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The Scarlet & Black

S&B Cribs: The Grill, a dorm away from dorm

Bryce+Lew+and+Kiara+Borosky%2C+both+19%2C+lounge+on+their+designated%2C+left+side+of+the+Grill+in+matching+outfits+and+grins.%0APhoto+by+Reina+Shahi
Bryce Lew and Kiara Borosky, both ’19, lounge on their designated, left side of the Grill in matching outfits and grins. Photo by Reina Shahi

By Clara Larson
larsoncl@grinnell.edu

Along the far back brick wall of the Spencer Grill sit Bryce Lew ’19 and Kiara Borosky ’19. Always. “I thought they were just your average Grill goers,” remarked Kate Smith ’21, “but then I realized they never leave.”

Lew and Borosky met during their first year at the College, and became close friends in their second year. Now fourth-years, they have taken up permanent residency in the Grill. They say that the decision to live together was easy. “You kind of feel out who you enjoy spending time with, and we found that we enjoy spending all of our time together, so it was only natural to live in the same vicinity,” said Lew. 

Lew and Borosky have never wanted to live off campus. “I just want to be close to everything,” Borosky said. 

“There’s no place closer to everything than the Grill,” Lew added. 

And so, late in the month of January 2018, they returned from their semesters abroad and settled into the Grill. They claimed for themselves the stretch of black square tables lining the brick wall at the Grill’s far end, and have dubbed the entire side “their side.” Lew explained the prevailing Grill dichotomy: “There’s the sporto side and then there’s ‘our side.’” 

Lew is quite happy that they made the move to the Grill. “Personally, I like waking up in the morning to the sound of FM cleaning the floor,” he joked, “and I also really enjoy just kind of sitting around and seeing people circle through and watching people socialize.” 

Not to mention, the amenities are hard to beat. “There’s always coffee!” Borosky said. “And there are power outlets!” Lew added. 

They don’t seem at all bothered by the lack of showers or traditional sleeping spaces “When the floors get cleaned, the floor is actually really comfortable,” Lew expressed. Borosky, however, prefers sleeping on the Grill’s couches and chairs. “We still use dorm showers,” Lew said, “And we have a bathroom right across the hall,” added Borosky. 

Borosky and Lew expressed that one of the best parts about living in the Grill is the people-watching. “We see people flirt, and we know who flirts with everyone,” he said. “And we’ve seen a lot of yelling at people, people yelling at each other,” Borosky added.

But the socially immersive nature of their residence is often a double-edged sword. “Sometimes being in the Grill can be stressful, because it feels like everyone is always seeing our intimate moments,” Lew said. 

Borosky quickly clarified: “We’re not dating.”

“If we get in fights, we’ll start crying in the Grill, and it makes things uncomfortable for other people,” Lew said.

Living in the Grill, Borosky and Lew have built up quite a reputation for themselves. People always know where to find them. “We have a lot of regulars,” Lew said. And yet, others still are oblivious to their unconventional living situation. “We really dislike it when people disrespect the fact that we actually do live here and take up all three of the tables on this side,” explained Lew. “I mean, at least be considerate at leave one of the tables for us.” 

Despite its challenges, Borosky and Lew have come to love their new home, so much so that after graduation, Lew has no plans to give up his newly acquired lifestyle. “I’d be down to just live in a Starbucks when I graduate,” Lew said. He realizes that this unique way of living may not be as accepted outside the walls of the College. “But you know, like the posters say, Grinnellians make the change they want to see in the world,” Lew said. “We’re gonna take our Grinnellian agenda and impose it.”

Lew and Borosky would like to clarify that they do not, in fact, live in the grill. They live in a quad in Cowles with Alec Doss (’19) and Benj Ogden-Lord (’19). 

Bryce Lew and Kiara Borosky, both ’19, lounge on their designated, left side of the Grill in matching outfits and grins.
Photo by Reina Shahi
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