This post was updated Dec. 4 at 9:29 p.m.

At the end of each quarter, Bruins must face the moment they’ve dreaded since the day they moved in: move-out week.

Each quarter, UCLA Housing requires all students to vacate their rooms by Friday of finals week, urging students to leave by noon to avoid traffic later in the day.

However, this past spring quarter had several Friday finals that went until 2:30 p.m. This raises the question: How are students expected to move out while still taking their final exams?

With the 2024 fall quarter nearing its end, it’s important that UCLA Housing remembers to prioritize its – paying – students, refraining from kicking them out before final exams have even concluded.

Aligning move-out deadlines with the conclusion of finals would demonstrate UCLA Housing’s commitment to supporting students’ academic success and well-being, alleviating unnecessary stress, and creating a more equitable process.

Many students have noticed a stark contrast in how UCLA handles the move-in and move-out processes. During move-in week, UCLA employs True Bruin Ambassadors and Residential Advisors to assist with moving belongings and directing students to their housing assignments.

For move-out days, however, students are often left to fend for themselves.

UCLA’s lack of assistance in transporting students’ belongings during move-out time can be very frustrating, especially with such a tight deadline.

Zizel Leiva, a recent UCLA graduate, pointed out this discrepancy and mentioned that stress is often exacerbated during move-out due to the additional belongings students accumulate throughout each quarter.

The strict move-out deadline further creates a transportation bottleneck, especially on the Hill.

Emilia Barriga Cortez, a fourth-year psychology student from Ecuador, described having to walk to the Anderson School of Management with her heavy suitcases because rideshare vehicles refused to wait in the long lines of cars on the Hill.

In addition to move-out, students are forced to balance finishing finals. The stress of juggling both can lead to burnout and diminished focus, which often forces students to compromise their academic performances.

Leiva explained that having to pack the night before her final took away from her valuable study time and added unnecessary anxiety.

This added stress is not beneficial to students’ learning in any way, and it inherently contradicts the principles of an academic institution.

International students face greater hurdles. Alongside finals and packing, they must arrange summer storage, coordinate flights and manage the stress of being far from familial support.

Cortez highlighted UCLA’s complicated petitioning process to remain in the dorms for an extra day.

“They’re just very strict, in the sense that they (the RAs) would come in the next day at 8 a.m. to check if you’re still there,” Cortez said.

Since most international students fly out the day after finals, it would be more convenient if UCLA allowed extended checkout times instead of the standard 8 a.m. deadline, Cortez said.

For seniors, the pressure is even greater, since they have to balance graduation on top of everything else.

And graduation is a big deal for nearly all students – it is the reason why we’re here.

It’s the time when families come together to celebrate the academic achievement of a new college graduate, perhaps the first in their family. Graduation marks the beginning of a Bruin’s journey into the professional world.

So, when graduation season rolls around, students want to greet family, shop for graduation attire, take grad photos with friends and be able to celebrate this monumental accomplishment – without the added stress of a rigid move-out deadline imposed by the university.

While graduating students can request free extended checkouts, UCLA does not efficiently advertise this option.

Leiva said that she only learned about this opportunity through her friends.

The lack of support and inadequate promotion of stress-relieving resources reflects poorly on UCLA’s commitment to student well-being during a critical academic milestone.

In an emailed statement, UCLA Housing said there is a short turnaround time, as it needs to prepare the rooms for the next summer session students. Therefore, the statement says, it cannot accommodate late departures past the Tuesday following finals week.

Yet this explanation fails to explain why students cannot stay until Tuesday without needing to petition or pay an extra fee.

Allowing students extra time to move out would align with UCLA’s goal of preparing the rooms for summer guests by letting current residents have more time to thoroughly clean their dorms.

While many students can move out before Friday of finals week, there are also many, like Cortez and Leiva, who would benefit from being provided extra time to move out.

If UCLA claims to be a diverse community filled with students from all across the world, why does the university disregard international students’ needs during move-out times?

Shouldn’t policies aim to accommodate all students and not just the majority?

Furthermore, just because some students don’t require extended checkout doesn’t mean they wouldn’t still benefit from having an extra day to reduce stress. Even students that live nearby can take extra time to say goodbye to friends and get some well-deserved sleep.

Since move-out is a stressful time for most students, as an academic institution, UCLA needs to create a supportive environment – without creating additional pressure.

This current move-out process makes one wonder what UCLA Housing is truly considering when making these decisions – students’ well-being or their bank accounts?