The recent theft of the Healy clock hands has forced both students and administrators to re-evaluate what the tradition means to us.

Given the safety hazards and extreme risks involved in stealing the clock hands, the university is fully justified in maintaining precautions to deter all but the most dedicated pranksters from attempting the heist. But because of the value the Georgetown culture attaches to the tradition, we would like to see the university remove the threat of punishment for those who succeed in the endeavor.

Part of the wonder of the prank comes from the fact that it happens  only every few years, making it all the more important that those with knowledge of how to steal the hands do not disseminate information about how to pull it off. The allure of stealing the clock hands comes from the inherent risk, the mystery and the legacy of continuing a revered Georgetown tradition.

Stealing the Healy clock hands is one of Georgetown’s few authentic student-led customs. Aside from sitting on John Carroll’s lap or exploring the tunnels, students on this campus generally steer clear of good, old-fashioned mischief. If anything, this one prank is valuable because it leaves everyone from freshmen to alumni wondering, awe-struck how it was accomplished.