The Baker Top 40

UP TO 1781, Dartmouth had no bells. So three times a day, for prayers and recitations, a Dartmouth native American student would blow a conch horn in front of Dartmouth Hall. Some campus residents might say the tunes from Baker Tower haven't improved much.The tower's 17 different bells (16, actually; one is broken) can play more than 300 songs from "Alouette" to "The Wizard of Oz" theme. With all of the variety, the musical selection has been both timely and not so timely.

Monday mornings are now punctuated by the bells playing "Monday, Monday" by the Mamas and the Papas. Students who are caught late to class are subjected to the theme from "Chariots of Fire" as they sprint across the Green. Sometimes the bells aren't so well planned. Was that Madonna's "Like A Virgin" playing during a sexual assault protest last spring? Who is responsible for playing this musical faux pas? A Macintosh computer.

Well, there are people who program the computer and select the tunes: two undergraduates, juniors Lynn Gilgut and Michael Stodghill. When asked how they choose their music (such as the theme song from "Green Acres," against which many complaints have been lodged) they replied, "Whatever we like." The two students explain the untimeliness of some of their songs as "unlucky." "The bells are programmed at the beginning of the week," said Stodghill, ruefully. That is why "Dixie" came out over the bells during a protest that followed the Rodney King incident.

"Jive Talkin"' or the Disney dwarves' "Hi Ho," they can make requests. "We're more than happy to play any song people want, within reason," chimed Gilgut. "All people have to do is tell us what song they want to hear and they'll hear it!"

Here's an even scarier thought: The bells can be turned on or off and even programmed from anywhere on campus at any time.Said Stodghill,

"Thanks to the magic of technology and Dartmouth computing, you can control the bells right from your own dorm room." Keep your ears open for the newest Baker bells song, the theme from "The Simpsons."

Endorsementsof Gilgut andStodgbill'schokes haven'tbeen ringing.