<p>The child probably lives with another relative, like the student’s mother. NYU probably doesn’t offer enough aid to cover the expense of family housing, if they offer it.</p>
<p>Other are right, though. This same issue would apply if the child was the student’s sibling, and her mother needed her to care for the child over the weekend. It would probably be better for both the stay where the child lives on weekends, but it is possible the child lives with the father who has primary custody, and this is the only time the mother has with the child. It’s also possible the child is in foster care, and has visitation with the mother.</p>
<p>While I understand the concerns about a young child in a college dorm, other guests could be just as disruptive - or even more. I recall some threads here about such guests (the boyfriend who moves in and effectively lives there, who is in the room without the roommate at all hours). Some colleges purposely have a faculty family resident in each dorm, so there are children around the common areas. My biggest concern would be that the student teach her child to respect the suitemate, and understand the status as guest - of BOTH students. It appears that NYU has resolved the problem by moving the roommate to a single.</p>