Earlier this week, a Rolling Stone magazine cover in Sama Tower’s Campus Lounge was found to feature Jimmy Kimmel with his intergluteal cleft scribbled over in blue marker.

Intergluteal cleft is more widely known by the slang term 'buttcrack.'

The use of a marker prompted questions about censorship at NYUAD. While it remains unconfirmed who is responsible for tampering with the magazine cover, it nevertheless stirred discussion about censorship in the UAE among some NYUAD students.

“Censorship has been, and will continue to be, a pressing issue in the global sphere,” junior Stephen Underwood said. “Given the diversity of our student body, discussions concerning censorship, specifically the extent to which our community practices such, are bound to occur.”

Some students, like junior Juan Felipe, have felt exposed to censorship only in settings outside of the university.

“The only time I ever felt it affected me would be going to the cinema, as I heard that they censor a lot of films,” Felipe said. “But I went to see Skyfall, and they included pretty explicit scenes.”

But censorship remains a sensitive issue within the university. The NYUAD website acknowledges the discussion as it cites in the frequently asked question: “Do the same norms of academic freedom that prevail on NYU's Washington Square campus prevail on the Abu Dhabi campus?'

The answer on the site is, “Yes. NYU Abu Dhabi enjoys full academic freedom as it exists at NYU New York.”

The website also states, "As in other countries in which NYU has programs, members of the NYUAD community should be respectful of local culture and customs."

There is no further commentary about the relationship between full academic freedom and NYUAD's respect for local culture and customs.

“As long as we can keep our emotions separated from these debates and keep our minds firmly rooted in the rational, I believe we can create a model here at NYUAD of how censorship can be treated in differing cultural contexts,” Underwood said. “The fact that these conversations can happen is encouraging in and of itself; to be able to determine the role of censorship — and whether or not it has a role at all — is one of the most important things I believe that we call agree should not be censored itself.”

Alexandra Lenihan, a junior from NYUNY, originally thought the censoring of the Rolling Stone cover was a joke.

“When i realized that it was intended to be like that I was reminded of my surroundings,” she said. “The manifestations of conservatism in this country continue to surprise me. On my third day here I saw a belly dancer provocatively dancing on stage in barely any clothes ... Sometimes it doesn't line up for me.”

When asked about magazine censorship by The Gazelle, an NYUAD faculty member who oversees the provision of magazines for the Campus Lounge in Sama Tower declined to comment.

These unclear responses are at least remindful that NYUAD treads very cautiously around the issue of censorship. Students began to question whether content in other magazines from the Campus Lounge and DTC Library were similarly blacked-out. There is no other evidence of censorship, however.

University spokesman Josh Taylor gave the conclusive answer, "as a matter of policy, NYUAD does not censor any materials."

"We are aware of a single case in which a member of our staff blacked out part of a photo on the cover of a magazine that was in the student lounge out of concern that it might have been inappropriate for some of the younger children of faculty who occasionally use the space," he continued.

The Campus Lounge is open to children, where they have access to magazines that are outside of their age range such as Rolling Stone, The Economist and The New Yorker. Although the children seldom peruse such magazines, a magazine cover of Jimmy Kimmel showing his intergluteal cleft is easily seen from a distance.

Taylor added, "I must admit I personally was grateful to not have to see the top of Jimmy Kimmel's butt."