Dear Nat: How do I deal with facing someone I just had a one-night stand with? I slept with this guy at a party last weekend, and I know I’m going to run into him around campus. Should I ignore him, act friendly, flirty or what?

— Confused Party Girl
Dear Confused: Oh, the wonders of college! Blurred, drunken nights in smelly houses that lead you to the arms of some eager bachelor who can’t remember your name. What fun!
From the tone of your letter, I’m sensing this one-night stand may not have been the right choice. Deep down, you want a real romance. But in this stage of your life, it may be hard to find something real, so you settle for any sexual crumbs from the cake of love you deserve.
Unfortunately, you’ll never be happy waking up the next morning realizing you probably won’t hear from that person ever again. You’re craving a connection with this guy and hoping he might want to date you or at least have a friendship, but I’m afraid you shouldn’t keep your hopes up.

When the guy crosses your path, be friendly but not by any means clingy or overeager. Pay attention to the tone he sets for the two of you. Who knows? He might want to begin dating. You might end up as friends and forget all about your night together. But if you find yourself getting hung up on him when he isn’t reciprocating, you must try to learn from it and get on with your life.
Some people (although I’ll never know how) can sleep around without getting emotionally attached. If you can truly say that one-night stands never scar you in the least, fine. But for most of us, it’s best to build something solid before hopping in the sack.
Dear Nat: I’m a freshman girl living in the dorms, and I’ve become extremely attracted to the male resident assistant in my hall. We’ve been flirting with each other lately, and I know a relationship is against University Housing policy, but is it really that bad?

— Forbidden Love
Dear Forbidden Love: Yes dear, we all know that Felicity got in on a very personal note with her RA without any problems, but let me clue you in — “Felicity” is not real life!
I must admit that I see the appeal in your interest. Your RA is in a position to sort of protect you, he may be older, he tells guys your age what to do and carries a high status around campus. No matter how dreamy this “Noel” in your life may be, dating your own RA can put you in potential pickles.
He is there to treat all of his residents equally, but if you become intimate with him, he may feel obliged to give you
special treatment if he catches you breaking the rules. This would be unfair to the other residents and could cause your honey to lose his job. Think of it as dating the manager of your apartment building or your boss. Romance with folks in authority over you is just plain awkward.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t follow your heart. Ask yourself if you would date your “Noel” even if he wasn’t your RA. Is it really him you want, or the prestige he carries? Also, is this guy for real, or is he just charming to every little freshman girl he sees?
If you’re positive about this stud muffin and want to begin courting, it is essential to move. Transferring to another hall in the same complex is fine, but since your RA will be going on rounds in the whole building, it’s best to move to another complex. After you’ve settled in at a comfortable distance, enjoy your straight-from-a-television-show fantasy college life. Just think twice before chopping off all your hair like Felicity did.