In this day and age, who needs to be reminded of the beginning of a new hour, every hour, for 14 a day? Apparently, the students of Mercyhurst, not to mention the good citizens of Erie, need to be made aware for whom the bells toll 14 times a day. Played in abundance, whatever charm there was in the Mercyhurst bells has undoubtedly worn off by noon.

The digital carillon bells were reborn just this August after being out of use for two years. I’m not sure how often they rang when they were in use before, but they need to be toned down a bit.

In the olden days of Catholicism, church bells were rung two or three times a day to notify townspeople to perform their daily prayers. These days, the bells would be much more appreciated if they rang in mediation as they did back then as opposed to the overbearing amount that they currently chime.

This sparsity of ringing would give students the chance to cherish the bells as opposed to what some of us, myself included, are currently feeling about them, a mild to extreme annoyance.

Sophomore Public Health major C.C. Passe pointed out the invasive noise levels of the thunderous new bell chimes, which echo over campus and around the city each day, like them or not.

“I think they would be pretty if they didn’t blast them,” Passe said.

The bells are perhaps even more of a nuisance when they begin going off during classes. Professors need to raise their voices or pause their lectures to wait for the bells to cease their clamoring, especially with the minute-long Alma Mater at 2 p.m., which interrupts the professors who are trying to wrap up their 1 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. classes.

Looking at the bigger picture, the bells may not be the absolute worst things that have happened to this establishment. Looking at the day-to-day picture, it comes pretty close. If the frequency in which they ring is reduced, the clang of the iconic bells would be more tolerable.