The new windows in Irvin Hall made quite a difference this winter. It was quite the change having no more drafts pouring Arctic air into classrooms and offices. It’s also quieter. The better fit of the new windows combined with the noise reduction of double pane glass has cut back on the amount of ambient campus and street noise. That, too, is good. The only exception I have found thus far occurs on days of strong winds out of the south.

At certain wind speeds and direction, the southwest window of my office becomes rather vocal. Apparently, it can’t remember the words but it hums. Loudly. Actually, it’s more like a menacing moan than a cheery hum. Ominous, deep, mournful and angry.

I will not fully describe the physiological effects it had on me the first time it happened while I was deeply absorbed in a project but let’s just say it caught me rather off-guard. While focusing intently on data analysis, I did not expect a loud and sudden humming noise from the corner of an office in which I believed I was the only occupant. Fortunately, my heart quickly re-established a regular rhythm and there were no extensive bruises.

I suppose that a certain velocity of wind at a certain angle causes the window to vibrate in its frame. The resonation of window, track and jamb create a frequency that is definitely audible to the human ear. I do not wish to imagine the effect this unexpected phenomenon might have on an uninformed person alone late on a dark and stormy night. I know rather precisely what is going on yet even on a bright and windy day I find myself inclined to believe the building may be haunted. “It’s just a window vibrating,” I tell myself. Over and over again.

While it is true that ignorance almost always exaggerates fear, it sometimes takes more than knowledge to eliminate it. Ahh… faith.

H. Arnett
4/7/10