On April 4, ResEd held a surprise event for the NYUAD community on the highline above D1. This event was held in substitution for Rock the Boat, which was scheduled to happen on Mar. 30 at Marina Mall. Rock the Boat was cancelled due to unexpected logistical issues with the boat operator, and students who had bought tickets were refunded.

Students who had bought the tickets to Rock The Boat were sent e-mail invitations from ResEd for the new event, which included free Pinkberry. The event was also accompanied with music and bean bags for students to sit down and enjoy the nice weather.

“It was just the thing I needed that hot afternoon,” said Ayaan Ali Shah, Class of 2021.

On April 6 and 7, the Debate Union in NYU Abu Dhabi hosted the NYUAD Regional Debate Tournament which followed the British Parliamentary system. The participants were from different universities around the UAE including Abu Dhabi University, Middlesex University, Amity University, Ajman University and BITS. Although NYU Abu Dhabi students took part of the debate rounds, they did not compete.

The different debate rounds discussed various topics from politics, economics, ethics and social media. This solely student organized event hosted more than 17 teams as well as five external adjudicators from these universities. NYUAD students who participated in international debates also participated as Chair adjudicators.

The tournament which lasted two days consisted of four preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and finals. The winners were later on announced to be Abu Dhabi University. By organizing this event, the Debate Union’s goal is to create a forum for meaningful debate in the region.

“The NYUAD Regional Debate Tournament is our way of being the flag bearer of quality British Parliamentary format debate in the region and enriching young minds by creating a forum for them to engage in economic, political and social debates,” said Madhav Juneja, president of the Debate Union.

On April 4, at 7 p.m, the Caribbean Student Association hosted an interest meeting for the student body to explore the diversity of Caribbean cultures. The event was held in the Campus Center in room E-240 with donuts and KFC provided. The purpose of the meeting was for attendees to ask any questions they had regarding Caribbean cultures and for the SIG members to share their unique experiences and perspectives about their cultural backgrounds.

“There has always been a Caribbean presence on campus, and given how curious many people on campus are about the region, we felt like this was the right time to launch. We're really excited to finally get a chance to share our unique cultures and deconstruct stereotypes. We're overjoyed by the engagement from the student body so far!” said Abigail Wilson, Class of 2019, the president of CSA.