After a mysterious period of quiet during the spring semester, the Central Hall bells have returned, bringing with them resounding noise as well as controversy.

“Regardless of how it happened, I’m just glad the bells are back,” sophomore Michael Rupe said. “Apparently, some people aren’t too happy, but I say that unhappy people will find any excuse to complain.”

The electronic sound mimicking the once active “Victory Bell” rings across campus every 15 minutes, with an extended sequence marking the hour.

Students recall these bells disappearing early in the spring semester without warning or explanation.

“I very quickly noticed that the college had turned them off when we returned to the campus for the spring semester,” Rupe said. “Several other people told me they also missed the ‘bongs.’ Unfortunately, the bells never rung again during the spring.”

Though it is still unclear why the bells remained off for so long, Associate Dean of Men Jeffrey “Chief” Rogers suggested it was done during finals season to help students focus on exams.

“During finals, people don’t necessarily want to hear them trying to study, and so they cut it off to facilitate students focusing on taking their final exams,” Rogers said.

Regardless of how and why these bells disappeared, they are back on campus, and Rogers calls students to reflect on the value of bells.

Each year, Rogers conducts tours of Central Hall’s tower and frequently takes seniors up there to offer perspective.

Rogers said once he and the seniors reach the top of Central Hall, he’ll ask them to point out where their most difficult class was. Then, pointing out how small it looks from on high, he’ll share the wisdom of perspective.

“When you look at things from God’s perspective, things look very small,” Rogers said. “So when you graduate here, don’t think you’re all that because you took a class here. Do know, from God’s perspective, when we’re down on the ground, weary and wrestling about something, it’s a really small thing. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Sophomore Jianna Coppola said she sees beyond the potential annoyance of the bells.

“For me, the bells do more than signify the constant marching on of time,” Coppola said. “They call us and recall us to our purpose here at Hillsdale as students. Just as churches and their bells used to be found at the center of towns, Central Hall and its bells remind us of our higher purpose here as students.”

Rogers said the bells constantly call us to consciousness of our lives and where we stand. It is harder to ignore the fleeting moments of each day when the bells ring so frequently, he said.

“The bells to me represent the brevity of life, and the tolling of the bells is a comforting sound,” Rogers said.