Some Ohio State students from Asia are facing financial difficulties because of a currency crisis in their home countries. Song-Moo Hur, a junior from South Korea majoring in aviation management and finance, is one of them.After finishing his finals last quarter, Hur went to the Office of International Education to inquire about his financial situation.The decline of the Korean won against the U. S. dollar, combined with the increase in tuition at OSU has impacted Hur’s financial situation. The crisis began several months ago when South Korea threatened to default on its debts. The move eventually shook a number of Asian economies, including major players like Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia, as investor confidence in those economies collapsed. As a result, many of the industrial giants in Asia lost billions of dollars in value. Belt-tightening has become the rule because of investor losses and anticipated lay-offs. “Before I came here, I calculated exactly penny by penny,” Hur said.He said he talked to more than 20 people in five different offices, including the Office of Financial Aid and the international education office, to determine how to pay his tuition for winter quarter.”At that time, I was pretty desperate about finishing my career here and I thought there was no way that I could,” Hur said.Hur received a $3,828 loan from the international education office to pay his tuition this quarter.He said he knows of some Korean students who were forced to return home because they couldn’t pay their tuition. Hur is considering going back to Korea in June so he can earn money to continue his education at OSU next January.Asian students account for over 2,900, or 75 percent, of OSU’s 3,883 international students.”I heard some of the students take a quarter off and start to find a job,” said Michael Tjiptaputra, a graduate student in industrial engineering from Indonesia.When Tjiptaputra came to the United States in July 1993, the Indonesian rupiah was 2,750 against one U.S. dollar. Now, it is trading between 8,000 and 9,000 rupiah to a dollar.Tjiptaputra, who is vice president of the Indonesian Student Association, spent about $600 for textbooks the last two quarters. This quarter, he can expect to spend about $1800, if calculated in Indonesian currency.He is conscious about how much he spends, now. He is cutting not only unnecessary spending, like movies and clothing, but also international phone bills, he said.”This currency crisis reminded me of saving money, but I don’t enjoy my life as much as before,” Tjiptaputra said.Since the end of autumn quarter, many Asian students came to the international education office to discuss their financial hardships, said Sherif Barsoum, coordinator.”We are trying to discuss ways that we can make our students financially better,” Barsoum said.The office offers 10 options to Asian students who face financial difficulties, according to Barsoum. One of them is the “Asian Student Loan Sub-Fund,” which loans each student up to $4,000 per quarter at 7 percent interest. This newly established special fund to rescue affected students allows them to repay the loan within three months. The total amount of the fund is $110,000, which was provided by the Office of Financial Aid.So far, about 40 students have received loans from the fund, including Hur, Barsoum said.Other options include a tuition payment plan, late fee waiver and transferring to less expensive colleges.Barsoum foresees less people from Asia applying to U. S. universities if the situation continues. “We will definitely see the decline in application for the next year,” he said.Hur said when he was in Korea, he dreamed of studying in the United States in order to have a solid career.”Now the dream is trembling, but I don’t want to give up,” he said.