The Observer, January 28, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 15
Cheap beer and expanded hours, but no students
While not many bartenders can say their job helps boost their GPA, senior Paul Serrin, who works behind the counter at the Rough Rider Room, can. Most nights, the Southside bar is deserted. "It's perfect for modern physics homework," he said.
With newly revamped décor and expanded hours, the RRR is part of Housing and Residence Life's stab to create a more social atmosphere on campus. The response, so far, has been lukewarm.
Megan McKenna, coordinator of residential program centers, estimates the RRR, which is open Sunday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., ropes in 25 students a week.
Last semester, with the exception of Point Blue, a Halo 2 tournament drew the largest crowd – nearly 30 people – to the RRR. But the players were too enthralled by the game to take advantage of the RRR's cheap snack food and drink specials. "I don't think we sold anything," McKenna said.
Perched at the top of the elephant stairs, the location of the RRR isn't exactly convenient for a majority of the student body. "People don't know we're here," Serrin said.
To make matters worse, the squat, unimaginative architecture of Carlton Commons hardly inspires revelry. "I didn't know what it was," said junior Josh Zarowitz, describing the building, "I didn't know if I was allowed there."
However, students who do venture into the RRR will discover a cozy, if somewhat conflicting, environment. Last year's renovations added muted green walls, coffee-motif furniture, a large screen TV, and a quality sound system to the room. With soft lighting and cheap beer in plastic cups, the RRR has the aura of a campus watering hole plunked inside a wannabe Starbucks.
McKenna admits that the RRR has an "identity crisis." "Students come in asking 'What do we do here?'" she said.
As an on-campus social spot, the RRR stands in direct competition with more popular off-campus favorites like McNulty's and The Loft. "People want to get off campus to hang out," McKenna notes. "When you're [at the RRR] it's not out of sight, out of mind."
Serrin adds, "It has the stigma of being a 'school bar.'"
Since joining the Case staff in June, McKenna has made an effort to accommodate student needs. However, her efforts to promote the building have been hemmed by university regulations that prevent advertising alcoholic beverages. Still, her belief in the importance of interaction for college students drives her to create an alternative social outlet.
"With the demands of a school such as Case being to academically challenging, it's good for students to remember they have social skills," she said. "There are places on campus where they can go. Case is lucky to have the venues they do – many campuses have shut down on-campus bars."
