No one ever said only college students live in the campus residence halls.

One woman has lived in residence halls since she was a graduate student 16 years ago.

Another man has lived there for 20 years. He also is an SIUC instructor, and shares his two-bedroom University Housing apartment with his wife.

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A third person also is a husband and the father of an 11-month-old daughter. He takes care of his family in a similar small, two-bedroom apartment.

These adults live in the residence halls, and they do not see anything abnormal about their living arrangements. For Cindy Perkins, C. Anthony Earl and Mike Shanks, living in University Housing is a job requirement.

When I took this job, [living in the residence halls] was expected for the job, said Perkins, coordinator of resident life for Brush Towers. I don’t view it as odd. When I go to my friend’s houses, that is when I realize what I am doing is a little different.

Each coordinator of resident life is responsible for one of the three housing areas, University Park, Thompson Point, and Brush Towers. CRLs supervise Head Residents, Resident Assistants and help students with problems. They also experience firsthand what residents encounter in the buildings.

For Earls, an adjunct lecturer in the Philosophy Department and coordinator of resident life for Thompson Point, the dorm life is a completely normal way to live.

I don’t know any different (than living in the residence halls), Earls said. I went to college like everybody else. I became a [Resident Assistant], then a Head Resident and just went up the ladder.

CRLs and their families are provided with a two-bedroom apartment in the housing group to which they are assigned and 19 meals per week with students in University dining halls.

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I love the food, Perkins said. I get good food, have good conversations while I eat, and then just put the tray through a window and no dishes.

Shanks, coordinator of residence life for University Park, also sees a number of perks in his living arrangements instead of the dorm life hassles others would perceive .

I have a nice apartment, he said. I don’t have to drive to work, and the [trash container] is only 30 feet from my door.

But according to one CRL, there is at least one small hassle. Perkins, who lives in Brush Towers, said living in the residence halls places limits on her personal life because of the number of students privy to her every move.

How does she adjust? She finds alternate ways to enter the building.

Generally, I go out the back door, Perkins said. I try to maintain my privacy.

But when University Housing is closed, the students are away while the CRLs remain. Then, they notice a definite change in the activity around the dorms. They also see a different type of campus.

It’s amazing how quiet it gets, Earls said. There’s this bee-hive’ activity and then boom it’s a ghost town. You’d be surprised at the animals that come out.

The animals are not the only ones venturing into new areas.

My wife likes it when the cafeteria is closed, he said. She actually gets a chance to cook.

But above all, these adults love the jobs that require them to live in the dorms especially for Earls. Being a CRL is more than just a job title to Earls. He said it is a way of life.

It’s much more of a lifestyle than a job, he said. I like this lifestyle. I don’t experience life the way people in the residence halls do, but it is pretty close.

And they said the people who live in University Housing primarily the students who come and go each semester are who make their jobs worth having.

I’ve developed some of the best friendships in the job, Shanks said. Especially the people that you have helped to see what they can do better in their life.

Perkins agreed, citing the spontaneity of the job as an irresistible addiction.

Working with the students is the advantage of the job, she said. Each day you deal with a variety of different issues. It is very rewarding.

It’s interesting how I still live my life by semesters.