During times of stress or concentration, the smallest sounds can become sources of mass annoyance. The worst sounds are the constant ones, the clicking of a pen, the ticking of a clock or… the sound of a bell that rings on campus four times an hour.
The bells, known as the “Carillon System” or the “Carillon Chimes,” are on top of the Erb Memorial Union and ring every 15 minutes, starting early in the morning and going until dark. They were just re-installed this summer after being taken down for renovations last year. The bells have actually been there in some form since the 1950s making it an old University of Oregon tradition.
But for some students, tradition is not what they want on their minds every 15 minutes of the day. A survey was posted by a student on the UO subreddit on Oct. 31 asking students what they thought about the bell, and Reddit users were immediately divided.
According to answers in the survey, some students enjoy the daily chimes. “Love the style of the bell, gives campus character,” one respondent said. “Please don’t take it away,” pleaded another.
But other students did not have such positive feelings. “Even Pavlov would be annoyed with this bell,” one respondent said. “I feel like I’m back in Catholic School,” another replied. “This isn’t [V]ictorian [E]ngland where everyone is too poor to afford a clock,” another said.
At the time of writing, the survey results show that while 35% of students say that the bell helps them keep track of time, 45% say it distracts them. One of the students who finds it distracting is Justin Gonzales, a resident assistant at the Living Learning Center residence hall.
“It’s the fact that it rings every 15 minutes,” Gonzales said. “It helps me keep track of time, but it really distracts me from my work because I am more aware of how much time I’m spending not doing my work.”
About half of the students in the survey who say they can hear the bell are from LLC — the dorm closest to the bells — and 32% of students overall say they cannot sleep through the bell.
However, just because the bells are a tradition doesn’t mean they can’t change. Laurie Woodward, director of the EMU, said she sees the bells as an enhancement to campus, and if people are having trouble, they should let the university know.
“It’s meant to be a campus amenity. It’s not meant to bother anybody,” Woodward said.
The bells are fully electronic, with speakers, a keyboard and a microphone. If needed, the volume can be turned up or down, one of the speakers can be shut off and the time that the bells go off can change. If the bells are found to be too annoying, the sound and frequency can be changed dynamically.
“We don’t want people to not be happy with them; they’re meant to make people smile,” Woodward said.
While respondents in the survey seem to have strong opinions on the bell, it would be wrong to say that students want the bell gone altogether. According to the survey, 53% of students say the bell should ring every hour, and 17% say every 30 minutes. Only 13% never want it to ring at all. It seems that despite harsh opinions of the current bell situation, students still want it to be a presence on campus.
“I would be content with 30 minutes, but 15 minutes — hard no,” Gonzales said.

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MARISSA WILLKE

Originally installed in the 1950s, the electronic carillon bell system in the EMU has gone through three renovations. (Marissa Willke/Emerald)