Cheney Mason / Winonan

As students of Winona State University start cracking down for the semester and making use of the study places on and around campus, some students are finding their late walks home to be worrisome.

Sophomore nursing student at Winona State Emily Ness spends a lot of her free time in the library studying, and that makes for many late nights there.

Ness cited the recent disappearance of Chukwudi Benjamin Onyeaghala and the recent fads involving clowns as reason for caution.

“Usually I think Winona is a very safe town, but recently someone went missing and with this clown stuff I get freaked out,” Ness said. “I spend really late nights in the library like all the time, and I always walk home by myself in the dark.”

Ness said she has an apartment located within short walking distance from the campus, but when it is late at night she feels uncomfortable.

“Not recently have I felt super safe I guess,” Ness said. “Even when I see people walk by me when I’m on my way home I have to be like, ‘Is it a clown?’”

Ness said because of her major and heavy class load with a lot of homework, she studies for hours at night in the quiet library and usually dreads the walk home by herself late at night.

“I guess I just would rather not have to walk home by myself so late, but I also don’t live that far so it’s not too bad,” Ness said. “I would hate having to walk more than a couple blocks.”

Another student, Makayla Oldham, also found it to be unpleasant not just when she is done studying but when walking home from a night out on the weekends.

“I’m not scared of a lot, really, like the clowns or anything,” Oldham said. “I guess if one was like scary or chasing me, though, I would be.”

Oldham said that she sometimes  works late at night and parks down a side street next to her apartment. She said sometimes walking at night can be scary

Director of Winona State Security Chris Cichosz said the security services will escort students via car or walking who feel unsafe, and students can be picked up within four blocks of campus if they feel unsafe.

-By Cheney Mason