European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Felt a a sunday december 2, 1990 the stars and stripes a Page 13 business news foul at fee hike news item merchants National Bank is in creasing the fee it charges for changing dollars into German Marks British pounds and other foreign currency. Instead of charging customers a 2 percent fee for changing Money the Bank will now charge 2.5 percent. It might not seem like much but the move is expected to generate More than $6 million for the financially strapped Bank by the end of the fiscal year. The higher fee will apply to . Service members stationed in Germany the United kingdom Greece and the Netherlands. The Bank a gain will be its customers loss. Service members in Germany will get one fewer pfennig per Dollar whenever they buy Marks. And in England it will Cost one additional cent to buy a British Pound. Dod says the higher fees Are necessary to keep military banking operations from going broke. Many service members feel betrayed. A this is just a big rip off a said staff sgt. Yvonne Lofton Randy Mcclain of the 7580th operations so at Rhein main a Germany. Lofton and her husband tech. Sgt. Del Lofton of the 601st tac control Wing at Rhein main think merchants and the department of defense should have taken other Cost cutting Steps before asking customers to pay More. Staff sgt. Sirilda Jones who works in military intelligence in Frankfurt said this is the wrong time to raise  a a. V a a Why  they wait until the Mark rate goes up a she asked pointing to a 20 percent decline in the dollars value against the Mark Over the past year. A n late last week in Germany one Dollar was Worth Only 1.47 Marks at military banking facile ties. In the United kingdom the Buck was just As weak. One Pound was Selling for $2.02. Customers Are upset in England too. A any increase that i have to pay upsets me a said Techi sgt. Robert Mcelroy who works in Raf Milden hauls Legal office. I find it hard to believe the Banks Are losing Money Wien they have a tremendous amount of  a merchants National Bank officials pointed out that the weak Dollar hurts their operations just As much As it hurts the service members. The Bank s income is mainly in dollars while Many of its expenses Are paid in local currency. Every time the Dollar drops a pfennig in Germany for instance merchants expenses Rise by $500,000. Maj Dick Jenkins of the 18th military police brigade in Frankfurt in t impressed by the Bank a hard Luck Story Jenkins has spent the last three weeks preparing for War in the Middle East. He was due to return to the United states with his family nov. 15, but the threat of War Short circuited those plans. His wife and children recently returned to the states but Jenkins will soon Fly to saudi Arabia. A a in a no banker a Jenkins said a but this strikes me As wrong. I think they should have tried some other things  he suggested closing Bank branches in Remote locations As a better Way of saving Money. Suzette Wicker a civilian worker in the Frankfurt i a Tail Community said the higher fee will Espe i atty Hurt service members who must change several Hundred dollars into Marks every month to pay rent. I really feel for those people a she said. So will customers revolt against the Bank is there a Chance a Public outcry will cause the department of defense to put foreign Exchange fees Back like they were some service members done to think so. A if there were More Banks available to Gas new might be a backlash a Yvonne Lofton said. But As it is the Gas Are in a bind a could Drain overseas by Randy Mcclain _ financial writer Lucie Rivera of Ferrall is nervous about what the new year will bring. The executive Dean of City colleges of Chicago a overseas program said operation desert shield has siphoned off dozens of people from her schools Liberal arts math and management clashes in Germany. She a worried that by january the trickle of lost students will turn into a flood. A your school  last very Long with lower than projected enrolments a she said. Soldiers trading textbooks for desert camouflage May be considered a minor Side effect of the . Military a massive buildup in saudi Arabia in some quarters. Blit to Rivera of Ferrall and the Deans of other colleges that Cater to service members and their families in Europe a sustained deployment in the persian Gulf could mean losing lots of business. Quot its too Early to Tell what the full Impact will be but certainly there a a great Deal of anxiety said Dale Wilson director of administrative services for Central Texas College in Europe. Almost a dozen two year and four year colleges from me United states offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs overseas on army Navy and air Force installations. Students generally take one or two courses per semester squeezing in studies Between military duties. The problem for Many colleges is that the majority of their students Are in Germany and most of the 100,000 . Service members deploying to saudi Arabia from Europe Are stationed in Germany. All the universities Are refunding fees to students called up for operation desert shield if the student so desires. In other cases students Are taking textbooks and even videotaped lectures to the desert and trying to finish courses there. Homework is on the Honor system and final exams can be administered by officers in the Field school spokesmen said. Such makeshift arrangements Are helping some soldiers stay in school for now but University officials Are concerned about what will happen next. Most colleges have already been forced to cancel a few classes this semester bemused too Many students in certain courses have shipped out for the Middle East. At City colleges of Chicago two classes went under after military instructors hired to teach on a part time basis were deployed Rivera of Ferrall said areas hit hardest by student losses since iraqis aug 2 invasion of Kuwait include Nalmberg Wiesbaden bit Burg and Spang Dahlum All in Germany according to College administrators. Some classes in the Stuttgart area and in Northern Germany also have been affected. Peter j. Petersen director of marketing and development with Troy state University in Europe said As Many As 25 percent of the students have disappeared from classes at Pitburg a and Span Dahlem a but he said Overall enrolments Are fairly steady. Quot we Haven to been blasted out of the Saddle yet a he said. Quot but if things heat up we could be Hurt next  the current overseas semester for most schools will end shortly before Christmas. Registration for the next term will take place in january with most schools starting classes during the fourth week of he month. Petersen said officials at Troy state shame Campus in Troy ala., Quot Are a bit nervous and Are asking administrators overseas what Steps Are planned to compensate for a big loss of  problem Petersen said is that most of his professors Nave one year contracts to teach and they will have to be paid through next summer even if no students show up. Quot we re locked into that a he said. _ some other schools make extensive use of part time teachers Many of them affiliated with the military who get paid Only if enough students sign up for a class. At Troy state some faculty members might end up being transferred to the Pacific theater Early next year if too Tew students sign up in Europe. Troy state and several other schools teach courses at numerous locations around the world where . Military forces Are stationed. Rivera of Ferrall said City colleges of Chicago might Quot have to Cut its Headquarters staff if enrolment Falls Short. Leland Farley european director for big Bend Community College said his school could be Hurt on several fronts with so Many troops leaving. Big Bend has government contracts to provide Basic skills education courses and head Start language courses for the army in Germany the two year school based in Moses wash., also offers vocational military science and management courses among others. R with Large numbers of troops being deployed there Quot we re pretty sure when All is said and done Well have a smaller schedule than Normal next semester a he said. Quot but we certainly feel this is something we can credit Union needs Hefe donated goodies for troops in Gulf Frankfurt Germany a amps Andrews Federal credit Union is working closely with the Uso to collect food books toiletries and other items for . Troops in saudi Arabia a the credit Union has placed collection bins at several Sites including branches on Pioneer Cavern in Hanau Downs Barracks in Fulda Rhein main a the Abrams building in Frankfurt the Frankfurt shopping Center and Wiesbaden a. The Uso will collect the donated items from the bins a and distribute them to airmen and soldiers. The Uso is asking for such donations As paperback books bags of Candy Fly shatters chewing gum and baked goods Mary Beth Harrell marketing specialist with Andrews said More donations Are needed now that the newness of haying troops in saudi Arabia is wearing off. Harrell said Andrews is working closely with military authorities and customers who Are being deployed to saudi Arabia. Credit Union accounts can remain open after service members Are deployed but Harrell said some special precautions May be necessary to care for family members left behind. Customers should arrange for someone they Trust to have a general or special Power of attorney Over their credit Union accounts so that transactions including Loans can be arranged while the account Holder is absent Harrell said. \ she said credit Union officials will also offer special assistance to family members of customers who Are deployed to the Middle East if problems with credit Union services arise she said family members with questions should Contact their local Branch manager or Andrews main Headquarters in Frankfurt Germany.  big Bend recently instituted a hiring freeze to a a onto costs. Joe Arden european director for the University of Maryland a overseas program said his school expects a significant loss of students in january with the Timberg area a particularly big loser. He said Maryland a class schedule there could be Cut by As much 50 percent in the new  Arden said Maryland will continue to offer As Many courses As possible in Germany even in the face of operation desert shield. Quot Mainland will definitely be continuing in All the areas affected by the deployment no ifs ands Ordus a he said. The director added that it is very difficult to predict business trends. He said one possibility that could res Cue Maryland from a huge dip in enrolment is if family members of those sent to saudi Arabia decide to fill up their empty hours by taking College courses a Maryland which has a variety of math computer for eign language and business classes could be particularly Well positioned to take advantage of such a phenomenon. On the other hand Boston University which offers graduate level programs in business administration and International relations is less Likely to pick up the casual student. Going after a master s degree requires a great Deal of time and people interested in a taking a course Here and a course there Arentt Likely to seek out the school said Dieter Philippi Bostons director of administration and finance. A a. A. Philippi said he a certain some courses will have to be cancelled because of a Lack of students next semester. But he said Boston University is committed to staying in Europe a was Long As possible. One catch is that administrators in the United states May balk at continuing the program in. Germany if it becomes too big of a Money loser. Is a i think the University is willing to continue As Long As we keep things As close to break even As possible a the finance director said one strategy under consideration in Case too Many americans disappear next year is to Start offering courses to germans Philippi added. A perhaps that would make it financially possible to continue with a much smaller military program a he said