Greetings Professor,
First and foremost I treat everyone at Baruch College with the utmost respect at all times. That is more important than anything.
Second and foremost, I’ll gladly, happily, and respectfully do anything that you assign to the class.
I was working on the homework right now and I had a thought that I wanted to ask you outside of class.
Would it be possible to request that all communication and work between my podcasting partner and myself be done in the classroom on Tuesdays?
I would prefer not to share any of my personal information with students for the sake of privacy and security. I would also prefer to interact with my podcasting partner(s) in a supervised classroom instead of an unsupervised location.
I’m a very social people person outside of school, although at school I have my guard up due to several experiences I’ve had with students since starting at CUNY two years ago.
When interacting with students, I treat them with the utmost respect. I only talk about schoolwork. I don’t joke around at all. I don’t talk about anything controversial.
I just wanted to include that I love this class. The material is awesome. I think you’re a great professor and that you have designed a class that is very beneficial for students.
I’ll do anything you tell me to do. I just wanted to let you know what’s on my mind just in case any accommodations can be made. Also, I didn’t want to approach you with this on the fly in class. I thought it would be better to bring this up via email in advance so you can answer when you are available.
The thought of meeting with students off-campus and sharing personal information is very scary for me due to the astronomical amount of complaints from students against students in New York colleges.
Almost 4K sexual violence complaints made at New York colleges (nypost.com)
Between you and me I’m street homeless. I don’t think that many parents would want their children sharing personal information and meeting with street homeless people outside of the classroom.
Also, my personal data/information isn’t secure at all. I have been robbed four separate times in the past two months. People stole my phone four separate times in Midtown Manhattan in the past four months.
I have woken up with my phones and laptops missing so many times over the years I lost count. Then when I get my phone back I see people have gone into my accounts and sent messages, erased things, uploaded pictures into my accounts, contacted people, and everything else you can imagine.
I have so many police reports reporting all the times I’ve been robbed that I literally lost count because I’ve been street homeless for five years.
On a positive note, I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t party. I don’t have a criminal record. I don’t do anything illegal. Homeless people have a bad reputation so I like to include that when I mention that I’m homeless.
In regards to schoolwork I’m moving full steam ahead. I almost always turn in homework on time or early. I don’t care about grades at all. Luckily I’ve been on the Dean’s List for the past four or five semesters.
In regards to student loans and the welfare office, all I need is a C or D. I’m happy to earn As and Bs although I’m at Baruch College to learn and elevate my situation which is what I’m doing.
Also, the welfare office tells everyone that if a man looks at a woman if it’s determined to be leering, all food and benefits will immediately be discontinued, and the person will have to eat at soup kitchens. I have eaten at some soup kitchens in New York City and to be honest I’d rather eat dog food, it’s probably safer. If I’m correct, Baruch College has a leering policy as well.
That is why I would feel more comfortable in a supervised atmosphere. Also, I’m glad I remembered to mention to you that I’m street homeless because I don’t want any parents to complain to the school and cause anyone any grief.
I’m not embarrassed about being street homeless at all. From a legal standpoint if you would like to announce to the class that Mark Pine is street homeless is there anyone that wouldn’t mind being in a group with him. There is a good chance that students could see me sleeping in the subway so there is no point trying to hide it.
Thanks to CUNY and HRA I have places to shower, keep my things, wash my clothes, etc. Unfortunately, I don’t like living in homeless shelters so I have to sleep in the subway or on benches when it’s warm.
I’ll be honest I’m in better spirits now than I was when I was living on the Upper East Side, always behind on my rent. Of course, my number one goal is to get back into an apartment, I’m just saying living in an apartment that I couldn’t afford wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. At least now I don’t have that hanging over my head twenty-four hours per day.
I make videos on social media talking about how I’m street homeless. I’m trying to raise awareness about how there are a lot of homeless people like myself that just have bad credit and no money. We work. We go to school. We are trying to elevate our situation.
The general public thinks every homeless person is pushing a shopping cart yelling at an imaginary friend. Plus, drunk and on drugs. I have met many homeless people that have normal jobs and are trying to elevate their situation.
I’m more than happy to pair up with any student you assign. I’m just a little cautious about having unsupervised contact with students outside of class.
Please let me know if you require any additional information from me and any feedback would be appreciated. Regardless of what the decision is, I’ll make the best of it like I always do and I’ll continue to treat everyone professionally and with the utmost respect.
Thank you and have a great day.
Mark Pine
