"The situation seems to be under control," Nicolas Goodman, vice provost for undergraduate education, said on Monday. "The stories we are hearing are that students, in fact, are registering" for the spring semester and "a fair number have gone to Student Accounts" to make arrangements for delayed payment of tuition and fees.

Although UB at the moment has "no good, quantitative infor- mationŠwe have no sense at this point, anecdotally, that large numbers (of students) are leaving the university, contrary to what we had been afraid of," Goodman said.

Shirley Walker, director of the Office of Student Accounts, described the experience in her office as a "mixed bag," with many students coming into the office to inquire about payment options and late fees, while others have already paid their bills for the spring semester.

"All the students are registered for the semester; it's now a matter of riding the surf," she said.

Walker added that students' financial difficulties may come more into play during registration for summer sessions and the Fall 1998 semester.

UB administrators had feared that large numbers of Asian students might have difficulty paying their bills, and therefore have to drop out of school, due to crashing stock and currency markets in the region. Students from several East Asian countries, including Japan, Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan, have seen their country's currencies devalue substantially in the past few months.

Students who can document that their financial difficulties are a direct result of the currency devaluation in their countries are being encouraged to contact the Office of Student Accounts to work out a delayed-payment plan or other arrangement until an alternate source of funding can be found.

Walker emphasized that although the semester already has begun, international students with financial difficulties still can come to Student Accounts for assistance.

Goodman said UB cannot afford to waive payment, since the 730 students from those eight countries most seriously affected by the crisis owe almost $2 million in tuition and fees. But, he added, the university will be flexible on due dates for bills, and will not charge late fees.

Goodman noted that the students "seem to be pleased with the response of the institution" in handling the situation.