NYU’s Global Network has seen rumors abound, flying from the Square to the sands of Saadiyat and back, seemingly with little fact-checking along the way. Abu Dhabi, both as an Emirate and as a political entity within the UAE Government, has been confronted with its fair share of controversy, some of it is deserved, but some of it less so. NYU Abu Dhabi’s The Gazelle and WSN have worked together to investigate these issues; below we present some of the most common misconceptions concerning NYUAD and its students.

As a response to a series of articles condemning the appalling standards for migrant labourers building its new Saadiyat Island campus, in a 2014 June press release, NYUAD announced it had hired the independent firm Nardello & Co. to investigate the allegations. The report is expected by the end of the year. Currently, many, if not most, students, staff and faculty agree with the sentiment that current labor standards are unacceptable.

NYUAD is making an effort that, despite being criticized as inadequate, is unprecedented in the UAE. In an attempt at transparency, NYUAD has posted a Statement of Labor Values which concerns itself with issues such as wages, overtime compensation, dispute resolution and women’s rights.

To highlight the university’s serious commitment to these values, Vice Chancellor Al Bloom explained that workers employed directly by NYUAD are interviewed monthly to make sure they are satisfied with work and pay standards. Mott MacDonald, a compliance monitor, was also hired by NYUAD to ensure that standards are being met.

Many NYUAD academic courses deal explicitly with labour rights in the the Gulf, helping to foster dialogue and produce a larger body of academic work concerning the current standards. Capstone projects have also been wholly dedicated to examining the Gulf’s labour situation.

Additionally, ADvocacy, a highly active on-campus Student Interest Group, connects students and faculty with volunteering opportunities including English as a Second Language and technology workshops for labourers and domestic workers. ADvocacy leader, senior Kimi Rodriguez, explained that the group’s efforts have created tangible changes within the community.

“We ... work closely with administration in addressing and understanding labor issues directly associated with NYU Abu Dhabi in an effort to increase transparency regarding labor concerns and ongoing investigations.”

Labour rights are certainly an issue in the Emirates and in much of the Gulf, but they are also an issue in the rest of the world. Sweden, the U.K., Canada and the U.S still face serious issues with regards to underpaid and exploited migrant workers. Many South Asian countries mercilessly exploit both domestic and migrant workers. NYUAD has, at the very least, brought the labour situation in the Emirates to the world media’s attention, even if change has not occurred rapidly or deeply enough.

NYUAD is completely funded by the Government and Royal Family of Abu Dhabi. NYUNY tuition money is not used for the development of the GNU, as reiterated in this 2013 NYU report on the University’s Global Network.

The report was compiled by a Faculty Advisory Committee that included professors from all the three campuses. The Committee noted that “it is important to acknowledge that one of the most persistent worries about the Global Network is that it might involve large and substantial transfers of money that are draining the Square of much-needed funding.”

Upon investigation, the report concluded that “NYUAD and NYU [Shanghai] operate on break-even budgets with aspects that financially benefit NYUNY … [and] the tuition revenues of students studying at the global sites (minus financial aid, which the students carry with them) adequately cover the expenses associated with operating the global sites.”

NYU has also implemented a strict set of risk control measures in the case of unexpected financial shocks. See also the following financial report for further details.

Not all NYUAD students are on a full scholarship. Some are paying full fees, which are equivalent to the costs of NYUNY. Students on partial financial scholarships are expected to cover all costs not provided by NYUAD.

There is no official dress code for Abu Dhabi; however, some local customs are encouraged. Visitors will not be required to walk around in an abaya or a hijab. Instead, an account on Twitter, @UAEDressCode, asks that visitors be respectful and dress modestly: this usually entails being covered from shoulders to knees in clothing that is not provocative or offensive. These rules apply to men too; being modest is a cultural expectation for both genders.

As far as other concerns of inequality, the UAE Constitution has decreed that women should be equal in the eyes of the law. As a result of this social change, women in the UAE are becoming increasingly involved in the political, professional and educational spheres. A 2008 report by the UAE Ministry of State for the Federal National Council Affairs titled Women in the United Arab Emirates: A Portrait of Progress noted that, at the time, women comprised a 22.5% share of the seats on the Federal National Council for the UAE, a number that has been growing in recent years.The report also stated that the percentage of women in the workforce increased from 9.6 percent in 1986 to 33.4 percent in 2007.

In the UAE, women are achieving increasingly higher levels of education. Even the UN has recognized the UAE’s status as one of the most developed nations in terms of females’ education, according to the 2008 report.

Lastly, new resources for women such as the General Women’s Union are continually emerging. The Social Support Center affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Police, and the Human Rights Care Department, managed by Dubai Police, offer help and resources to female victims. Abu Dhabi also has new victim shelters such as the Ewa’a Shelter for Women.

Abu Dhabi is officially governed by a tri-part legal system: it is subject to federal (UAE) law, local law applying specifically to Abu Dhabi and Shariah Law, the body of Islamic law that governs some Muslim countries.

The combination of these legal systems actually makes Abu Dhabi a very safe place. Drug dealing is punishable by death, it is illegal to be drunk in public, and there is a zero tolerance policy for driving under the influence. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security explains that, “While violent crimes and crimes against property do occur, they are infrequent.” It also notes that weapons and police and military equipment are illegal in the UAE outside of their institutions.

By the same token, there are many customs and laws in place in Abu Dhabi that are not present in the United States. For example, UK Government’s Foreign Travel Advice lists under local laws and customs that there is a prohibition of photography of certain government buildings or of people that you do not know.

Though the UK Government’s Foreign Travel Advice page lists terrorism as a “general threat”, there have been zero noted incidents of terrorist activities.

In its 2030 Economic Vision, Abu Dhabi outlined plans to become more sustainable and to promote and diversify business growth. For example, Abu Dhabi aims to generate 7 per cent of its energy supply from renewable energy sources by 2020.

In terms of business, Abu Dhabi has plans to turn Al Maryah Island into a New Central Business District, and has recently built high-rise office towers in the area. It hopes to attract international businesses with the establishment of a zero tax jurisdiction and Free Trade Zones.

Abu Dhabi has a budding tourism industry, which is generally expected to buoy it through a financially tumultuous post-oil era. The city is still developing its tourist scene, but for the moment there is plenty to do: smoke shisha on rooftop cafes, tuck into dirt-cheap Lebanese food near the Corniche, swim, scuba, snorkel, sunbathe and even ride the world’s fastest rollercoaster. Abu Dhabi also launched a cultural development program that will include branches of the Louvre and the Guggenheim museums built on Saadiyat Island. In short, the city may be a geographical desert, but it’s certainly not a social one. Abu Dhabi, contrary to popular opinion, has its own distinctive culture that is perhaps a little difficult to find, but certainly existent.

It is perhaps natural to assume that the Middle East is an unwise locale for Jewish students to study abroad. After all, almost all other countries in the Gulf region are strongly pro-Palestine and condone the creation of a Palestinian State. While Israeli passport holders are not permitted to enter the UAE, having an Israeli stamp or entrance visa will not prevent visitors’ entrance.

At least within the university setting, all religions and cultures are respected equally and granted the same rights on campus. Both Islamic and Jewish SIGs exist at NYUAD, and both have the same access to funding and advertising on campus. According to NYUAD, moreover, its admissions panel does not discriminate on the basis of national origin.

Abu Dhabi and the UAE are also far more politically liberal than many of their Middle Eastern counterparts. While it is illegal to criticize the royal family or the government, there is no law that forbids the practice of religions other than Islam. While the UAE has been criticised in the past for its anti-Semitic publications and newspaper editorials, the situation is improving as the Abu Dhabi community becomes increasingly diverse, both socially and religiously.