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UCAS students cry foul play over bilingual classes
Posted: 09.27.2011 at 10:38 PM
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Earlier this year Allison Hurd enrolled at University of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (UCAS) in Harlingen.

But according to Hurd, she had more difficulty learning than she anticipated.

Hurd claims the school never told her the cosmetology classes would be bilingual.

"I signed up to take English classes,” Hurd said. “All my work was in English, my textbooks were in English but when I started attending I noticed that it was bilingual and mostly in Spanish and very little English. Here I am paying thousands of dollars for an education that I’m not receiving because I don't speak Spanish.”

She decided to drop out but had financed her more than $17,000 dollar education with student loans.

Since she discontinued her courses, she doesn't have to pay the full amount but she still has to pay the school for the hours attended as well as a drop out fee.

"I just feel like I was taken advantage of,” Hurd said. “To sit there and approach them with all these issues and to be promised all those things and for nothing to happen that's extremely frustrating,” said Allison.

So she started a petition signed by 30 other students currently enlisted in the program.

The purpose? To change the learning conditions as well as protest the fees she feels she shouldn't have to pay.

"In the paper it said check English or Spanish,” Hurd said. “They never said anything about bilingual.”

Another students agreed.

“We are working elbow to elbow here,” one student said. "We have about 40 students or even more."

But UCAS denies these allegations.

They maintain they explained to Allison and other students how the bilingual studies are taught.

"If they sign up for English they are taught in English,” said the Executive Director Sylvia Wall. “If they sign up for Spanish they are taught in Spanish. The only thing is they have to wait for the translation.”

When Action 4 News checked UCAS' website it does state the classes are taught in English or in Spanish but nowhere does it say anything about both in the same room.

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