Words to the Wise

If you don’t know the exact quantity represented by the mathematical symbol Pi, don’t feel bad. Nobody knows, and mathematicians have been trying to figure it out since 250 BC. But you don’t have to go to a Baylor math class to learn the story behind Pi—it was part of a new radio program on Baylor’s KWBU.

The program Word Wise began broadcasting in April 2009 and is sponsored by Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences. It features a three-minute dialogue between program host Christi Cariker Proctor ’88 (pictured) and a different Baylor professor each week.

According to Proctor’s on-air introduction, Word Wise is “the weekly program that explores the origins, history, or tall tales behind words and phrases.”

The program was the brainchild of Will Crockett ’00, director of public relations for the College of Arts and Sciences. “We wanted a show that was broad in scope and allowed all the disciplines within the college to participate,” he said. “And we wanted to develop a show that would be accessible to a wide variety of audiences as well.”

Sometimes the ideas for the featured words come from Crockett and his staff, he said. “I approached Dr. Frank Mathis [associate dean of Arts and Sciences and a math professor] about the word ‘Pi,’ and asked him about it,” Crockett said. “But sometimes we go to a faculty member and ask them if there is a word in their discipline that would fit with the show.”

One of Crockett’s favorites was when Dr. Stan Denman, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts, explained the difference between an actor’s monologue and a soliloquy. A monologue is a one-sided speech, while in a soliloquy, the actor is really speaking to himself, Crockett explained. “That is, if I got that straight,” he added. (He did.)

Two student interns help research the words and write the scripts for the show. Michael Martinez, a senior public relations major from Lubbock, said he has enjoyed his foray into word etymology.

“The word ‘oscillation’ was an interesting one,” he said of the term he researched for classics professor Dr. John Thorburn. “It went back to the mask of the Greek god Bacchus hanging in the vineyards.” Martinez also enjoyed learning about chocolate and vanilla, he said, both of which originated as Central American words for flavors of the region.

Most of the time, the students do the research online, said Jenny Bowen, a senior professional writing major from Katy and also a student writer for Word Wise.

“This was the first time I’d written for radio, other than a public service announcement written for class,” she said. “Writing the dialogue was new, so it was good to experience a different kind of writing.”

Bowen especially enjoyed writing about the word “deadline,” which originated during the Civil War when an actual line was drawn around the prisoners and those who crossed were shot. “From that to having to turn something in on time was a pretty big leap,” she said.

Crockett said that having Christi Proctor as the show’s volunteer host brings a star quality to the programming. “Of course she has a background in television with her experience as a designer on TLC’s Trading Spaces,” he said. “She is also on the advisory board of the college and has been a terrific advocate.”

Proctor said that her radio gig happened after she asked Crockett how she could help the school. “I just love giving back to Baylor,” she said. “I’ll do it as long as they will have me.”

Proctor said she enjoys working with the staff and the professors and that she’s learned a lot. “It’s giving me a new experience that I didn’t have before,” she said. “Radio is really tough because you have to really listen to your own voice.”