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Every day, you go to class, and your prof drones on and on for what feels like ages about evolutionary biology. You can just imagine this guy spending his free time digging for fossils in his own backyard - but really, he tours the world in one of the most enduring punk bands, BAD RELIGION. Such is the case for students at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), where GREG GRAFFIN, lead singer of the band, is working on his Ph.D. and serves as an adjunct professor.

CB Teen did some investigating to track down professors with similarly shocking lives outside the classroom...

Who knew  

College professors

  could be so cool?
Double agent: Dee Birnbaum
By day: Associate professor of economics and business administration at Rhodes college (Memphis, TN)
Moonlights as: A belly dancer
The scoop: With some free time on her hands, then 27--year--old Birnbaum decided to study Middle Eastern dance as a fun way to keep in shape. Thirty years later, she's performing in dance troupes, traveling to Egypt on grants to study Middle Eastern folklore, and teaching the art of belly dancing (sometimes even to her students).

Speaking of her students, how do they react upon learning their business prof is also a belly dancer? "They grin," Birnbaum says. "I also don't publicize it, so they don't feel obligated to show up [to performances]."

Another secret: "The really interesting thing is that [belly dancing] got me to go to graduate school," she says. "It made me realize I have enough time and energy."

Double agent: Dr. Chris Rivers
By day: French professor at Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)
Moonlights as: An amateur boxer
The scoop: "It was kind of a midlife crisis thing," says the 43--year--old of his foray into boxing. "I was 39, and not in very good shape. I thought it was a good time to get into an exercise program."

Four years later, Rivers wound up with a buff physique and the idea for the book he's currently writing: A biography of early 1900s French boxer Georges Carpentier. "I started reading about him, and realized there was a biography waiting to be written," he says. "I figured I was the one to do it, since no one else seemed to want to."

Thanks to boxing, Rivers also gained a new perspective on teaching. "When I began boxing, it had been a long time since I had been a true beginner at something," he says. "The experience gave me a renewed appreciation of what it's like to be at the bottom of a steep learning curve, and how vitally important it is that the teacher be clear, thorough, consistent, patient, and both honest and generous with praise."
Another secret: One of Rivers' trainers is the former 11th--ranked lightweight of Mexico.

Double agent: Laura Van Wormer Andy
By day: Associate professor of physics at Hiram College (Hiram, OH)
Moonlights as: An autocross driver
The scoop: A few years ago, Van Wormer Andy went to an autocross race with a friend, and within six weeks went out and bought her first Mazda Miata to race on her own.
"I've always been interested in cars and in driving - and in driving well," she says. Which isn't far off the mark for this physics professor, who says many of her fellow racers are involved with or have an interest in physics.

Together they discuss how suspension, center of gravity, and friction between tires and pavement can affect a race. Van Wormer Andy's profession and hobby are similar in other ways, too. "[With teaching] you need to be able to think on your feet and analyze," she says. "You may get a question in class that throws you for a loop, and you have to react quickly."

Another secret: In 2004, Van Wormer Andy was named "Lady Driver of the Year" by the Steel Cities Region of the sports Car Club of America.

Double agent: Jeffrey Weinstock
By day: Assistant professor of English at Central Michigan University (Mt. Pleasant, MI)
Moonlights as: "DJ cypher"
The scoop: As a graduate student at George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), Weinstock got involved in the underground club scene as a DJ. He soon decided it was something he wanted to explore in addition to his literary pursuits. "It seemed to go along with the interest I had academically in gothic and ghost stories," says the 34--year--old, adding that he spins a variety of genres, from industrial to trip--hop.

Weinstock has deejayed at events all across the country, which prompted him to launch his own event in Mt. Pleasant called Dark Wave Lounge. "It's very laid--back and down--tempo," he says. "I play a lot of slower, electronic stuff, and people come and drink coffee." Occasionally, his students will come to see him spin, but he says, "To a certain extent I try to keep my two 'personalities' separate."

Another secret: You can check out info on Weinstock's event at www.darkwave lounge.com, and listen to his radio station, Dark Nation Radio, at www.live365.com/stations/297970.

Double agent: Dr. Shorna Broussard
By day: Assistant professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN)
Moonlights as: An NFL cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts
The scoop: Shorna Broussard enjoys things that require hard work. After all, she has a Ph.D. in natural resource policy, and every year, she endures a month--long tryout for her spot on the Colts cheerleading team. Along with her teaching responsibilities, Broussard estimates cheerleading takes up an additional 15 hours a week. "It's a big time commitment, but I love it because you need to have a life outside of work," she says.

But sometimes her "outside" life makes its way in. "I teach policy, so most people's eyes glaze over when I start talking," she jokes. "I try to get their attention and stimulate their interest in what I'm talking about - I have to be a cheerleader for policy."

Another secret: Broussard says there's more to being an NFL cheerleader than the right dance moves. "We do so much charitable activity and serve as role models," she says. Her fellow cheerleaders include pre--med students, engineers, and chemists.

Double agent: Dr. Bruce Hetzler
By day: Professor of psychology and director of the neuroscience program at Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)
Moonlights as: A magician
The scoop: As a physiological psychologist who focuses on the effects of drugs on the brain, you would think Bruce Hetzler regularly gets his fill of mind tricks. Not so, says the 56--year--old who's been teaching for 26 years and practicing magic for 40.

"Several things prompted my interest in magic," he says. "One was a local TV show, "Corky the Clown"; another was magic books given to my father; and a magic shop." Coincidentally, Hetzler guest--starred on "Corky the Clown" at age 16 and later penned his own book of magic tricks and routines, Bev Taylor's Town House Magic (Town House Publications, 1993).

Hetzler works his magic at parties, weddings, company picnics, and a local restaurant - where he occasionally sees some of his students. Their reaction to seeing their psychology prof make $100 disappear and then reappear inside a lemon? "They're impressed," he says. "But they probably aren't that surprised, because I use a lot of the same jokes in class that I do in my show."

Another secret: Hetzler says he never reveals the secrets behind his magic tricks except to young magicians in his workshops.



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Jennifer Merritt is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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