Dear Prudie,
I work in a busy office at a university, which I love. I’m a social person, and I enjoy being helpful and interacting with lots of different people. But there’s one student who insists on hugging me every time he sees me—this can be multiple times a day. He also calls me sweetie, honey, love, and even baby once. I’ve seen him do this to other women. He’s a genuinely polite and nice person, but all this “affection” makes me really uncomfortable. How do I tell him I don’t want him to hug me and I don’t want him to call me sweetie without coming across as a jerk? I have to see him often, so I don’t want to hurt someone I enjoy interacting with otherwise. I’m an outgoing person but not blunt, and I’ve used all the body language I can, but he’s not getting the message.