Div Free Bell
When Jonathan Frank 76F passed his Div III, he felt that the college needed a way for students to celebrate such a momentous event. After graduation, he found an old brass bell (formerly belonging to a ship named the Olinda), and donated it to the college in 1981 with the request that it be hung outside the library and rung to celebrate the passing of divisional exams.
When Hampshire College students pass their Division III, having completed all requirements for graduation, they can finally ring the Division Free Bell hanging in the library portico.
There is a strong superstition on campus that it is extremely unlucky to ring the Div Free Bell before you have passed your Div III; some even say that if you do, you will never ring it for Div III at all (that is, you will not graduate).
Ringing the bell is a major celebration. And so it should be: passing a Division III exam at Hampshire is a major accomplishment. When you hear it ring, think of all the work involved, and wish the happy student success beginning life after Hampshire.
In 2003, the original bell developed a crack, which limited its peal to a dull thud. The bell was replaced with a newer, larger one in April 2004. So the tradition continues.