One of the 2015’s most popular holiday gifts is now banned from the University of Iowa residence halls.
The ban is in response to reports of hoverboard incidents around the country in which the self-balancing scooters have spontaneously caught fire. The cause of this spontaneous combustion is related to the devices’ lithium-ion batteries, which are known to be highly susceptible to defects.
In response to these reports, the UI Housing & Dining staff chose to ban the devices from residence halls beginning in the spring semester.
“We have not had issues with hoverboards and fire; the policy is preventative,” said Kate Fitzgerald, the UI director of residence education, wrote in an email.
Housing & Dining sent an email to students in the residence halls before winter break, asking students to take their hoverboards home and not bring them to dorms if they received them as gifts.
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“We felt, based on fire safety, that we should prohibit the use and storage of the hoverboards in the residence halls,” said Von Stange, the UI assistant vice president for Student Life. “We want to make sure students are protected.”
The punishment for having a hoverboard in the residence halls is similar to those doled out for possession of other prohibited items, such as toaster ovens and candles. The ban will be enforced through hall coordinators and resident assistants.
Several major airlines have banned hoverboards, and at least 20 colleges around the country have restricted their use, including some in the Big Ten.
The University of Northern Iowa has also banned hoverboards from its residence halls.
Nicholas Rafanello, a UNI assistant director of residence life, said officials banned the boards mostly for fire safety reasons but also because they present a general safety hazard.
The devices are relatively new, so there could be a solution to the fire hazard risk in the future.