Updated Jan. 21 at 2:40 p.m.
This story is breaking and will be updated with further details.
Hoverboards, branded by the media as the hottest gift of the holiday season, will be banned from campus, wrote Senior Associate Dean of Campus Life Richard Bova in an email sent Jan. 21 to students living in University residence halls and auxiliary housing.
The lithium batteries powering hoverboards have been prone to catching on fire and may be a risk to students, Bova wrote. The boards will not be allowed within residence halls, auxiliary housing properties or University buildings. Violators of the policy will be asked to remove any forbidden devices from the building immediately.
This ban follows a national trend in which over 25 universities have barred the use of hoverboards on their campuses. Harvard, Yale and Columbia have all banned the board.
Students hoping to bring their boards to school may have encountered trouble just in traveling to school. In December, Delta, United and American Airlines all announced they would not allow the devices on board, CNN reported.
Underwriters Laboratory, which certifies the safety of consumer products, has not yet certified the boards. Until all components of the hoverboards have been certified by UL, the ban will remain, Bova wrote.
The Consumer Product Commission continues to investigate why some models have caught fire both at the charging station and while in use. The University will review any findings the CPSC identifies in the future in determining and revisions of this interim policy, Bova wrote.
Correction: A previous version of this article said that the announcement that hoverboards were banned from campus was sent in a community-wide email. In fact, it was sent in an email to students living in University residence halls and auxiliary housing. The Herald regrets the error.
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