Well, since you asked: an advice column

By Briana Wheeler

Staff Writer

Dear Briana,

My roommate’s boyfriend leaves the toilet seat up every single time he uses our bathroom, and that’s a lot because he’s here all the time. I didn’t have a problem with it until I went to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and fell in. What’s the best way to approach this?

Sincerely,

Fed Up

 

Dear Fed Up,

There are a couple of ways to approach the issue, some direct, some indirect. I have brothers and always had to share a bathroom, so I definitely understand the struggle. The only thing that’s worse is when they don’t lift up the seat, believe it or not.

For a more direct approach, you could talk to your roommate about it. I’m sure she’s not too fond of it either, so you could unite forces. Depending on your relationship with her boyfriend, you could also talk to him and explain how frustrating it can be. If you don’t really get along with them, then a note taped to the wall is always an option.

Start out with something simple, like, “Please remember to put the seat down.” If that still doesn’t do the trick, you can always try what my stepsister did: she started drawing angry faces and taping them to the bottom of the toilet seat. Or, in lieu of all this, you can start doing what I did: adapt and check the seat every time.

Let me know how it works out,

Briana

 

Dear Briana,

Should I buy or rent my textbooks for next semester?

Thank you,

Anonymous

 

Dear Anonymous,

It really comes down to personal preference in the end. Purchasing can occasionally be more expensive if you are in need of a newer or lesser-used textbook, but I often find it cheaper than renting from the bookstore. Since Sewanee is a university with comprehensive exams, I generally buy my books for my major and minor but rent for other classes. It’s worked out for me thus far, so you may want to give that a try.

Happy shopping,

Briana