Clocks on Campus Inaccurate

The wall clocks in many campus buildings are off-kilter, showing times that are too slow or too fast.

In general the reasons for this are ordinary. "Some of it is battery, and some of it is due to location," said Joe Emory of the Division of Facilities Services.

The disturbances would not be so noteworthy if they were not synchronized by low-frequency radio signals from the United States' atomic clock in Colorado, supposedly one of the most precise in the world.

The clocks are left over from former Student Body President Brad Matthews' platform, in which he promised to install clocks in every classroom.

University officials say that while the signals from Colorado can make the clocks accurate, they also can do the opposite.

Emory said the locations of the buildings and what they are made of affects how well they receive the frequency. The clocks' placement in the classroom also is vital. For the best signal the clocks should face west, but the wishes of some professors led to the clocks being placed elsewhere. As a result, many clocks are not as accurate as they could be.

Students might also play a role in clock accuracy. "Some of it is kids tampering with clocks," Emory said. Students might have pushed a button on the clock, which causes the hands to spin and stop on a different time.

These mistaken clocks can be a disconcerting or disruptive experience for students and teachers.

Scott Wolf, a graduate student in psychology, has resorted to using a campus landmark to begin class. "I started to start class when the bell rings," he said. But when to stop class is a different matter. "At the end of class (students) don't know what time it is, and they always are looking at me."

The disparities in time come in a variety. In some clocks the minute hand works but the hour hand is six hours off. Some clocks don't move at all. Often the clocks only will be a few minutes off, but this can cause its own problems.

Senior Henry Stockard is in a class where the clock appears to be five minutes fast. When the wall clock says class is done, the students start packing. "The teacher teaches five minutes past the wall clock," he said. "Then the students keep standing up and sitting down."

Regardless of the reason, the problem is easily fixed. But unless teachers call and report clocks to facility services, there is little that can be done. Emory said, "We can't read minds, but we'd be happy to come around and reset them."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.