imbert said.

Miranda Duncan, a freshman speech therapy major, said the new policy is unsafe.

“Skateboards of any sort can be expensive,” Duncan said. “No one should leave an expensive piece of equipment outside and unsupervised.”

Regarding the concerns with the new policy, Imbert said only one member has come to her with fears of someone taking the wheels off the board and slipping it out of the rack. However, students have the option of buying a lock for their boards in order to ensure safekeeping.

Members of The Well who ride skateboards or longboards and wish to lock them up can purchase a lock at the front desk for $5.

The board rack contains 10 slots capable of holding both skateboards and longboards. In addition to having a lock, there is a security camera located near the rack holding the boards.

Imbert said she believes the board racks are important for safety reasons.

“I think that it is a good idea for us to have the board rack outside. I wouldn’t want a member to trip over a skateboard that was left in the locker room or have another locker ruined,” Imbert said.

Dylan Beaty, a junior music major and avid longboarder, said he sees the rack as being primarily for members of The Well.

“I think that the rack is pretty cool. I don’t have a problem with it,” Beaty said. “I would only be worried about people trying to cut the locks or if it started to rain, but you really shouldn’t be riding your board in the rain anyways.”

Jessika Robertson can be reached at [email protected].