What Is Going on with the Tarble Bells?

November 10, 2006

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.

Swarthmore students were welcomed back to campus in late August by friendly RAs, helpful faculty advisors, and by the regular ringing of the Upper Tarble bells. Yet, these bells which regimented life at Swarthmore in distinct quarter-hour increments have faded quickly as the semester progressed.

According to the Director of Maintenance, Ralph Thayer, the Tarble bells “should ring on the quarter hour and the hour, seven days a week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 1 a.m.,” stopping only, “in the wee hours, in deference of sleepers.” Apart from allowing tired Swarthmore students some rest, the bells would cease only in the case of an outdoor event which would be disrupted by the noise.

Sample advertisement

Mr. Thayer revealed that the irregularity in ringing can be sometimes attributed to small technical glitches caused, for example, by high winds. “In deference of sleepers,” or not, the Tarble bells ring haven’t been heard much recently. When contacted a few weeks ago, Mr. Thayer acknowledged that the bells were not ringing. It is unclear whether an attempt has been made to fix the unpredictable nature of Swarthmore’s most prominent time-keepers. As of yet, there has been no reinstatement of a regular pattern.

Want the Tarble Bells back? Have more questions? Ralph Thayer can be reached at rthayer1 [at] swarthmore [dot] edu. Want to ask the Gazette something? Try dailygazette [at] swarthmore [dot] edu.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Previous Story

Coming Out Week chalkings discussed

Next Story

What is the history of queer chalkings on campus?

Latest from Sports

Swinging Through the Glass Ceiling 

The Swarthmore men’s golf team has welcomed numerous women as walk-on players over the years. Currently there are two female players competing on the men’s team: Ava Chon ’26 and Bori Chung ’28. Chon is a senior from Princeton, NJ, who went

Athlete of the Week: Melissa Eyer ’28

Melissa Eyer '28 runs the volleyball court with her elite ball control and defensive capabilities. Read on to hear more about her fourth Centennial Athlete of the Week selection!

Garnet Soccer Takes on Johns Hopkins in Baltimore

On Sept. 20, Swarthmore men’s and women’s soccer packed their bags and boarded buses for Baltimore to play their long-time conference rival Johns Hopkins University. The day began Centennial Conference play for both Garnet teams. The men came into their game carrying

The Best Quotes of Jalen Hurts

We live in a current age of heat checks, lyric drops, motivational apps and posters, and speeches about “locking in” or “walking through fire.” And then there is Jalen Hurts — the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, an outright contemporary Nietzsche,
Previous Story

Coming Out Week chalkings discussed

Next Story

What is the history of queer chalkings on campus?

The Phoenix

Don't Miss