New life projected on old Rialto screen NEVER SAY DIE. The Rialto Theatre shut down last summer, but reopened last Friday under new management and ownership. - Photo by Dave Reece, Bison photo e ditor. by Trish Shanklin Bison staff writer The lights dimmed. The doors locked. A faint male scream was heard outside. Moans emerged from the girls' dormitories. Guys sold their watches. Girls began Avon careers. More money was now needed to go out on a movie date. A sad day in the history of Harding social life. The day the Rialto theatre closed. July 17, 1988 was the end of an era. Or so they thought. But don't fret; the Rialto has reopened. On Sept. 30 Robert Marsh, Harding student and manager of the new Rialto, opened the doors again to anxious movie goers . Several Harding students grabbed the chance to again view movies for a discounted price. Marsh , who leases the theatre, and others have been working hard for the last month to have the Rialto ready for the grand opening. Marsh said they have recarpeted, repainted the lobby, replaced the front glass and changed the marquee. Debbie Bitting commented on the appearance of the theatre: "I can see a big change. It looks much nicer and it's not as ratty." She attended the movie "Big" opening night. Why would someone take the time to remodel and reopen a theatre? Marsh says, "I hate paying $4.50 to see a movie, and I don't like my movies being cut." The order is unknown , yet for the next three weeks the movies will be "License to Drive," "Coming to America," and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" The cost is $1.50 per ticket Tuesday thru Sunday and $1 Mon - day nights. Now the doors are unlocked. The lights are brightly shining. The guys can reclaim their time-pieces. The girls can give up their beauty careers. All because economical social life is restored. Pattie Cobb billed as Harding's Hilton by Susan Arnette Bison assistnt editor A new Hilton at Harding? Not quite, but close. Actually, what you see sandwiched between the Ganus Building, Cathcart Hall and Kendall Dorm is Pattie Cobb Dorm. It is not the Hil - ton and certainly is not new. In fact, Cobb (as it is affectionately known by t hose who know it best) was built in 1919, and is one of the original residence halls on campus when Harding moved to Searcy in 1934. But t he years had taken their toll on Pattie Cobb, and it had been vacant for the last eight semesters. The Admini stration wanted the beauty of the original building to be preserved , but desperately needed the living space to accommodate for an enrollment increase of more t han 10 percent in the last two years. From April to August 1988, Harding saw a renovation like nothing it has seen before. The entire inside of Cobb was gutted and rebuilt in five mont hs. Included in the growing pile of sheetrock and plaster was Pattie Cobb cafeteria, the first cafeteria on Harding's Searcy campus. The cafeter ia was located in the basement. A lobby, the front desk, a student kitchen , the dorm manager's apartment and 16 dorm rooms now take its place. The $1.15 million dorm houses 134 women on three floors. The rooms were designed for one, two or three people. Cobb is the first women's dorm to have rooms built for just one person. Since Cobb is centrally located on campus, most of the windows overlook the front lawn, the hub of campus life. The response to the "new" dorm on campus has been overwhelmingly positive. Peggy Huckeba, Cobb dorm manager , said , "The girls want to help take care of the dorm. They think they're in a hotel because it's like no other dorm." (Does that mean there's no need for room check?) Hu.ckeba, who formerly managed the New Married Student Apartments, says she looks forward to more definite interaction with the girls and their male friends. Like Sears and Stephens, Cobb is an upperclassman dorm. Many add that it is conducive to study because there are no freshmen to cause distractions. Louise Tucker, a junior transfer from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, lived in Stephens last years, but moved to Cobb this year . She describes the dorm as "sheer simplistic elegance. The colors are soothing and relaxing. It's a real sacrifice, but I guess I'll stick with Cobb for my last year." Sharon Jordan, a junior transfer from Powell, Ohio, sums up the consensus of the female student body housed in Cobb. She says, "I don't know what the dorm was like before this year, but I do know it's the best place on campus to live." It may look like "Old P .C." from the outside, but the minute you grab the brass door handle and walk down the double stairs under the crystal chandelier, you wonder if the Hilton really has moved onto Harding campus. Bison review 123
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