DEAR Miami Ad Sch.. oh wait, I mean, FUCK YOU.

(to my SF director, regarding a tiff that's happened between the placement director ad myself)

Dear Denise,

There seems to be a miscommunication between Jerrod and I regarding housing in NY.
I wanted to email you as there some outstanding issues between me and my education here.
Jerrod seems to be under the impression that I am definitely going to be staying in student housing even though I've told him otherwise.

So, here is the email thread with comments, where the misunderstanding happened in my opinion...


After i said "I'm in" (on the 13th) Jerrod writes back:


HI

Perfect!

I have you confirmed for taking classes at Lowe NY and staying in student housing.

I will send the details over the weekend


To which I reply on the 14th:


Hi Jerrod,

So I'm looking into some alternative means for housing, but, I know that Thomas is looking for that as well.

if I found something, i'll let u know as soon as i know and perhaps you can offer that housing to him...if he wants it.

ttys man

D


He writes back later that day:

Hi

I have you confirmed for student housing in NY.
If you dont take it, I need one of the other students to take your spot.
Let me know right away. The student housing is really amazing.


J

As it states, I never asked to be put in student housing. My entire decision to go to NY was based largely on the fact that I know people there. It's the reason I live at home Denise. I, my family, can't afford a place with all the work and no time to get a job. Like you said, when we first met, it IS a full time job. It doesn't/didn't make sense to me that Jerrod would put me in student housing AFTER I told him I was looking for other means. Ergo, I took his email at face value, as in "i'll let him know, when I know", which I do. He does not say that I have to take it, or that I was obligated to find a replacement. He also never gave me a deadline to tell him for sure. So. I kept looking...

On the 16th, we're sent a mass email regarding the Victor House, which DOES say the following:

You are confirmed as staying in Victor House this coming Fall quarter.

If you do not want your confirmed spot at Victor House, you must find a replacement student or intern to take your spot.

All this is going on, with or without our approval as 'consumers' of this school. We pay and we pay a lot, so my question is, do we have a choice? I think our email thread made it clear that that I was CHOOSING to look elsewhere and that MAS was ok with it.

As I read this Quarter Away contract, it certainly doesn't seem that way at all. It says "The opportunity to go n a Quarter Away... is a privilege extended to a student bases on their maturity, attitude, performance in school." No where in this contract does it say that we are chosen based on our "abiliity to pay". I DO understand that we are kicked out for defaulting on or financial obligations. For our education, only. In terms of other costs, it leads me to this disturbing question:

Are opportunities for education at MAS mutually inclusive to additional student costs incurred at MAS's sole discretion?

I was worried about the housing after I read the mass email mainly because it says that some of the rooms are shared. I will not pay 900/mo. to possibly share a room. I KNOW I can find something else better than that.

So, after searching a bit more for housing, on the 21st, I emailed Jerrod this:

Jerrod,

I had a question. How would I get a single/double in the house? Is one more than the other? I'm hoping that there is a difference... I'm still searching around at the moment, and I told Thomas Schwarz that I would tell him if I opt'd out... thanks Jerrod.

danny

*He did not reply to me. Until today, when I sent this: *

Jerrod,

I wanted to write and tell you that I won't be staying in student housing for this quarter. Thank you for the spot in the house, but I have to decline due to financial reasons.

I am going to be staying at a friends till I can find a sublet. I simply can't afford that much.

I've written you and expressed that I was looking for alternatives before and to my knowledge, have never officially told you yes regarding the house.

I am going to forward this information to Thomas Schwarz. He knows that I was on the fence about it and also, i know that he was looking for a place.

Thank you Jerrod,

Danny


I told Jerrod as son as I knew, just like he had asked. And in all fairness, today is a bit of time before we start on the 9th. It's hardly the night before, or even the week of.

He replied:

"HI Danny

I have had you listed as staying in student housing and my communication to you and the other
students in the housing has been clear. There is no on the fence when it comes to housing.

If Thomas or another student takes your spot you can give up your spot.

If they do not and you do not stay in housing, you do not come to NY for classes.

I am working with 175 students and I seem to be able to communicate clearly with everyone.
I am not playing word games with students."

Denise, not only did I find this response tactless and rude, it left a really bad taste in my mouth regarding MAS. Something that didnt' happen until it came down to MONEY. Which, leads me, unfortunately, to wonder about this opportunity's TRUE motivators. Was it a last minute decision based on my merit or simply that MAS needed someone to fulfill profit margins? It disappoints me to even think that.

To reiterate, I NEVER confirmed anything nor did I ever sign the contract (for fear of this exact situation). Furthermore, Jerrod never gave me a hard deadline to tell him yes or no. He just said "If you dont take it, Let me know right away. I need one of the other students to take your spot." Which, again, I did, when I knew.

I hope that my email sheds some light on the matter. I told him right off the bat that I was looking elsewhere. My being on the roster was HIS decision and his alone, I was not asked, whether or not I would/could live in this arrangement, just assigned. Why don't I have a say as to how I spend my *limited* funds? Or, further, WHERE I CHOOSE TO LIVE?


Legally, the MAS QA contract is iron clad in protecting MAS, but doesn't do much in terms of options for us, the consumer/students. It only addresses "when" and not "if" we choose to live in student housing. It just states penalties for "withdrawls" from housing, but nothing in terms of financial responsibility should we choose alternative means.

Moreover, the simple fact that our tuition obligations and our housing costs are to be legally signed off on the same piece of paper is unfair to us. As if they are one and the same! I believe that they are separate matters completely. (which leads me to that question in bold above...)

With all due respect to you and the institution of MAS, (I do mean that sincerely Denise, I've learned and grown immensely here), I know that MAS is a private institution and that one of its primary goals is the make a profit. In light of that, I realize that MAS's interest in me personally/educationally only goes so far. So, if the answer to my question above is "yes", and that my education is mutually inclusive to my ability to pay for those extra costs (of which I don't have control of) at MAS, then I will humbly decline QA for this quarter, until I can get a full internship.

I'm all for going about things with finesse, and I apologize if any of this is strongly worded. It's because it is written from strong emotions. I'm not interested in making anyone's life difficult, or even to upset anyone. I wrote this because in my short 28 years on this planet, I've learned that, usually, at the bottom of these things, one will inevitably find the source of all the foul odor. A big fat school of fish.

I would really appreciate it if we could speak on the phone about this.

Thank you for reading,

Sincerely,

Danny Chung
408 497 9106


PS: Despite all this, I DO WANT to go Denise, just not if I'm now allowed to stay where I want.