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Photo by Jon Natvig
Peter Levitov, director of International Educational Services.
friday, September JO, 1980
Inflation seen as minor in
foreign student concerns
By Colleen Tittel
American inflation apparently isn't im
pcding the educations of UNL's foreign
students, nor is it noticeably hampering
their lifestyles, according to International
Educational Services Director Peter Levitov.
"There's not a perceptible difference in
spending patterns of foreign students now
and five years ago," Levitov said.
One factor that helps foreign students
remain afloat financially despite escalating
prices, Levitov said, is the 1ES office's year
ly updated allotment certificate for stu
dents' estimated living and tuition costs.
Many countries restrict the amount of
money their students can export to a figure
approximating IES's cost estimates, he
said. These are not poverty-level estimates,
but they conform to a minimum level at
which students can live, he said.
RECREATION COSTS, summer vaca
tion costs and other incidentals are auto
matically considered, he said. Later, certi
ficate can be adjusted to provide for class
trips, pregnancies, or other expenses.
Foreign students in 1980 require an
average of $8000 for a year of school and
living, Levitov said. Money is received in
one check each year.
"Some people can handle it and some
people can't," Levitov said. His office
provides financial counseling for foreign
students who have troubles spreading the
money over the year.
Cash restrictions post a particular
problem for student from wealthy
families, who find it hard to tailor their
lifestyle to an $8,000 budget, Levitov said.
"PEOPLE COME in here freely and say,
'Please put down an extra $9000 a year.
There's a car I want to buy,' " he said. Such
a request will not be granted, he added.
Many students, however, do not have
money restrictions to contend with.
"There are students who can afford to
bring money here far in excess of what we
determine their needs are," Levitov said.
As far as he knows, Levitov said, export
limitations have not been a source of
trouble for any foreign student at UNL.
And UNL is not as expensive as a private
institution, but because of some nations'
slow-moving bureaucracies, some upper
classmen may be bound to allotments of
their first years, he said.
Also, some students attend school
through graduate assistanceship programs,
and so are dependent upon the UNL
budget, Levitov said.
RARELY WILL a foreign student find
his or her money cut off, Levitov said.
"There are occasional students who are
left in the lurch by persons who promised
to sponsor them. These people have a real
difficult time," he said.
Iranian students this semester will be
under tighter financial control, Levitov
said. The current regime is controlling
what it considers excessive exports of
money.
"Years ago, during the shah's regime,
people could just write home and say,
'Dad, send me money,' " Levitov said.
Now, the government considers the
students' majors, immigrant status and
number of credit hours when allotting
money, and those factors will be adhered
to more closely this semester, Levitov said.
A $1000 limit for full-time students is
being imposed. Levitov said he does not
know how many students actually will be
affected by the recent tightening.
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