Courtney Kowalke/Winonan

Winona State University’s most recent Healthy Mondays program explored how student drinking affects the greater Winona community.

Seniors Heidi Reiter and Cassie Johnson presented part of the film “How Drinking Affects Our Community” to 25 students.

Students of the Health Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences department for continued health promotion produced the documentary.

The issue was particularly important to highlight before Homecoming.

“Around big events on campus we do tend to see an increase in drinking in the area,” Reiter said.

“Everyone knows that drinking happens,” Johnson said. “We don’t always think about how it affects other people outside of our circle of friends though.”

The first part of the video looked at how student drinking affects business owners.

Manager and lead body piercer Sheba Hulsing was interviewed on the subject to illustrate for students how their behavior impacts her work at Tatu Royale LLC.

Though Hulsing noted students provided good commerce for many of the other businesses downtown, Tatu Royale does not since they don’t tattoo or pierce people who are intoxicated.

“The people who are obnoxiously drunk deter people who aren’t drinking from coming to that area of downtown,” Hulsing said.

Over the years Hulsing has dealt with litter, broken glass, vomit and even blood outside her store.

“It’s there in the mornings when people are out walking by, shopping or on their way to work,” she said.

Hulsing said it would be nice to have someone clean up after the students the night of the damage.

“There are only a few people I know of who took the initiative to be responsible and pick up after themselves or others right away,” she said.  “Responsibility is definitely scarce sometimes.”

When asked to identify the main themes of the film, students noted how student drinking could negatively impact businesses, annoying storeowners and hurting their workflow.

“It’s not her job to pick up after students but she has to clean it up or else she’s going to lose business,” a freshman, Joyce Kramer, said of Hulsing.

Students also picked up on the emphasis Hulsing placed on making smart choices.

“Student drinking is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you’re responsible,” Johnson said.

“If everyone here gave their friends a reminder when they were out at night, we’d be all right,” Reiter added.

“If you’re with friends say something right away,” a freshman, Katie Neubauer, said, building off Johnson and Reiter’s comments.  “Spread the word even now and just be aware of your surroundings.”

Students in attendance were asked to brainstorm how they could help businesses cut down on cleanup time. Ideas included creating a student cleanup group and having different organizations rotate cleanup duties on a weekly or monthly basis.

Students were encouraged to be especially respectful of neighborhood bars, which are nestled in the community.

Johnson and Reiter also showed part of “Broken Fences,” a documentary about vandalism and student drinking that Johnson helped produce.

“Some students really wreck it for others who are already more responsible,” Johnson said. “Community members want to talk to us about what’s going, and this documentary is for that conversation to begin.”

Community members who wished not to be identified discussed past problems with intoxicated students in their neighborhoods.

Furniture has been stolen off porches. People have run through and broken fences. People urinate or have sex on strangers’ lawns. Noise levels increase between 3-4 a.m., disrupting the night quiet in neighborhoods.

Several people interviewed recalled students too drunk to recognize they were not at their friends’ house trying to enter their homes in the middle of the night.

Some of these actions can result in charges of misdemeanors or felonies, but most often the main result is just a mess for someone who didn’t create it to clean up.

“There really isn’t anything you can do after in most cases but you’re left with the destruction,” said one anonymous woman.

Many ask what is a just relationship between a student and the community.

“We’re asking to be on an even plain of respect and to give to each other what’s due to each other,” Johnson said.

“A just relationship is always a happy relationship, and this is what I think we need to strive for,” said one community member.

“They’re not asking any more of you than they are asking of any other person who lives in Winona,” Johnson said. “Be a friendly students and represent Winona State in the best way possible.”

“I think sometimes we forget that there’s more to the town than the school,” a sophomore, Alex Rayman, said. “It’s important to remember because in the future those people could be part of your network. We should try to be really positive in the community and have the sort of impact we’ll be glad they remember.”

“As students we are part of the Winona community,” Reiter said. “One main thing we have to remember to avoid big issues is responsibility.”

Contact Courtney at [email protected]