By Bruce Garlinghouse
On the University of Portland Web site, the Bell Tower Plaza is described as a place that "represents the most explicitly sacred place on campus."
However, in recent months, the Bell Tower, has become the center of some controversy.
Not for how it looks, but for how often it rings: every 15 minutes.
On Monday, Feb. 8, Resolution 10-03, also known as The Bell Tower Resolution, was presented at the ASUP Senate meeting by juniors Colin Dorwart, Katie Scally and Emily Rizzo, senior Vasant Vuppuluri and sophomore Karen Wilhite, in response to complaints.
It focused on how the ringing affects classes in Swindells and Buckley Center.
The resolution requests a discussion between the ASUP Executive Board, Campus Ministry and university administration about limiting the bell ringing to once an hour.
"We've had a lot of complaints about the frequency the bells ring," Rizzo said.
"It is our jobs as senators to address the problems our constituents come to us with," she said.
Sophomore Locke Bielefeldt is among those who have had classes disrupted by the Bell Tower and would like to see the frequency of ringing reduced.
"It definitely disrupted my environmental science class last semester," Bielefeldt said. "My teacher would either stop class until it stopped ringing or would usually make some comment about it."
Bielefeldt's class last semester was in Buckley Center.
The resolution was discussed on Monday, Feb. 15, but the vote was tabled until next meeting.
Some senators said the issue already needs action, while others said more feedback is needed.
Other senators, such as senior Tiger Torrelle, said there needs to be more legitimate feedback from students through polls or open discussion.
However, some senators were skeptical about that idea.
"The problem with polls is they really only attract the extremists from both sides. By doing a poll, we won't really be able to see how it is affecting students as a whole," sophomore Chloe Ruffin said.
Despite skepticism, the poll will probably be Senate's next plan of action, said Ruffin.
Ruffin added she is worried that some people are using the Bell Tower as just another excuse to complain.
"No one is ever going to be happy with everything on campus, and you will always find people that are looking to find something wrong," Ruffin said.
"People forget that the Bell Tower was a gift, and we shouldn't disrespect the generous people that gave it to us," she said.
Rizzo agreed with Ruffin, saying that the fact that no one will ever be completely satisfied is always of concern.
However, she believes that it is still her duty as a senator to explore issues that students bring up on campus, and to represent their needs to the best of her ability.
"We understand that completely satisfying every student is impossible. But I think a poll will give us some good feedback, and then from there we can devise a plan of action," Rizzo said.
"Polls sometimes do only represent the extreme sides of arguments, but we thought that would happen with the smoking ban poll, and we found that it was very split," she said.
Some senators expressed the need for more feedback from faculty.
Some said it really only becomes an issue if it affects a professor's ability to do his or her job.
"It doesn't really affect my classes because I can barely hear it when it rings," said Fr. Thomas Hosinski, C.S.C., a theology professor.
Although Hosinski teaches in Buckley Center, he is far enough from the Bell Tower that it doesn't bother him.
"However, I could definitely see where it could be distracting for the classrooms in Buckley that are closest to it," Hosinski said.
Hosinski also commented on the religious importance of the Bell Tower.
Senators who wrote the resolution said they tried to keep the religious importance in mind.
"Obviously it is a religious symbol. However, a lot of the times it doesn't play religious hymns," Hoskinski added.
"The amount of times it rings could probably be lessened," he said.
