Some Iowa State international students whose home countries are experiencing economic difficulty may feel the financial crunch from across the seas, and the university is offering a service this week to help them adjust.

Various ISU offices and organizations have attempted to alert students from Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand of currency devaluations by providing a help room that will assess their economic situations and offer financial advice.

Dennis Peterson, director for the Office of International Students and Scholars, said students from the four Asian countries will be dramatically affected by their home countries’ falling markets. He added that the help room, located in 210 Beardshear Hall, will assist students in finding a reasonable economic plan.

“We try to [contact] all 800 students from the four countries because the value of their money has dropped significantly,” Peterson said.

He said Indonesian currency, in particular, has lost about 90 percent of its value since July because of the nation’s economic problems.

Alala Ali, leader of the Indonesian student community at ISU, said the crisis in his country makes life in Ames a challenge.

“Our currency has decreased, [and] it will be stable again,” Ali said. “It’s still really hard to be a student here.”

Peterson said a majority of international students fund their college education from money transferred from their native countries.

“Most students are getting money from home,” he said. “When they want to buy dollars, they have to pay a lot more than they used to.”

He said ISU President Martin Jischke approved a proposal last week to allow the students to pay half their spring 1998 tuition by June 30, and to pay the remaining balance when classes resume next fall.

Students who visit the help room will fill out a questionnaire about their expenses, financial resources and their academics, as well as receive financial counseling.

Peterson said it is important for students to drop by the help room not only to help themselves, but to supply information to remedy the situation. He said the data they provide may earn them extra financial aid at ISU.

“We need as much information as we can from these students [because] we don’t want to assume everyone has the same problems,” he said. “We’re hopeful there might be additional money through either university sources or private funds.