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Aug. 28, 2026 Vol. 102, No. 1
NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2A OPINIONS . . . . . . . . . . 3&4A SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1B COMMUNITY . . . . . . . . . . 2B FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . 3B LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B
@HUStudentPubs Facebook: Harding University Student Publications
Harding Place expansion breaks ground NATALIA LAGO community editor Expansion began on Harding Place Senior Living last week on Aug. 20, 2026. This expansion will add 82 rooms to the existing 116 rooms, meaning Harding Place will soon have 198 rooms. The expansion will also include a new dining room that will seat 214 people, a significant improvement as their current dining hall seats 88. In addition to the new rooms and dining hall, there will also be new community areas that will be open for events and offer spaces for friends and family to spend time with their loved ones. “We actually created these little areas where it opened up where residents could get together… But they can just sit out in the expanded hallway with these little living rooms,” architect Scott Uidry said. Executive director Randy Reynolds said expanding the communal areas allows Harding Place to expand their ministry and serve more people in the Searcy community. Reynolds works alongside his wife, Sandy, who is in Marketing and Resident Services. With this new expansion, they hope to engage better with their community and be a hub for all of Searcy. “This expansion is going to create a larger activity space where we can do more service projects and activities,” Reynolds said. “We’re also going to be able to create a larger dining space. Currently, people can eat with us anytime they want to. Students, people who don’t have anyone at Harding Place. We serve the community as well.” SEE GROUNDBREAKING, PAGE 2A
Rising costs put pressure on Harding students KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief
As inflation and the cost of living continue to increase in the U.S., students are feeling the effects as the cost of attending Harding increased over the summer. Students living in off-campus apartments received an email on Friday, June 5, announcing a change in their rent for the school year, increasing anywhere from 5% to 28%. Property manager Joanne Ford said part of the reason for the increase was that the rent for off-campus apartments was lower than apartments in Searcy. “Every August, the rents have increased, but just a little bit, which is what most people have been used to,” Ford said. “The rates have gone up considerably more than that this August, and I think that’s caught a lot of people off guard, including myself.” Vice president for student life Zach Neal said one reason for the difference in rent increases was because students’ demand for furnished apartments increased. “I do know that [included] wear and tear on furniture, some replacement costs” Neal said. “Also, some of our apartments that are currently unfurnished, making those furnished. My understanding is that is the major difference between some of the apartments that were affected by a cost increase.” Costs around campus also increased, affecting both the students in off-campus apartments and students living on campus. The increased prices included credit hours, technology fees, parking passes, meal plans and on-campus housing.
Harding students react to Dolly Parton’s death LORELAI CURTIS sports editor
Country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton died at age 80 on Aug. 25, 2026, leaving behind a career that has influenced generations of musicians, fans and communities. Her legacy reaches far beyond her music, and for members of the Harding community, it includes a unique moment in the University’s history. Recognized as one of the most influential voices in all of music and a household name, Parton was a small-town, God-fearing girl from Tennessee. She topped the charts and sold-out venues, but she never lost her love and kindness that she showed to others. When her death made headlines, classes were interrupted and discussion ensued, stopping lectures; some Harding students found themselves pausing their normal routines. Junior music major Hazel Kronewitter was conducting a class when they all stopped to talk about the news of the death. “After class got out, we sat in the music library, and we played a bunch of Dolly songs, and just sang and listened,” Kronewitter said. “She was an amazing artist and amazing writer.” Parton’s impact extended far beyond the music industry. Throughout her career, she became known not only for her music and entertainment, but also for her compassion and care for others. “She loved Jesus and genuinely cared about people, and you could see that in the way she treated everyone she met,” senior Dusty Lee said. Parton’s legacy also extends through Dollywood, her theme park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Harding alumna Adele Duncan recently visited Dollywood and saw firsthand how Parton’s legacy is being preserved. “While we were in one of the museums, one of the girls was saying how Dolly will not be known by our children, and we are just really appreciating that they had put together all her outfits and made a great museum at Dollywood.” Parton, by all accounts, was a worldfamous artist known in many spheres. With that Southern drawl that accompanied her everywhere she went, she will always be known as a Southerner. “Dolly Parton’s death feels as intense as Queen Elizabeth’s death, especially here in the South,” junior Meredith Smith said. To the world, Parton leaves behind a legacy that has shaped generations through
Photo provided by IMAGO
Dolly Parton performs at NBC’s Today Show on May 13, 2014. The country singer-songwriter died on Aug. 25. her songs and storytelling. From a smalltown girl in Tennessee to a worldwide icon, Parton touched people through her music, her generosity, and the way she treated others. For Harding, part of that legacy can still be heard in Parton’s song, “Whispering Hope.” The Concert Choir recorded the background vocals for the song in 2003,
which was released on Parton’s For God and Country album. LORELAI CURTIS is sports editor for The Bison. She can be contacted at lcurtis4@harding.edu.
Women’s social club Regina goes inactive
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Members of Regina pose for their yearbook photo for the 2025-26 school year. The women’s social club was founded in 1947 and went inactive in the fall 2026 semester.
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KENZIE JAMES editor-in-chief After 79 years, women’s social club Regina will be inactive this semester – a new alternative to dissolving a club. Members of Regina met twice in the first week of school to discuss dissolving the club, because there were only a few active members left.
“Everyone who was in Regina said that Regina meant the world to them and it was very hard to talk about not having Regina anymore,” president Alayna Ragle said. “It was a very hard discussion; we all made the decision together.” The members voted on Thursday, Aug. 20, to dissolve the club. Ragle and one of Regina’s sponsors met with Campus Life
director Jane Chandler on Monday, Aug. 24, and decided to have the club go inactive rather than fully dissolving. “She did tell me about a time when she was VP, and there were five of them going into that next semester, and they brought it back,” Dean said. “We had 14 last year, so I felt kind of a renewed hope after hearing that.” SEE REGINA, PAGE 2A