Jan. 27, Winona State University staff, faculty and students received two timely warning e-mails in regard to reports of on-campus burglaries.

The first campus-wide e-mail was sent out at 9:58 a.m. on Jan. 27. The e-mail notified students that a burglary had taken place in Gildemeister Hall sometime between 9:00 a.m. and noon, three days prior on Jan. 24.

Shortly after the first timely warning was sent, a second e-mail was sent out. After reading about the Gildemeister burglary, someone reported a burglary that had taken place in the Performing Arts Center on Jan. 24, at sometime between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Both victims of the burglaries are Winona State staff members. Cash and personal items were stolen, according to Chris Cichosz, director of Winona State Security.

Winona State Security responded to these incidents by getting as much information from the two reporters as possible, and then referring them both to speak to the Winona Police Department.

In addition, security alerted all campus staff, faculty and students of the reports by way of timely warnings, as required by federal law under the Clery Act, put into effect in 1990. The Clery Act requires all universities and colleges that receive federal financial aid to release reports of any crimes reported to security, including, but not limited to, burglary, robbery and gender-based violence.

The sequential timing of reports made by the two burglary victims is consistent with trends that suggest more crimes are reported in an environment that appears to value victims and their reports.

Had Winona State Security been aware of the two burglary incidents as of 9:58 a.m. on Jan. 27, they would have released both reports in one Timely Warning, Cichosz said.

The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Winona State University, the Minnesota State Colleges and University system, or the Winona State University student body.