Kristin Eberts / Photo Editor / ke277604@ohiou.edu

The clock proudly displayed outside of Baker University Center was donated by the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Journalism students training to spot possible errors and mistakes have to look no farther than across the street from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

The clock outside the fourth-floor entrance to Baker University Center, donated by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, shows the Roman numeral four represented by IIII instead of IV, something that might seem wrong to many people.

The clock’s manufacturer and a member of the committee that purchased the clock, however, said the IIII is a normal feature of classical clock style.

While there is no definitive explanation for the unconventional numeral — something the manufacturer, Electric Time Inc., acknowledges on its Web site, www.electrictime.com — many sources indicate the IIII creates visual symmetry with the VIII on the other side of the clock that an IV would not.

“The clock is not supposed to represent any particular era, although I suppose given the history of Ohio University, it’s nice to celebrate that,” said Scott Robe, a 1984 OU graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member who participated on a committee charged with honoring the chapter’s existence. “There are not that many universities that began as early as 1804.”

Phi Beta Kappa, an academic honors fraternity, donated the clock in part to commemorate the chapter’s 75th anniversary, said Robe, who also is a lawyer in Athens.

The clock, which Robe said cost about $17,500, was the second donation item discussed within Phi Beta Kappa. The group first considered installing a bronze plaque in the sidewalk, but another committee member suggested the clock.

“We wanted to add something that would be a handsome, attractive addition to the campus,” he said. “It seemed a little ambitious, but we just decided to take the adventure, and it turned out very nicely.”