You might wish Spring Break would stick around longer than a week. On the bright side, all the campus clocks should be set to the correct time when you return.
Daylight Saving Time begins March 11 at 2 a.m. So the clocks on campus (and your own clock, if you don’t want to be late for class) must be set an hour ahead.
The Physical Plant Division used to readjust the clocks every 24 hours using a campus-wide bell system, said Mike Thomas, the maintenance and construction superintendent, in an email. However, that system was done away with sometime in the last five to 10 years.
The PPD still sets the memorial clock outside the O’Connell Center and the automated clocks that have been installed in some buildings, but each department is now responsible for setting its own wall clocks.
In the Reitz Union, most of the clocks are automated, according to John Duncan, the operations manager.
He said, “I know there’s one battery-operated clock in the Welcome Center, and I’m usually the one to get up and spin the little dial.”
All of the classroom clocks in Weimer Hall are analog, said Rob Carr, the engineering director in the College of Journalism and Communications. His department uses Daylight Saving Time and the beginning of each semester to set the time and change the batteries of any dying clocks.
He can tell they’re dying when they’re really lagging. Sometimes, he said, the clocks are 15 minutes behind.
During the semester, his department only changes them if the Dean’s Office receives complaints, but none have been filed in the last year.
“I’ve jumped up on several tables and changed them myself,” said John Freeman, a photojournalism professor in the college, “It’s easier than waiting.”
