Real Stories

Valuable Vocabulary

StudenT:
Thomas Eric Phelps (Class of 2009)
Major:
English
Favorite ClasS:
ENGL 311: History of the English Language

"My English professor once said that when you get in an argument and you're losing, just mention one word: diphthongization," recalls Thomas Eric Phelps, a Poet baseball athlete, who now has a new way to combat bad umpire calls on the field.

"Most likely, your opponent won't understand what that word means, and even if they do, it'll be used out of context and is sure to baffle them. It will buy you time to think of more ammunition. I haven't used it yet, but be very aware that it is in my bag of tricks."

Recommending the unusual vocabulary strategy to Phelps is Sean Morris, English professor and recipient of the 2007 Harry Nerhood Excellence in Teaching Award. Prof. Morris is widely known as one of Whittier's most engaging teachers, whose eclectic interests range from Old English to Star Wars. He's also been known to take groups of students to the opening of Harry Potter movies, host student game nights, and sponsor events in the Alumni House.

Throughout the year, the level of interaction between faculty and students both in class and out is unusually high, and there's a definite sense that Whittier's just like a really big family. As Phelps notes, "When I started at Whittier, I guess I was most surprised by how different college professors were from how I imagined they'd be. They weren't overly serious and nitpicky. In fact, I've found the faculty here are light hearted and really do care for us students."