When you are first accepted into NYU, whether it was your first choice or just one of the many applications you filled out, the prospect of starting college with imminent fresh experiences probably filled you with excitement. For most people, one of the most important experiences is living with a complete stranger for the first time. Well, up until this year, if this part caused you any measure of anxiety, there was always the option of choosing your roommate, whether it was a friend from your hometown who also got accepted or a stranger you met online with whom you really hit it off.
But that is no longer the case. NYU has ended the opportunity for incoming freshmen to hold onto any sense of familiarity in the residential experience. Starting next year, freshmen will not be allowed to choose their own roommates; everyone will be placed through random selection. Playing the geographic diversity card, NYU said this recent policy will force students to room with someone from a different location, instead of having the choice.
I have seen many students who have had the perfect living situations because they can chose their roommates. Then again, I know they could have been just as happy with a stranger, but our lives are enriched by having more options; it is the foundation on which we have built our flourishing society. It is the reason people hold NYU in such high regard. It is one of the reasons we can claim our title as one of the most progressive universities in the country, along with not having communal bathrooms. But you would think that, as one of the most innovative universities, NYU would let freshman students choose their roommates. Alas, such is not the case, to many prospective students’ dismay.
In addition, while NYU seems to be restricting freshman housing freedom, it is loosening the reins on upperclassmen. Starting next fall, upperclassmen will have the option of gender-neutral housing, which means boys can room with girls, breaching the college taboo. Although this comes as a pleasant surprise to upperclassmen in heterosexual relationships, as with the change in freshmen housing, NYU has not provided much of an explanation. Of course, upperclassmen still have the choice to opt out of gender-neutral housing, as well as random roommate selection. So do not fret, sophomores, juniors and seniors; you can still have as much leeway as you want. It is only the freshman whose freedom of choice is being taken away.
Why give some students more freedom while restricting others’? Perhaps NYU’s decision on this issue has validity. However, we students cannot assess the validity or even properly critique it because the administration has not provided us with adequate reasoning and intentions behind the decision. It will be interesting to see whether there will be backlash from incoming freshmen, or whether the transition will be smooth.
A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 26 print edition. Matt Luo is a staff columnist. Email him at [email protected].
