Winona State University is number 11 of the top 25 safest campuses in the United States, according to research by “The Daily Beast,” a news reporting and opinion Web site.

“Compared to a lot of the things I hear about other schools, I feel safe,” said WSU sophomore Laura Rusnacko. “Winona seems like a tight-knit community.”

Rusnacko said she was surprised to hear WSU was ranked number 11 of more than 4,000 other schools nationwide, but was happy with the results.

According to Don Walski, WSU’s director of security, the “safest campus” ranking can be attributed to the quality of WSU students, the level of support from WSU’s departments and administration, and a professional and responsive security staff.

WSU senior Caitlin Wieser said she feels safe and is glad of WSU’s ranking.

Wieser said she never has had an issue on campus that threatened her safety.

The WSU security includes two other full-time employees and 65 student employees in addition to Walski.

Rusnacko said, “At night I see security guards walking around campus when I brush my teeth which makes me feel safe.”