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Little did Ben Melton, sophomore biology major, and Benton Hurt, sophomore cell and molecular biology major, know that after their senate resolution passed last spring requesting new chimes for the Miller tower, there would soon be action taken six months later to replace the electronic bell sound system. Originally titled “Whenever a Bell Rings, an Angel Gets His Wings,” the resolution passed student senate in April. The bill simply requested that the Miller tower chimes be turned on with increased volume and if broken, allow for repairs.
Josh Edgren, junior physics major and SGA ambassador, serves as the liaison between the senate and the administration, presenting passed bills for administration to approve.
“When that bill proposed by freshman council was passed, I took it to Dean Carrier the next day, presented it to him and he was thrilled, loved the idea,” Edgren said.
Brian Carrier, vice president of student life and dean of students, said the bill also received positive feedback from the executive council of administration for its final approval.
Upon returning to school for the 2014 fall semester, Edgren found that Carrier had tracked who controlled the chime system and evaluated its condition. Carrier determined a new chime system was necessary to implement the suggested changes. He said the speaker wires needed to be replaced.
Since the bill passed, the new system has been purchased and is expected to be delivered October 8. It will be installed and up and running by the end of the month.
Once installed, the new chime system will start at 8:00 a.m. playing the “Westminster Chimes” in the style of a grandfather clock. It will play a major tune on the hour, with smaller tunes every 15 minutes. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the tower will sound “The Doxology” at 9:50 a.m. before chapel. At 10 p.m., the chime system will be turned off for the day.
“The original bill said ‘chiming hourly’, and that was amended by Mr. Doug May to ‘chiming hourly during waking hours’,” Edgren said.
According to BRG Precision Products’ website, the new system will provide numerous audio options, allowing for playback of recorded sound, recording of over 2,000 hymns, functioning at a timed schedule and even providing accurate time of day through a GPS time receiver.
Carrier stated that these options will allow for unique sound settings such as setting certain sounds for graduation.
“There’s a collegiate university feel that happens with the audio aesthetic of the bell tower,” Carrier said.
Celia Leatherwood, senior special education major, said, “Since we have this [tower] here, and it’s one of the main features on campus, I think it will be great to walk around and have those chimes be a part of what Union is known for.”
