Buyer Beware: Tips for Auto Loans

College is a time when many students purchase their first car. Not surprisingly, college students also tend to have below-average credit scores and credit histories. This makes college students prime targets for predatory lending and bad auto loans!

Having a short credit history or low credit score makes obtaining an auto loan difficult but not impossible. There are plenty of lenders willing to offer auto loans to students with such credit, however, the terms of those loans are usually very unfavorable.

Because a financing contract is like any other legally-binding contract, a person must repay an auto loan on whatever terms they signed and agreed to. So the best thing a student can do before car shopping is to educate themselves on auto loans and which loans not to sign.

Interest Rates

It is common knowledge that lower interest rates are better than higher interest rates. But students should know they have some power in negotiating lower interest rates and should be shopping around to compare rates from different lenders.

A simple illustration to highlight the importance of interest:

New Campus Smoking Policy

This fall marks the beginning of a major change in UC San Diego's smoking and tobacco policy. UC San Diego's previous smoking policy mirrored California state law- smoking was not permitted in any indoors spaces, nor within 20 feet of public buildings.

However, on September 1, 2013, UC San Diego will become a completely smoke-free and tobacco-free campus. This means no smoking will be permitted on any campus property, regardless of how far you are from a building. Even smoking in the middle of the Regents parking lot violates the new policy!

This policy affects both students and staff alike. It will even extend to guests of the university. This means that students or organizations holding any events on the UC San Diego campus must communicate to their guests that smoking is prohibited on campus.

Under the ban, even the on campus use of e-cigarettes will be prohibited. Readers should note that marijuana, even for medicinal purposes, has never been permitted on UC San Diego property.

UC San Diego officials have indicated the University has a right to issue citations and fines to individuals who violate the tobacco and smoking ban. However, at this time the University has not indicated that it will immediately begin to exercise its right to issue these citations. UC San Diego students who repeatedly violate the smoking ban may face chargers under the Student Conduct Code.

For UC San Diego students with the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), Student Health Services offers special smoking cessation programs. Additional information for UC San Diego students and staff to quit tobacco products can be found on the Smoke Free UCSD website.

California Law Highlight: Employer Use of Social Media

California became one of the first states in the country to enact a law prohibiting employers and universities from demanding a person's social media username and password.

What is known as the Social Media Privacy Act is actually comprised of two different laws signed by Governor Brown in 2012 and enacted on January 1, 2013

Employers: California Assembly Bill 1844 prohibits a private employer from requiring or even requesting an employee or job applicant's social media usernames and passwords.  This is meant to protect your privacy from snooping employers (or prospective employers!) who may be looking for information about you beyond your resume.

Additionally, the law prohibits an employer from firing, disciplining, threatening to fire or discipline, or otherwise retaliating against an employee who asserts their rights under this law.

Please note! Any information a person has on a social media website that is viewable by the general public is still fair game. Employers may still use whatever information they can find about a person by just searching them on the internet. This law is meant to only stop employers from requesting access to private accounts.