Senior telecommunications major Jonathan Hudson said he had been skateboarding since he was in high school and had seen more skateboarders on campus this year than last.
Hudson said he skated around campus and Emens Auditorium with friends until he received a warning outside of Elliot Dinning Service by police Sunday. He was lucky he received a warning, he said.
"[University police] usually ask you to leave and you come back another day," he said.
Director of Public Safety Gene Burton said calls about skateboarders made to the University Police Department have increased during the past year.
Fifty-three calls were made about skateboarders from Aug. 1, 2006 to July 31, he said. Fourty-two were made about skateboarders from Aug. 1 to Wednesday, he said.
Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of facilities planning and management, said he made a rough estimate of damage done by skateboarders in 2004 that amounted to about $500,000.
Burton said the skating ban was a Ball State University ban. A sign near Emens warns skaters of the ban, and the rule is also listed in the parking rules and regulations on the Ball State Web site, he said.
Students can be given a warning or a $30 citation, he said.
Burton said he did not know why there were more calls about skateboarders this year than last year, but it could be because of more skaters or more awareness by pedestrians.
University police do not plan to change how they approach skateboarders, he said.
The ban is a reaction to damage done to university property by skate tricks, Burton said.
"Just an incredible amount of damage can be done by a skateboard when it is riding where it's not supposed to," he said.
Kenyon said damage had been done to campus railings and stairs. The university has worked since Kenyon's estimate to combat the issue, he said.
"It's like an arms race," he said.
At areas around the Letterman Building, the limestone around the building has notches in it to discourage grinding, he said. Bricks also were used because it is not a surface people use to grind on, he said.
Hudson said he didn't think he was damaging property when he was skating and because students have a skateboard, they should not be stereotyped.
Senior telecommunications major Andy Grove said he and Hudson skated together at least three days a week and still skates on campus with a ban because there is not a good alternative to skate in Muncie.
"There is just some good terrain there to skate on," he said.
He stops skating when he gets a warning from police, he said, and packs it up for the day.
"I see police officers roll by and generally they don't mind until someone calls," he said.
Senior French major Noelle Wallin said she couldn't help but understand the skater's viewpoint. She said with all the railings and stairs on campus, it was like a playground for them.
"It's like putting kids in front of candy and telling them not to touch it," she said.
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