Rider announces restricted use of hoverboards and drones

Rider will prohibit hoverboards and restrict the use of drones beginning in the spring semester, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Tony Campbell announced to students in an email sent on Jan. 12.  “As you may have been reading or seeing in the news recently, there have been many reports of fires caused by hoverboards overheating while being charged,” Campbell wrote. “Like many other New Jersey colleges and universities, we are prohibiting hoverboards from being present, stored or charged in our residence halls.” Hoverboards may not be charged in any other University building.  These restrictions involving hoverboards take effect immediately and will remain in place “until safety standards for hoverboards are developed and implemented across all makes and models,” Campbell wrote. Students who have hoverboards are encouraged to see their resident director or a member of the Residence Life staff to make arrangements for safekeeping until they can take the hoverboard off campus. In the same letter, Campbell wrote that students may not use a drone on campus without the prior written permission of Director of Public Safety Vickie Weaver or her designee. “The densely populated campuses, the varying skill levels of those piloting a drone and the fact that both of our campuses are within five miles of an airport, have us concerned for the safety of our community,” Campbell explained.  “By implementing these safety standards today, we make living on both of Rider’s campuses safer for all,” Campell added. “Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.”