As some may have noticed, the Monmouth College campus has been missing something for quite some time this year. The campus had been without the sounds from its trademark tower on top of Wallace Hall. 

For many years, members of the Monmouth College campus have enjoyed the look of the great white tower, or cupola, on top of Wallace Hall. According to Jeff Rankin, director of college communications and avid historian of the College, the graduating class of 1909 decided that Monmouth College needed a cupola on top of the Hall, and, as a result, construction on the cupola began.

Then, in the 1970s, the idea to play music out of the tower surfaced. As such, Glen Rankin, the director of college relations at that time, initiated a plan to purchase a set of bells, known as a carillon. The carillon’s job was to play music, like a regular clock would chime. The carillon would chime on the hour to indicate the time and would usually play different melodies at noon. 

Though no particular repertoire for the carillon exists, they do play Christmas tunes around the holidays. 

Jacquelyn Condon, vice president for student life and dean of students, provided an explanation for why the bells have not rung this semester. According to Condon, the carillon was used to call the 2007 freshman class to the matriculation ceremony at the beginning of the current fall semester, but they were then turned off so they would not disrupt the ceremony. Dean Condon claimed that the carillon was just never turned on after that moment.

This week, the college finally turned the carillon back on for all the campus to hear. Freshman Alex Morgan, commented, “I really didn’t realize that the bells were off, but it’s awesome that they are playing again.”

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