An email was sent to Maria Hall residents on Feb. 11 regarding a recent act of vandalism.
The email was sent by a resident assistant and involved items being written on and taken off of a board.
The email explained that the first floor bulletin boards in Maria Hall had been defaced.
The bulletin boards were made by Winona State University employees to display information for all Maria Hall residents and staff.
The individual responsible was asked to confess and return the stolen items, or else security would be notified and cameras were to be reviewed.
The suspect later came forward, claiming responsibility for the crime.
Most students were not aware of the situation in Maria Hall, even those next door at Lourdes Hall. Both Maria and Lourdes Hall are located on Winona State’s West Campus.
Students quickly became concerned about the act of vandalism, especially with COVID-19 keeping residents mostly indoors and at a distance.
Wesley Elford, a fourth-year cellular and molecular biology major with a minor in biochemistry and a Student Senate member, said he believes it is important for students to feel safe and hopes that Winona State catches whoever committed the act of vandalism.
“With all of us [students] paying tuition and fees along with living in the resident halls [as a past freshman and RA], I feel we need to keep the resident halls safe and free of vandalism,” Elford said.
Josephine Strutz, a second-year nursing and Spanish major who is also a resident assistant at Lourdes Hall, agreed with Elford.
Strutz said she trusts the hall directors and area coordinators to come up with a fair solution to the vandalism.