Rush Rhees Tower is the cultural and geographic center of UR’s campus. But it is also the source of a great mystery. One I hope to uncover.
If you’ve spent any time on River Campus, you’ll soon notice the chiming of the Rush Rhees Carillon bells, which chime on the hour, every hour. Even more mystifying is the additional knowledge that different, shorter chimes occur every 15 minutes. This leads many to wonder: Who is responsible for making sure that the bells are rung without fail every quarter hour? Never in my four years of attending this great university have I heard this bell-toller make a mistake. Are they a student? If so, how do they find time to attend classes? Are they a facilities worker? If so, how often do they get to take breaks? What do they do for the 14-and-a-half minutes between each sweet chime of our noble bells? Is there Wi-Fi up there?
I waited years for someone to answer my questions. Then I realized: I’m a Campus Times reporter. I would find and interview the reclusive bell keeper.
Just after I started to dig around, I found my answer. “It’s a computer,” said Belle Campana, Eastman Professor and director of the UR Carillon committee. “There’s a program that runs on a set timer and makes the bells ring. What, did you think we forced a real student to stay up there all year?”
Katie Jarvis
Copy Chief
