Ask Cass: Smelly friends, edgy friends, and the secret to selective participation
Cassidy Kenney
She/Her
Columnist
3/5/24
My roommate smells really bad, but it’s too cold to open a window. What can I do?
This is a tough question because you can’t just tell your roommate “you smell go take a shower.” You can try alternatives that aren’t too obvious to help them out. Maybe buy some deodorants or body washes and say you got a deal and give them to your roommate. Or if you have a great smelling cologne or perfume, tell them to try it.
A major reason why someone may smell is because they don’t do their laundry. Try and ask them to do laundry with you because you don’t want to go alone.
If that all fails then you do need to have a conversation not for yourself but for them as well. You could ask them if there is something going on and if they need to talk about it and bring up the fact that you feel like they aren’t taking care of themself.
My friends have enemies. I don’t want enemies. How should I handle that?
It isn’t uncommon to fight with people in college because everyone is basically living on top of eachother and there isn’t much room for alone time. If your friends have enemies it does not mean you have too. You can have other relationships with people outside of your friends and it is perfectly normal. Your friends should also be able to understand that their problems are not your problems and whatever issues they have is between them and not you.
You can also have this conversation with your friends and tell them you want no part in that. You will always have your friends back but you don’t have to hate people just because your friends do.
Literally all of the showers are clogged. How do I shower without flooding the bathrooms?
It takes time. Put in a work order and wait a few days for it to be fixed. It really is just patience and communication with the CA’s. If it is taking too long to fix you can always shower at your friend’s building or appartment and wait for maintenance to unclog the drains.
My professor grades participation, and I hate participating. How do I get a good grade?
Communication with professors is key to succeeding in a class. Professors’ goals are not to fail you. They actually want to help you, believe it or not.
Some can be very open and understanding when it comes to certain things. If you are struggling with participating you should talk to your professor and communicate how you feel. Whether it has to do with anxiety or nerves they will be able to work with you. It can be super scary and overwhelming to open up to them but it will help you and your grades in the long run.