The Office of Residential Education at NYU Abu Dhabi recently introduced the Bed for Bed Exchange, an initiative that addresses a long-standing concern of the student population. From Sept. 2019 onwards, students will have access to a forum that allows them to swap living spaces with one another.

“We've received a lot of student feedback and I think this is something that students are really interested in … we receive a number of emails throughout the semester about students that want to switch with another student and do exactly this process,” said Dylan Maurer, assistant director of residential education. He also added that this was the program’s pilot year and hoped that students would be patient and continue to provide feedback in order to make the program even better.

Bed for Bed Exchange is a four-step process, which begins with students registering for the Forum, a place for students to find others who are interested in making a swap. Once two parties have arrived at a mutual agreement, they await the approval of their respective roommates and the Residential College Director. Students are expected to coordinate the movement of their belongings on their own and exchange keys, which completes the Bed for Bed Exchange.

Visiting students are also welcome to utilize the Bed for Bed Exchange Program, but they can only swap with other visiting students. Freshmen, however, are excluded from the program. Audrey Kajumbula, director of residential education, explained the significance of doing so and assigning roommates in Freshman year according to geographic codes instead of personal preferences.

“When we did the geographic diversity assignments we saw less room change requests or conflicts coming from that population than what we did with upperclassmen who did their own housing groups … even the students are very eager when they first get here to be included and actually connect with people from different cultures.”

Students have greeted the initiative with enthusiasm, with their feedback being one of the primary reasons for Residential Education adopting the program. Despite having the ability to choose their roommates at the beginning of each term, students still feel that this program was long overdue.

“I think it's pretty feasible because you think you're compatible with one individual at the start of the semester and maybe one month down the line you realize things are not going the way you thought they would … And even if people aren't using it, just having the option is greatly beneficial,” said Amna Hassan, Class of 2021.