Published on Friday, February 8, 2008

Victory Bell returns with hefty price tag

By DAN STONE

The Victory Bell was installed on the south side of the Convocation Center at a cost of $136,374. Anyone can ring the bell by pulling on the rope attached to it.

The Alpha Phi Omega Victory Bell returned to the fringe of campus in a new bell tower costing about as much as a DeKalb house.

The Bell Tower, which was first approved for $88,500 on June 16, 2006, was increased to $128,000 on Sept. 29, 2006, according to an information item on the Board of Trustees meeting agenda for Dec. 6, 2007.

The project went $8,374 over the second projected cost for a total of $136,374, and the final cost was approved by NIU President John Peters, according to the information item.

The median value of owner-occupied housing units is $130,200 in DeKalb, according to the 2000 Census.

Victory Bell - then and now

The Eta chapter of APO, a coed service fraternity, bought the Victory Bell in 1958 with proceeds from two “Ugliest Man on Campus” contests held in 1957 and 1958, according to NIU.

The bell was first housed on Malus Island – where Circle Drive in front of DuSable now runs – on Oct. 8, 1960, according to NIU.

The Victory Bell was removed from Malus Island during the reconstruction of Circle Drive in 2004, according to NIU’s Web site.

The new bell tower features electrical conduits to facilitate future lighting of the bell and concrete foundations for future stone benches, according to the information item. The bell was also rebalanced to ring properly.

The rising cost of the bell tower is attributed to unexpected issues encountered during construction.

“In the course of the construction work, several issues were addressed that changed the scope of the project,” according to the information item. “During excavation for the foundation, wet and unsuitable subsoil was encountered. An independent testing consultant provided soil testing and recommendations for the remediation of the soils.”

APO’s thoughts on location

APO is glad to see the Victory Bell is back on campus, but the fraternity was a little frustrated over a few of the conditions surrounding the return of the bell, APO President Tom Heneghan said.

“It would have been nicer if the university kept the bell on campus for the students to enjoy the tradition,” Heneghan said. “APO really wanted the bell to be closer to campus.”

APO wanted the bell to be moved closer to the football stadium instead of the Convocation Center, Heneghan said. Students won’t be able to enjoy the tradition of the Victory Bell as much now that it is at the edge of campus instead of in the middle, he said.