Impact Area: SUNY Morrisville (Morrisville campus, Norwich campus, EOC)
General Subject Area: Safety
Author: University Police
Policy Summary
The SUNY Morrisville campus recognizes that students, faculty, and staff use a variety of means of transportation on campus. Although personal choice is important, we must consider the safety and well-being of the campus community, our visitors and campus property. The use of motorized and non-motorized vehicles has been shown to cause damage to the surfaces of campus property and the inside of campus buildings. In addition, there is a strong potential for injury to both the person using the item and the public at large. In an effort to balance our concern for community safety and the ability to use these means of transportation, the campus has issued the following guidance regarding the use of scooters, skateboards, longboards, bicycles, hover boards and/or other motorized or non-motorized vehicles on campus.
All individuals using these items are expected to use the equipment in a cautious manner which is appropriate, considerate of others and of campus property, and always yield the right of way to pedestrians. Individuals who use the equipment recklessly or without care of others and campus property will have the behavior documented and addressed through the disciplinary systems.
Nothing in this policy is meant to restrict administrative or teaching use of motorized or non-motorized vehicles.
The use of motorized or non-motorized vehicles is restricted in the following ways:
- Operators of motorized or non-motorized vehicles must yield to pedestrians at all times.
- Use of motorized or non-motorized vehicles in any campus building or on athletic property is prohibited. NOTE: These restrictions do not apply to individuals with a mobility impairment who use a motorized or non-motorized wheelchair, or other similar devices designed solely for locomotion and suitable for indoor or outdoor use in a pedestrian area.
- Engaging in tricks using motorized or non-motorized vehicles anywhere on campus grounds that involve any campus property, including but not limited to stairs, steps, railing, benches, walls, loading docks, or entrances to buildings is prohibited.
- Clinging to a vehicle
- Operators must dismount motorized or non-motorized vehicles at a reasonable distance (approximately 10 feet) from the entrance of any campus building.
- The charging of hover boards is prohibited anywhere on campus.
Exceptions:
A motorized or non-motorized wheelchair is considered to be a part of a person with a mobility impairment and not a motor vehicle.
Qualified Person with an accessibility exception is an individual who:
- Cannot walk two hundred feet without stopping to rest; or,
- Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device; or,
- Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that the person's forced (respiratory)expiratory volume for one second, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter, or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/Hg on room air at rest; or,
- Uses portable oxygen; or,
- Has a cardiac condition to the extent that the person's functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV, according to standards set by the American Heart Association; or,
- Is severely limited in their ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.
An employee who has accessibility needs should contact the Human Resources office. Students should contact the Accessibility Services Office at SUNY Morrisville.
The campus should be maintained as a safe and beautiful environment for everyone. Reckless behavior which endangers individuals and property should not be undertaken. It should be noted that the use of these items, in themselves, involves an assumption of personal risk. Persons who use them are personally liable for their actions. Any damages or injuries to another individual which result from the use of these items, whether intentional or unintentional, will be subject to additional conduct charges and may also put the user at risk for civil action.
To report behavior that causes safety concerns or damage to property, please contact University Police immediately by dialing 911 or using non-emergency (315) 684-6410.