I transferred to Memphis College of Art after completing my freshman year of college at another art institution. My experience with MCA has been beyond comprehension, their treatment of me from everyone up to the president of the school himself has been shameful.
As a student I encountered issues with their school policy and with teachers' policies (which I'm given a short list of below) but after leaving the school as a student, MCA purchased my apartment building, and the real mistreatment began.
After one semester I decided I would not return to their school. During my one semester I had encountered a severe illness, keeping out of classes for less than 2 weeks, about 6 weeks before the midterm. I had e-mailed all of my teachers explaining what was going on and when I hoped to return.
During one of my first classes back I asked the professor if he had received my e-mail. He had but had not read it. I started to explain, when he held up his hand and told me not to waste his time, and to only return when I was ready to take his class seriously. I had come prepared with all my work and supplies (it was a studio course) and had only missed work days, not critiques or due dates. I started to show him what I had, when he repeated himself, saying that I should return when I'm ready to be a "serious student." What he was referring to, I do not know. This same teacher had also laughed on the first day of class when I said which college I had transferred from, and said to the class, "You came here!?! Why?" He took me aside and told me I was too good for this school. I now agree.
I had another teacher who failed me altogether for the classes I missed. Her policy was you miss 3 classes and you fail, unless its an excused absence. When she told me I was going to be failed, I asked why, because before I had had As in both classes I had with her. She told me my absences couldn't be excused.
I asked her what about being ill was inexcusable, and she asked what was the specific illness I had. I told her I felt that wasn't appropriate to discuss, but that I could get a doctors note saying I was too ill to come in, if it would help. (the illness was rather embarrassing, and at such a small school, I knew by telling one person, I was telling 500). I took this issue up with the vice-president of student affairs. She told me it was inappropriate of the teacher to ask but that it was up to the teacher to decide if my absence would be excused or not. She offered to e-mail the teacher and take care of the matter. The rest of the semester I was under the impression I still had As, but one day the teacher brought up the issue of what illness I had, again. And I failed both classes, because I refused to tell her.
Then came summer, and the school decided to buy more property for student housing, which they couldn't offer me when I was a student, so I had gotten an apartment on campus. The purchased my building on the last day of July. On August 6 I was delivered a letter saying they had purchased the building and they wanted all tenants to vacate and find new housing by August 31. I was still under a 12 month lease, that would end in January.
The school was prepared to offer me the return of my full deposit and to live free of rent for the month of August, if I could be out by the 15th of August. And if I moved within a short distance they would pay a percent of my moving fees. All in all I would have spent money to move for them, rather than come out even or ahead.
Additionally, I have no family in Memphis, so for them to help me move they would have had to take time off work and drive... I called the school's vice-president that was handling the housing issues of the new properties. I explained my situation and that I would not be accepting their offer, unless they could pay all of my moving expenses. Her answer was no, and so I said thanks but no thanks, I'll stay.
Around August 15, I got another letter from her offering me a new deal. To move out by August 31, receive my full deposit, and for each day I'd be out before the 31st, an additional $10. I called the vicepresident again, explaining that this deal was really no better than the last and I wouldn't be able to accept it. It simply wasn't feasible for me to move myself in under two weeks at my own expense.
And then came September, and the students moved in. Quite a few immediately moved out. But the ones that stayed included two freshman boys that shared bedroom walls with me. One of them was a dj from memphis and one was just rude.
My previous landlord was very clear about rules and restrictions for the building, and they were all outlined in my lease plainly.
"No loud music or noise. No inviting guests over who disturb your neighbors. No disturbing your neighbors in any way. No cars in the lot that do not belong to a resident." etc etc.
The Saturday the 2 boys were moving in, they had a party. It started around 4 in the afternoon and went to about 3 in the morning when the police arrived to shut it down. Underage kids standing around the yard and parking lot drinking, smoking marijuana, starting barbecues (which were also against the rules of the building). I also share a balcony with the two boys, and they set speakers up on the balcony and blasted music for the neighbors. As well as destroying our futon that was out there.
I called the school on Monday, to tell them that that behavior would not be acceptable again, and that my lease prohibited such a party. Not to mention, I'm a 20 year old woman living alone, and my safety was being infringed. The vice-president assured me this would not happen again, and that she had personally chewed out the boys. I asked if there was an RA (resident advisor) who I could contact if they were ever loud or a problem arose. She told me they had no RA for my building. I asked how she could allow freshman to live in an apartment building like this, and not have an RA. She said that not every new building they had purchased had an RA, but to call campus security should a problem arise. I asked for the direct number and she said she'd call me back with it. She never did.
Every weekend from then on there was partying, starting Thursday nights and going til Sunday nights. Every weekend I was being awoken at 2 and 3 am by people banging on door and by music and yelling. And I talked to the neighbors in the beginning, telling them that it was simply unacceptable and against the conditions of my lease. The boys would apologize and say they would stop throwing parties, and then the weekend would come and it would happen all over again. Since I never received the security phone number, I would call the non-emergency police number, and the police came out 2 and 3 nights a week to tell these boys to quiet down, and the police would phone the school and tell them they had been called again about the same apartment.
Finally, one weekend a party-guest parked next to my car, and during his drunk stupor dented my vehicle. I witnessed this out my window, but he drove off immediately. I talked to my neighbors the next day and told them what had happened, and that they needed to make sure none of their guests parked in our lot and asked if they knew who the boy was that hit my car. They said they didn't know him.
The very next night, the same car was parked in our lot next to my car. I went next door and told one of the boys that even thought they said they didn't know the kid who hit my car, that if they did know him and were just trying to protect him, to know that he was going to get towed every time he parked back there, and to make sure knew that couldn't park out there. I walked back into my apartment and began dialing the tow company that looks after our lot, when a voice came from the other side of my back door "B-tch! C-unt! You F&ing b-tch!" By the time I got to my back window, I saw the car pulling out of the lot.
I called the police and said told them about the party and that a boy from the party was outside my door yelling, and I was frightened. The next night the car didn't return, but the boy did. He stood outside my back door again yelling similar vulgarities for around 20 minutes before disappearing. When it started I called the police and the security number, which I retrieved from the internet.
Security arrived very shortly, and rang my doorbell. I let them in, and walking back into my apartment could smell the marijuana smoke coming from my neighbor's open door. The security bustled in yelling about underage drinking and smoking, but within ten minutes had left. IMmediately after they left, kids stood outside my back door yelling things at it before finally going in with a final cry "Light it up! Thank god they didn't take our pot!"
That Monday I spent about half my day on the phone with different vice-presidents of the school, going over the details and the unbelievable way the school handled a party of underage kids drinking and doing drugs, who had the police called on them multiple times.
The agreement finally came that all the partying would come to a stop. That I would only call security if something did happen, and not the police anymore. And that I would move out in 3 weeks, and in return get free rent for my last month, and my full deposit back (including my nonrefundable pet deposit).
Two days before I was to move out, Thursday, Nov 6 I got a letter from the school saying they wouldn't be refunding my pet deposit because it was nonrefundable and they had no proof it was ever paid (despite faxed copies of receipts and the previous landlord's testimony). I called and was told that they wouldn't return it, it wasn't stated in my lease that I would have it returned and I had no proof of ever paying it.
My biggest fault is not involving a lawyer months ago when this all began.
In conclusion, I wouldn't send my worst enemy to this school. They've ruined my transcripts with two undeserved Fs from an illness, and stolen time and money and given me plenty of headaches, not mention harassment and a big dent in my car.
I. Want. An. Education
Memphis, Tennessee
U.S.A.
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