TULSA, Okla — 2 News has received several concerns regarding Tulsa Community College’s English as a Second Language (ESL) class schedule.
This upcoming fall semester, no general evening ESL classes will be offered at TCC, which community members have argued will make it harder for working adults to attend.
Iris Mills participated in TCC’s ESL program in 2004 and continued it for approximately four years.
She said it’s had a lasting impact on her.
“The teachers the program have helped me professionally and personally all these years to be able to communicate, to be able to talk to people, to be able to even find good jobs," she said. “There's a lot of people who need this program.”
WATCH: 'A lot of people who need this program': TCC working to combat staffing issues
Mills was one of the students who had to take evening classes because of her work schedule.
“I did take night classes, and that helped me, because I was working from 6am until like 5pm," she said. "I remember those classes at that time were like from 6pm to 8pm.”
2 News' Isabel Flores reached out to TCC to get some answers.
The college sent back this statement, stating staffing limitations is the biggest reason:
However, the statement continues on to read that TCC hopes this problem will be resolved by the spring semester in order to continue offering general ESL classes.
Tulsans, like Iris, also hope the college will be able to bring back these classes.
“We're in the country that everybody, everybody speaks English, so there's a lot of people still out there who need those type of programs,"said Mills. "To be able to be better in life professionally and personally.”
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