“I’m Right. You’re Wrong.” is an advice column especially designed to help University at Buffalo students. So if you have no one else to turn to (and I mean absolutely no one) drop off your question in our personals mailbox or email us at askgeneration@gmail.com. If you’re lucky, your question just might show up in the next issue.
Q: I’ve only been at UB for a couple weeks and I’m already broke. I live in the dorms and I don’t think I’ve been spending my money on things I don’t need. I need cash. What should I do?
AM: This is a very common problem among college students, especially as they continue through the years and the high school graduation party funds run out.
I really hope this isn’t news to you, but to get money you need to find a job. As a full-time student living in the dorms, you’ll only have time to pick up a part-time job. Try applying at restaurants as a server—you’ll make some extra money in tips that way. Also, the supermarkets in the area are always hiring. Just make sure you communicate your availability to your prospective employer.
While it’s too late for this semester, if you receive financial aid, you could look into Work-Study for the future.
If you don’t have enough time to handle a job, you’re simply going to have to stop spending money. A pack of cigarettes at five bucks a pop doesn’t seem like much individually, but if you’re buying four packs a week for a whole month, that’s $80 each month that could have been used towards something necessary.
C: I hear that selling coke is quite a lucrative business. Stop by the office sometime and I’ll hook you up with a starter pack.
Q: Why are black people cooler than white people?
AM: I have two brothers—one from both my parents and one from my father’s previous marriage. I’ve grown up with my younger brother and we understand each other perfectly. The older and half African American brother, however, always did seem cooler to me, as he was recording rap albums with his friends in Memphis, Tennessee while the younger was making chain mail in the basement. I attribute this to the fact that I didn’t grow up in the same environment he did—his lifestyle always seemed more glamorous and fun than mine in white suburbia. Nevertheless, I love them equally. But really, it’s unfair to say that one race of people is cooler than another in general. I know some cool white kids and I know some nerdy black kids too. I guess coolness is in the eye of the beholder.
C: Why is the sky blue? Why is grass green? They just are.
Q: I’m hung over and probably still drunk, and I have to go to drive to work now, what should I do?
AM: If you honestly think you’re still drunk, driving is obviously not a good idea. I hate to sound like your mother, but you’re better off safe than sorry. Call your boss to ask if you can come in later—don’t take the whole day just because you went on a bender last night. You have to take responsibility for your actions. And, don’t just fail to show up without notice. You may damage your reputation or even lose your job.
C: I fail to see your dilemma.
Q: Last night I was driving through Amherst and I ran over somebody’s dog. Is that illegal? What should I have done?
AM: First, it is illegal to hit a dog and not get out of your car to check it out. Under law, if you hit a dog you are required to contact the owner. In many states, hitting a dog is considered property damage. If the dog is injured you should take it to an animal shelter.
Regardless of what the law states, it is just plain inhumane to hit an animal and continue driving. Although it was an accident, you should have at least reported the news to the owners. How would you feel if one day you walked onto your front lawn only to see your dog you’ve had since you were five splattered on the road? It’s just common courtesy.
C: If it had been a cat, I would tell you that you should have thrown your car in reverse and ran it over again, but since it was a dog your best course of action would have been to speed away and then call the cops to blame it on one of your friends (preferably an SUV driver).
