Winona State to end West Campus Student Housing this Fall

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WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-Starting this fall, Winona State will no longer offer housing on its west campus.  

That’s according to an internal e-mail sent Friday by WSU President Dr. Scott Olson obtained by KWNO. In the email Olson wrote, “the decision was made to accelerate the university’s timeline for bringing all student housing to Main Campus, in part due to the low number of requests to live on West Campus (typical capacity is around 600 residents).”  

Olson said to date 200 students have requested to live on West Campus. Those students will move to main campus.  

“We felt it would have been a struggle to offer a full student experience operating the campus at such a diminished capacity, not to mention to offer the amenities our residents expect and deserve. In addition, we are completing an expansion to the Jack Kane Dining Hall in Kryzsko Commons that, starting this fall, will comfortably accommodate all our students,” Olson wrote.  

Olson wrote the university is actively working with those students to meet their housing needs. He called the move to main campus part of a “long-term plan to create a walkable residential campus and give students a more equitable opportunity to be engaged, to be close to resources, and to cut down on travel time between classes—all things identified as priorities by our students.” 

Olson said no jobs will be cut because of the move but did say WSU will eliminate the cost of the west campus shuttle, rebalance food service costs and decrease maintenance and operational costs. 

“As we look to the future of Winona State, we’re excited about the opportunity to invest strategically in our campus and to provide the kind of residential living spaces students want—prioritizing environments that will contribute to student success and allow us to continue serving the needs of our students for generations to come,” wrote Olson.  

Full e-mail from Winona State President Scott Olson: 

Dear Colleagues,

 

We are taking a big step toward our goal of creating a cohesive residence life community for Winona State University.

 

Starting this Fall Semester, no on-campus students will reside on WSU’s West Campus. Instead they will be accommodated in one of our Main Campus residence halls as part of our long-term plan to create a walkable residential campus and give students a more equitable opportunity to be engaged, to be close to resources, and to cut down on travel time between classes—all things identified as priorities by our students.

 

While centralizing our student housing and moving off West Campus has been part of the WSU Comprehensive Plan for many years, we recognize this announcement comes as a surprise to the 200 students who selected a room on West Campus during the room selection process last month. Please know we are working actively with all affected students to ensure their housing needs are being met.

 

The decision was made to accelerate the university’s timeline for bringing all student housing to Main Campus, in part due to the low number of requests to live on West Campus (typical capacity is around 600 residents). We felt it would have been a struggle to offer a full student experience operating the campus at such a diminished capacity, not to mention to offer the amenities our residents expect and deserve. In addition, we are completing an expansion to the Jack Kane Dining Hall in Kryzsko Commons that, starting this fall, will comfortably accommodate all our students.

 

No employee or student jobs will be lost in this process, but the move will allow us to re-balance our food service costs, eliminate the cost of the West Campus shuttle, and decrease our maintenance and operation costs.

 

The West Campus has been a great addition to WSU for close to 30 years, and has created tight knit communities and many fond memories—including some of my own! As we look to the future of Winona State, we’re excited about the opportunity to invest strategically in our campus and to provide the kind of residential living spaces students want—prioritizing environments that will contribute to student success and allow us to continue serving the needs of our students for generations to come.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Scott R. Olson

President