Hammock use ban reinforced at UNC

Margo MacIntyre , curator of the Coker Arboretum, enjoys a sunny day at UNC just as much as any student.

But what she does not enjoy is when students bring their hammocks to the arboretum and hang them up on the trees because of the damage that they can cause to the area’s landscape — which is one reason why the practice is banned across the entire campus.

“You can lie anywhere in the lawn, and blankets are so much easier to assemble,” she said.

Bridget Baucom , director of the Grounds Services Department, said hammocks have actually been banned since July 2006 according to UNC’s Policy on Use of University Facilities .

UNC policy officially states that no banners, signs or other materials may be affixed in any way to any trees on campus. The arboretum has its own specific rules.

“ You can walk on all the lawns. You can even run on the lawns if you want — but no frisbees,” MacIntyre said.

The hammock rule is commonly overlooked by many students.

Freshman Patrick Martin enjoys lying in hammocks when the weather is nice and said he was outraged when he heard hammocks were banned.

“I’m probably just going to do it until someone tells me to get out,” Martin said.

Baucom said students hanging in hammocks will not be ticketed, but they will be asked to leave.

MacIntyre also said some trees are too small to hold the weight of students.

“People walk into the beds and walk all over everything that is starting to come up in the spring time, and they put their backpacks that weigh about 200 pounds on the plants, and they put their bikes in the beds,” MacIntyre said.

Though the Coker Arboretum is not technically under the jurisdiction of UNC Grounds — it is considered part of the North Carolina Botanical Garden — it does have to comply with the policy because it is on UNC’s campus.

MacIntyre said arboretum gardeners cannot do their jobs because they spend hours telling students to move their hammocks.

Martin said he feels hammocks do not harm the trees because his weight will not push them over and the policy takes away his freedom to enjoy the outdoors.

Baucom said if students blatantly refuse to remove their hammocks, campus police will get involved accordingly.

“Depending on where people put them, we don’t want issues with liability or issues with campus landscape,” she said.

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