They can be seen all over campus, zipping here and there: ATVs, four-wheelers, golf carts, and John Deere Gators.

Call them what you will — some students call them a nuisance.

“Those carts are flying around on campus. If you don’t move, I’m sure they’ll hit you,” said hospitality and tourism junior Jackie Wagstaff.

“I don’t think they should be used,” said Karen Bethea, English and Spanish senior. “The guys driving are so busy looking at the girls, they’re not paying attention.”

The four-wheel drive vehicles are used by the physical plant, campus police, housekeeping and the cafeteria to make getting around campus quicker for staff.

“There are about 25 Gators and three, newer electric cars on campus,” said Douglas Burnette, mechanic supervisor at N.C. University’s physical plant.

According to Burnette, the Gators started being used about five years ago. He said he didn’t know about any incidents involving the Gators that his department serviced.

According to NCCU Campus Police, and despite the students’ views, there have been no major incidents on campus involving the four-wheeled vehicles.

“There have been one or two minor incidents with them bumping into vehicles on campus this year, so far, but that’s it,” said Captain Victor Ingram, field operations division commander.

Ingram says he doesn’t know of any formal student complaints being filed because of Gator “near-misses.”

There is no campus-wide Gator-driving course required in order to use the vehicles.

“It’s on the departments,” said Ingram.

“Each individual in our department has to go through training prior to driving one of the golf carts or electric cars we have.”

NCCU police have three Gators and one electric car.

Training consists of one hour of classroom instruction, which includes driver etiquette, followed by a road test. In the etiquette portion, officers are instructed to either blow the horn or announce they are approaching to pedestrians.

As for driving on the sidewalks, Ingram states the Gators and golf carts can be driven on campus roads and sidewalks, but are not allowed on main roads

Ingram said that the only vehicles permitted to drive on the main roads are the newer electric ones because they are registered vehicles.

Sodexho, who runs multiple food vending sites on campus, operates four golf carts.

“It’s hard to drive cars everywhere we need to go,” said Tiffany Taylor, Sodexho retail marketing manager.

“All of our drivers just have to be licensed,” said Taylor.

According to Taylor, there have been “zero incidents” with Sodexho carts.

But students still have their doubts about the safety of the carts being driven on campus sidewalks.

“I did not come to school to become road kill,” said mass communications senior Lauren Nurse.