Students criticize camp

A group of female students participating in an English language summer program in the US arranged by Taiwan International Education Center (TIE) claimed at a press conference yesterday that conditions differed widely from those described in the contract. One of the girls said she had to spend her nights in an armchair throughout the stay. They said some members of some of the host families had criminal records, and one of the girls alleged that she barely escaped being sexually assaulted by the husband in the family she was staying with. DPP lawmakers Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) and Kuo Cheng-liang (郭正亮) are helping the students and their parents mediate with TIE. Representatives of TIE said that the students had unrealistic expectations of a luxurious stay in the US and have themselves to blame for their dissatisfaction.