photo by: John Young

Kansas assistant coach Jerrance Howard walks beside hoverboard-bound junior Frank Mason III as they shop for a local family at Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa Street, on Wednesday evening, Dec. 16, 2015.

Dozens of universities nationwide have recently banned or restricted hoverboards, The Associated Press reported last week. But hoverboards still have a green light at Kansas University.

Disclaimer: the battery-powered devices aren’t actually hoverboards like those in the movie “Back to the Future Part II,” which actually hover. They’re more like motorized skateboards with two wheels, propelled by the operator’s body movements. Universities banning the devices have called them unsafe, citing the risk of falls and collisions as well as warnings from federal authorities that some of the self-balancing scooters have caught on fire, according to the AP.

Hoverboards are still allowed on the KU campus, even on the sidewalks, according to Capt. James Anguiano of the KU Office of Public Safety. He said they fall into the same category as the two-wheeled motorized scooters with upright handles manufactured by Segway.

“If we see one on Jayhawk Boulevard, we treat it like a Segway, we don’t treat it like a skateboard,” Anguiano said. “You wouldn’t get a citation for it.”

Lawrence city ordinance does ban skateboards and roller blades from Jayhawk Boulevard and 1,000 feet on either side of it, according to KU policy on skateboarding and rollerblading on campus. No KU policy specifically addresses hoverboards, and that includes in residence and scholarship halls.

“There isn’t currently any policy or rule prohibiting hoverboards on campus or in Student Housing units,” said Kip Grosshans, associate director of KU Student Housing. “We are aware that bans exist on several US campuses but no action has been taken at KU at this time.”

I haven’t myself seen anyone riding a hoverboard on campus, but at least one University Daily Kansan opinion writer recently wrote that it isn’t uncommon to see them coasting along Jayhawk Boulevard, or even inside campus buildings and elevators. Matthew Clough said in his column he thinks KU should ban them throughout campus.

“Capable of speeds somewhere between 6 and 10 mph, self-balancing scooters disrupt the normal pace of those walking down the boulevard,” he wrote. “It also doesn’t make much sense that people are able to ride self-balancing scooters on campus given the University’s stance on similar vehicles of transportation … University officials need to take a stand on their usage before they continue to grow in popularity.”

For a visual, here is a YouTube video of some guys who are pretty good at riding hoverboards. Below that, a video of KU basketball player Wayne Selden gliding along a line of fans. For a balanced perspective, just Google “hoverboard fail.”

https://vine.co/v/ib9gKi0tHXV

• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.