Syllabus week always seems to drone on with its fair share of annoyances, no doubt about it. Students are hunting down book deals and hunting down professors and batting their eyelashes in exchange for pink slips. Even with everything academic going smoothly, an entire day can be ruined by an unfortunate and unplanned run-in with that one person you never wanted to see again.

No worries. It only takes a little finesse to handle your worst-case scenario, and in the end it is never too late to transfer.Pink slips and book-buying are fairly easy to work out. Come early to the class you desperately need, or at least come on time. Tell the professor how this class will change your life, then head on down to the book store or eBay and let the price determine if you really need the text for the class.

The easy part is going through these first-week motions that everyone else is going through. It only gets slightly rough when you are caught off guard. At least once in your college career, you will walk into a class, full of hopes and dreams for what the next hour might hold, and be stopped by the sight of that one person you never wanted to see again. Whether an ex, old hook-up, sworn enemy, or just embarrassing memory, this unpleasant encounter can be handled not only with finesse, friends, but class.

Suppose this is just the embarrassing memory. Maybe you tried a lame pick-up line that completely flopped last quarter, or maybe this person walked in during your one-time hook-up with their roommate. Whatever the case, there is no need to go red in the face and start sweating profusely. We all make mistakes, and I guarantee this kid has some embarrassing stories, too.

Make eye contact, and let their expression be the deciding factor. Do they remember you, or are their eyes glazed over? Do they instantly smile at the memory, or are they looking at you with a certain degree of hatred? If their response leans toward the more upbeat, go ahead and say hi. Make not only a friend, but a study buddy and someone from whom to get notes.

What about that sworn enemy? The girl who took your boyfriend or that one guy who told all his friends about that one thing that was very, very personal? There is absolutely no reason at all to make nice or even smile. You should, however, show some class and at least acknowledge this scum of the earth. No need to be his or her BFF and sit next to them, but no need to sit next to your real BFF and loudly talk trash about this hated person, either.

We may not walk into class wearing that sweater Mom made us anymore, with the 96-count Crayola box tucked safely into our Disney backpacks, but that does not mean that the golden rules we learned back then no longer apply. They apply even more this time around, because apparently we have to clean up our own messes these days.

Chenee Castruita is a junior journalism major. Send her an e-mail at cc282705@ohiou.edu.