First Email

American Language Institute condones and aids homestay fraud

Below I will copy/paste the first email sent to ALI about practices toward enrolled students who were housed in homestay at the home of the Agatep family in Long Beach, California (90814).

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TO: aliuces@csulb.edu
CC: todonnell@cea-accredit.org
SUBJECT: Homestay issues -- 2001-2002

To Whom It May Concern:

(...and it concerns all Americans considering the name of the institute...and it concerns all citizens of the world, considering the business they're in and the nature of the behavior in question...)

Recently I have been in position to hear some alarming stories concerning your institution and the housing program.

At least one 'host family' in the lauded "practice English at home" homestay program were engaged in activities to defraud and discredit residents who were recommended to them by your school.

In this, I, at least, hold your organization completely responsible and accountable. I have also verified that this particular family is still in Long Beach and, in all likelihood, still renting to your students.

If your institution condones the behavior which includes:

• Dishonestly changing move-out dates in order to steal (at least) half a month's rent.

--- Student told patriarch on Feb 1 she intended to move on Mar 1. Later, near the end of the month, the matriarch informs the student: "My husband told me you intend to move on March 15th" The student knew what happened and when, told her: "Who wants to move in the middle of the month." The woman continued to insist and badger the student about paying the half-month's rent and eventually "to shut her up," the student agreed to pay. She moved while they were at work, on the first, as she intended to, as she told them she would.
This student had spoken to an international student services personel who told her to agree to pay but do not pay. The student said: "Isn't that lying." She said: "Yeah, but, they were lying, so you should lie too." But this person was transferred, the student couldn't find her. The next time the woman insisted the student pay her, the student spoke to a new person who didn't know what was going on.

• Lying to discredit the student -- a family member gave a student a grammer book, early in her stay there. But after the student complained that they were trying to cheat her out of half a month's rent and arranged to move while the responsible parties were at work, the student was called to offices at your institution where she was badgered and CALLED A THIEF AND A LIAR!

• This also happened after your school was informed by said student of the fraudulent activities of this family.

• Other students have also complained, but you chose to ignore these proofs and examples and call your student a thief and a liar.

Is this how you do business? Is this how you represent this country and the CSU system and the Long Beach campus? Is this the picture of America you want international students to come away with?

You should be ashamed of this. You should be aware that I will continue to bring up these issues until there is some kind of resolve. I want assurance that this blatant behavior which defrauds innocent international students will stop.

Please contact me. Until you do, this email will be posted on the internet and referred to whenever I remember these injustices.

To that end, your organization's name, phone number and email address, the host family's name, address and telephone number and any other relavent information will accompany my strong urging of the public toward disfavor of this sort of business behavior.
-r
Robert W. Edwards
A Very Concerned Citizen
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American Language Institute
http://www.uces.csulb.edu/ali
(at) CSU, Long Beach.
aliuces@csulb.edu

The Agatep family -- Doug and Michelle Agatep
635 Flint St.
Long Beach, California 90814
562-597-1946

My associated web-based complaint weblog:
http://ali-fraud.blogspot.com/
webpage:
http://r.wesley.edwards.net/ali-fraud/

Carbon Copy:
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)
todonnell@cea-accredit.org

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...As noted, this email was also carbon copied to the accreditation organization...

If you'd like additional information, I can be contacted:
r.wesley@edwards.net
-r
PS:
I find it just dispicable how international students and young people in general are treated in this country. If people don't know they can complain or they don't know who to complain to... if they don't know the process, they are railroaded. In the above case, an institute located at the Long Beach campus of the CSU here in California is GUILTY of aiding people who were defrauding and cheating international students. Most international students, I am sure, will simply pay up, rather than deal with the hassle. This is wretched and deplorable.

I cannot say enough. This is why I feel NO COMPUNCTION WHATSOEVER about listing the names and addresses and phone numbers of participating parties.

Do you agree?
-=-

An Appeal to Scott Sommers's Taiwan Weblog

An Appeal to Scott Sommers

Here is the text of my comment to Scott's weblog (slightly off topic -- the topic was about an American elementary school with a teacher with a doctorate from a diploma mill -- which is fraud too, right?):
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I have recently learned about instances of fraud condoned by an institute for learning English here in the U.S.
Assuming blogspot lets you see it (I've been having connection issues...) my post is here:
http://ali-fraud.blogspot.com/
which includes the transcript of a n email letter I wrote to the American Language Institute's email address at the UCES at the Long Beach campus of our CSU system.
Just the letter:
http://r.wesley.edwards.net/ali-fraud/
-r
PS:
If you can think of anyone else I should contact or anything I can do to help stop people from using and defrauding the international community, please inform me:
r.wesley@edwards.net
Thank you in advance.
-=-

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-r
PS:
I'm going to keep looking for someone who cares. :)
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accompanying email to internationalstudent.com

~Comment to InternationalStudent.com website~

In my attempt to find someone in the universe who cares, I have begun web searches for international student groups and organizations.

on:
the contact us page for internationalstudent.com (here)

I commented the following.
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I need to know who to contact with regard to people and organizations defrauding international students.

I have recently learned some really terrible things concerning a language school (I've tried to contact them: you can read the email I sent here: http://r.wesley.edwards.net/ali-fraud/ or, if it is working, here: http://ali-fraud.blogspot.com/) ...

The basic story is that a 'homestay' family attempted to defraud a Japanese student and then the school she was enrolled in, the one who introduced her to this family, called her a thief and a liar even though the school knew (other students are known to lodged complaints) the family tries to steal from students and has a history of lying.

Please contact me soon.
-r
PS:
Briefly looking over your website, it appears that you are providing an honest service for international students and it occured to me that the behavior mentioned above would infuriate you as much as it does me.
-=-

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-r
PS:
Anyone out there know anyone else I can try?
-=-