"Beware of the onion."
That was the message conveyed to Roman History students one morning by Teaching Assistant Fred Drogula, cracking a joke about a recent food preparation mishap that resulted in a bandaged finger.
A History Ph.D. candidate, Drogula has spent seven semesters as a TA in Ancient Greek and Roman history classes, building a reputation for conducting energetic discussion sections.
Drogula said he once received a course evaluation that read, "Fred makes me dizzy," referring to his incessant pacing and contagious enthusiasm.
"The most common comment is that they find me enjoyable because I do genuinely care about students," he said. "I want them to learn and I want them to enjoy learning the material. Students have remarked that it's practically impossible to fall asleep in my sections."
Drogula is currently working on his dissertation on the role of governors in the Roman Provinces.
"Most people tend to look at the emperor," he said. "I'm trying to look a step below that at the aristocrats, men with no formal training sent out to the provinces. They governed these provinces not as trained bureaucrats but as Romans."
Drogula said his research comes mainly from ancient texts passed down through the ages, but also includes a growing body of archaeological evidence.
First-year College student Sam White, a member of Drogula's section, said the TA adds a "hilarious flair" to the class.
"For that class flair is necessary, and he does a good job at it. I couldn't pass the class without his section," White said.
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