International students battle economic pressures

By Kamryn Sanderfer

Contributor

Global economic pressures are reaching onto Trevecca’s campus, and being felt by many international students who are struggling to find jobs and keep up with conversion rates. 

“One dollar [in America] is 24.5 lempiras [in Honduras] …With that you can actually have a meal, so definitely for our parents to have us here in college, they need to work three times harder,” said Claudia Nuñez, a Honduran senior and president of the International Student Council. “We don’t like to do the conversions because we get scared to see the amount of money that gets invested in our education.”

The Centre for the New Economy and Society reported on the World Economic Forum in 2022 that the US dollar had risen in strength by 14% against some of the world’s most traded currencies. Consequently, this prompted more rate hikes around the world as central bankers tried to increase the value of their currencies, resulting in shockingly high rates that countries are still feeling the effects of today.  

Though college students come from many different backgrounds, and finances are a source of stress for the majority, these specific economic challenges are unique to international students.

“US citizens don’t have to think, ‘This is what I have in my bank account. Is it still going to be worth that when I get to the school?’” said Rebecca Merrick, director of global engagement.

A large part of what makes the financial situation of international students so difficult is the lengthy list of limitations that the F-1 student VISA puts on students wanting to work. On-campus jobs are the only legal option for international students, unless they are at least a sophomore, the job has something to do with their major, and it is filed as an internship.

Evy Henriquez, new student coordinator for the International Student Council, is a frequent bus driver for the bi-weekly trips to Walmart that are offered to international students. She said how she has noticed financial struggle in multiple students – some not even being able to afford basic necessities at times.

“We had a new student, and he couldn’t afford the first weeks of going to Walmart,” said Henriquez. “I had to make sure he got there, and that we could provide him the things that he couldn’t afford at the time.”

During the snowstorm in January, a big concern was new international students who did not have the right gear and weren’t in the financial position to spend a lot of money on new things. Henriquez said that the council was communicating as a team about who they could reach out to for help, and how they could provide for the students in need.

To many of these students, finding a job is extremely important. Having money to be able to afford basic necessities is a value that every college student can share. But with limitations on work outside of campus, on-campus jobs are relied upon for internationals.

“They’re always asking me questions like, ‘Where can I get a job’ and ‘I really need this job’, especially before we started school. That was very important for them, to get a job and to get their Social Security,” said Henriquez

Despite being told that on-campus work could be a part of their financial package, many international students came to campus without the expectation that actually finding a job would be quite hard. After the rush of students applying and getting on-campus jobs at the start of the fall semester, most job positions become closed for the rest of the year – leaving many unexpecting international students stuck with no other options for self-made income, said Nunez. 

Currently, there is only one on-campus job posted on Handshake, the app Trevecca advertises to help students find jobs, for a custodial work position. Despite the app being heavily encouraged for students to use, a number of open jobs might be available that aren’t posted on Handshake, and are instead offered through connections within departments, said Becky Farley, Trevecca’s engagement officer of career development and connections.

“On-campus jobs are managed department by department according to each department’s needs, which can vary in job type, availability, and timing from year to year. Departments are not required, but encouraged, to post jobs on Handshake,” said Farley. “There are so many variables related to on-campus employment. There’s personnel turnover, we’re not required to put jobs on Handshake, and there’s no entity requiring us to put out a number or make a report. It’s not managed as numbers, it’s managed as just connections, department, by department, by department.”

Merrick sees and works closely with international students every day, and says that the communication of financial expectations and transparency with prospective international students is an important aspect of recruitment. Sometimes communication about these details is difficult because of cultural differences, she said.

“I just know that some things – especially something as delicate as money and family finances – it’s hard to talk to people from different cultures about that,” said Merrick. “The best way is to be as clear as possible…the more specific we can be with international students about that, the better. That’s just what I’m encouraging for those who are on the front side of things.”