It has been six years since the Healy clock hands were last stolen as part of a harmless student prank, and it’s high time that the hands find their way to the Vatican once more — without the threat of a hefty punishment hanging over students’ heads.
The taking of the clock hands has been a long-time tradition at Georgetown, but recently the university has implemented several security measures that prevent this famed swiping. Throughout the 1960s, the time keepers were stolen so often that the university eventually sealed off the clock tower. The 2005 grab was only accomplished because of timing —construction on the side of Healy facing Dalhgrenallowed the culprits to climb into the clock tower via additional scaffolding.
Granted, stealing the clock hands is a dangerous feat. Aside from the damage that past attempts have caused the university — most notably the hole punched in Riggs Library — students’ past efforts to scale the building seriously jeopardize their safety. The university also considers it a violation of the Student Code of Conduct — stealing property valued less than $500 — and, as such, students are subject to academic probation for up to a year.
However, as Homecoming approaches, Georgetown is reminded of its traditions. Healy Hall is the iconic symbol of Georgetown, with the clock hands right at the heart of campus — so stealing those hands provides students with a sense of mystery and humor. Gaining entrance to the university’s oldest and most revered space, picking locks and traversing wooden staircases and being able to look out from the second-highest point in Washington, D.C.: What more can generate camaraderie among Georgetown students past and present?
Ultimately, stealing the clock hands is tradition, not a serious offense — especially when students have every intention of making sure they wind up back where they belong. The university should not consider reducing its security measures in Healy Hall — the more there are, the bigger the challenge — yet it should not enforce such a weighty penalty. This year, we ought to replant some of our campus’s cultural roots and see if our enterprising peers can pull off the heist of a lifetime.
