Dean finds comfort living in McFadden

When Dean of Students Kim Grieve travels and tells deans from other universities she lives in a residence hall, she said they typically have one response: “Really?”

Grieve, who has lived in McFadden Residence Hall since she started with the university last year, does her laundry in the building, eats in the Commons and Muenster University Center and lives in the same four-bedroom apartment with her husband as the previous dean of students.

“I wanted to get to know as many students as possible,” Grieve said. “I want to get to know them in a different, relaxed environment.”

In McFadden, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room are split between four students. With only two inhabitants, Grieve has had the opportunity to convert the living space. She uses one room as a bedroom, another as a guest bedroom, one as an office and another as a reading room, along with using a garage in the building.

“I like to be where the students are,” Grieve said. “I want to be an advocate for the community. Students see me all the time and come up to me.”

Grieve said she does not mind hearing her student neighbors talking or playing music next door.

“I can sleep through anything,” Grieve said. “I don’t like it in the summer, because it’s quiet and I can’t feel that energy.”

Grieve lives in the same apartment as the previous dean of students, James Parker, but said she was the one who made the push to live on campus. The housing arrangement is included in her contract, and was offered as an option when she took the position as dean of students.

“I find it very easy and fun to live in housing,” Grieve said.

While Grieve said other deans find it strange for her to live on campus, she said it is practical to be on campus in case there is an emergency and it is an easy way for her to remain visible to students.

Grieve also has to follow the same rules as other students, including no painting the apartment’s interior, no loud music and no holes in the walls. Her Pomeranian, Izzy, is an exception to the no-pet rule, as Grieve can often be seen walking her around campus.

Sophomore Brynn Nelson, a resident of McFadden, has seen Grieve around the building, but said she never thought the dean of students lived there.

“I like how she wants to interact with the students,” Nelson said. “It’s cool that she takes time to experience student life.”

If she were in Grieve’s shoes, Nelson said she would want to live off-campus and have more freedom to decorate, along with more space. After finding out Grieve lives in the same building as her, Nelson also said she will probably be more conscious of how loud she is.

After living on campus for a year, Grieve said her children have grown used to the idea of her living in a residence hall. Grieve said the year had given her the chance to see students in a new setting.

“Living on campus, I get to really see the change in students over the years and see them really blossom,” Grieve said. “I can’t imagine living off-campus now.”