To the esteemed board members of GUC and whoever else the Berlin semester abroad program may concern: as you may know, the devaluation of the Egyptian pound has driven the economy downhill and as of this day right now, the Euro has reached 19.9 Egyptian pounds in the official banks of Egypt due to the floatation of the pound. We are aware that this is a very difficult time for individuals, companies and institutions in this country.

However, concerning the semester abroad program in Berlin; purchasing the living expenses, accommodation, health and registration fees in Euros is already going to be expensive enough. Adding to it the tuition fees in Euros will result in an big and unaffordable lump sum of money that surpasses anyone’s budget. It is only fair that with the semester abroad program, we pay the tuition fees in Egyptian pounds or the equivalent to that in Euros - which would be much less than what is requested. With the new market exchange rate, this will make the semester abroad program 2.7 more times expensive than any other semester before and making the tuition fees 30,000-50,000 pounds more than a regular semester in Egypt, even though it's the exact same curriculum.

We urge you through this petition to change the policy and have us pay the tuition fees in Egyptian pounds just for this transitional semester because of the uncalculated rise of the Euro exchange rate. As a result of having to pay everything in Euros with the new rate, the semester abroad program is jeopardized for discontinuation due to the significant amount of people who will not be able to afford that figure. As a well-established institution who founded this program, you are more capable in this situation in converting the Egyptian pounds to Euros than we are. On behalf of all faculties who intend on traveling to Berlin during the Spring '17 semester and their respected parents, please consider this change of policy because in the end both parties will benefit from this.

Thank you for your understanding. We also urge a fast reply and hopefully a course of action before the 15th of November because that is the registration deadline.