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As a Colombian international student whose primary family income isn’t dollars, going to Syracuse University can be more expensive than one would think. Imagine what it is like for international students, whose primary source of income is not the US dollar, buying lunch in between classes or for a Dunkin Donuts beverage at Schine Student Center. It is depressing to spend the equivalent of 20,000 pesos for my morning coffee.

This is the reality for most of the 4,000 international students at SU, thanks to the expensive nature of the U.S. dollar.

The monthly minimum wage in Colombia is 1,000,000 Colombian pesos, which is equal to 203 United States dollars. According to the IRS, in the United States, a full-time employee works an average of 30 hours per week. At $14.20 an hour, a full-time worker in NY with a minimum wage job earns $1,704 per month. This contrast in income is especially drastic since $1 is equal to 4,911 Colombian pesos. This means for me to pay for anything in the US, I must pay almost 5 times my single currency in pesos.

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SU should keep this currency disparity in mind, especially since international students have no option of earning money through work-study and FAFSA is only for Americans.

At SU, most international students emigrate from China where the dollar is worth 7.20 Chinese yuan. The next country with the greatest number of international students in SU is India, followed by Canada and Brazil. In the case of India, the U.S. dollar is worth 81.84 rupees, while in Canada the U.S. dollar is worth 1.34 Canadian dollars and in Brazil, the U.S. dollar is worth 5.35 reais.

The U.S. dollar currently stands as the ninth strongest currency out of the 180 different currencies worldwide. Given this, citizens of 171 countries must pay more than their singular currency to equalize just one dollar.

The saddest part of this whole situation isn’t the exchange rate but the lack of resources and amenities at SU for international students, especially those who weren’t able to leave for the break. Staying on campus during Thanksgiving break, I noticed not many places were open for us international students. Goldstein, Schine and other food amenities were closed most of the time this week and only one dining hall, on average, was open at a time for the whole week.

How come all of the stores and restaurants in SU are more expensive within the school than outside, considering that the majority of international students use money they’ve earned from their home countries that decrease in value once in the U.S.? This is inconsiderate for the people that leave their home countries to be able to attend SU. Sometimes equity is ignored for the convenience of the dollar.

Daniela Dorado is a junior creative writing and advertising major. Her column appears bi-weekly, and she can be reached at ddorado@syr.edu.

Published on November 28, 2022 at 11:47 pm