Aggie Profile: The biggest flirt on campus
As casual as his Gumby-like posture, Peter Phippen strides toward the TSC patio from the Hub.
“Love the bandana, Peter,” yells a passerby girl. Another girl embraces him quickly, “Don’t forget Peter, party on Friday.”
“I’ll be there,” he says while crossing through the exit threshold.
With no more than six steps outside, three girls attack him, caressing his arms and the curls dangling atop his shoulders.
The three fire off inquisitive blips as frequent as their hands move about his body.
“You look tired, Peter,” said one. “You sound awful, are you sick?” another said. “Hey Peter, we heard you got a new bed, how is it?”
Phippen indulges, answering questions quickly and showering them with cheek-pressed-against-cheek embraces.
The biggest flirt
Phippen,a junior majoring in Asian studies, justifies all this attention. “I’m just friendly,” he says.
“Yeah, touchy friendly,” says a smiling admirer.
When asked who the biggest flirt on campus is, nine of 15 random Aggies pointed their fingers in Phippen’s direction.
Jared Ocana, a senior majoring in broadcast journalism said he’s never actually talked to Peter but knows who he is.
“I only know him through mutual friends,” Ocana said. “I’ll be hanging out with some girls and when Peter walks by, I usually hear ‘oh there’s Peter, I need to go talk to him.’ Every girl knows who he is.”
Ashley Cresswell agrees.
“It’s true. Every girl knows his name. He’s so cute, though. Can you blame all the girls on campus?”
With the accusation of being campus’ biggest flirt, Phippen shrugs in embarrassment. His voice is raspy from being sick when he says, “I don’t know. I never thought it would be me.”
The laid-back student
Phippen’s laid-back personality carries over into his physical presence. He sits down in a paint-scratched patio chair, raises his feet on top a near by table revealing his knees as they peek through softball-sized pant holes.
“That’s just the way I am,” he says. “I’m a friendly person. I’m always happy.”
Vanessa Kirkpatrick, a junior majoring in English and self appointed “world seduction expert,” is another of Phippen’s flirting friends.
She has a theory as to why Phippen magnetically draws so many girls.
“You’ve got to hand it to him, he’s got it down to a skilled art. When you talk to him, you become a victim, lost in his twinkling eyes, thinking he’s paying attention only to you,” Kirkpatrick said. “But, if you walk away and look from afar you see him doing the same thing with others and you realize he’s that way with everyone.”
Phippen, in defense, says he tries to be friendly to everybody.
“I may be a flirt but I’m modest about it. You can rely on me to be a true friend. I never want to hurt someone’s feelings. I’m not one of those who’s your friend for a week then forgets who you are. If I’m going to make friends, I want it to last forever.”
More than just ladies
Phippen keeps himself busy with more than just girls. He’s vice president of the 250-member Free Ride Club (skiing and snowboarding), the historian for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and an avid traveler.
He and a friend backpacked through Asia two summers ago and are planning a trip to China over Christmas Break.
But even while abroad, Phippen’s Casanova tendencies are full throttle. While on a bus in Thailand he met a local girl named Sapeenah and has continued to keep in touch.
“To this day we still e-mail. I help her with her English,” Phippen said. “She’s cool and eccentric. She’s currently working at Thailand’s Budo National Forest trying to save the Hornbill.”
Phippen says he loves Asia and plans on spending a “good deal” of his life there and wants to work in tourism.Ed in Chief 9/9/04 too many ‘and’s He said his passion for Asia began while serving an LDS mission in Taiwan.
In the midst of recalling memories of pristine Malaysian beaches and rainforest elephant rides during his backpacking trip, a 20-something girl with outstretched arms grapples Phippen and holds tight. “I haven’t seen you forever,” she says.
“Hey, Nalani,” Phippen says..
While still managing a death grip, she sets herself on his lap and holds him tight for several seconds.
Kirkpatrick, who’s conversing in a group behind Phippen, turns her chair away from his direction and lets out an, “Oh, brother.”
Others stop frequently for brief interactions. One girl, during a side hug comments on his “cool” untied, scuff-marked shoes and after discovering he isn’t feeling well says she’ll make him some soup.
“Mmm,” he responds.
Another clings tight to his neck and kisses his cheek. “Get better,” she prompts.
Vintage only
“Hey, tailgate party this weekend, you coming?” asks a passing guy.
“Sounds good … hey, nice shirt,” Phippen says.
“Thanks, 25 cents,” the guy says while pinching two corners of the paisley, ’70s button-up, bringing it slightly forward for display.
Phippen, a self proclaimed thrift store junkie and vintage advocate, nods firmly in approval.
With a green bandana eclipsing his forehead, Phippen says he wears what he wants and doesn’t care what people think.
“The other day, I wore a cowboy hat and everyone laughed. But I didn’t care. I’m just being me. I don’t ever want to slip into a mold.
He says in a few weeks he’s going to cut his hair into a mullet. “Right now I’m looking for a job and long hair seems better than a mullet for an interview.
The phone numbers
Bear Jorgensen, a senior majoring in biology and life long friend of Phippen, comes toward him from behind and in a sudden jolt, slams his hands down on Phippen’s shoulders. After a hefty shoulder rub, Jorgensen sits down and grins.
Jorgensen said having a flirty friend like Phippen can be both good and bad.
“It all depends on how you look at it,” he says. “In a good way, Peter’s always has girls with him. But in a bad way, they all want Peter. With Peter, there’s very little spillover.”
Phippen says he may be a flirt but says he’s not a player.
“A player is a user and abuser. That’s not me man.”
He says he “hasn’t even kissed a girl” in three months.
“I was in Florida during the summer working,” he said. “One night, some friends and I met these girls at a concert and made out with them. Later we exchanged e-mails instead of phone numbers. Isn’t that weird?”
“Wait a minute,” Jorgensen says, “I’m gonna have to put up the bull s*** flag on that one. What about Chelsea? It hasn’t been three months since her.”
“Oh, yeah,” Phippen says.
“This guy is a big-time flirt, don’t let him full you.” Jorgensen says, “The other day we checked to see how many girl’s numbers we had on our phones. Peter had 79, Clay, Phippen’s roommate, had like 50 and I had 12. And half of the ones I had, Peter’s made out with.
Phippen says he lives one day at a time and isn’t one to be searching for love.
“I am who I am. Right now I’m sick and tomorrow, who knows.”
Phippen can be seen lounging on TSC patio throughout the day, doing what he does best, wooing woman and making friends. With a little luck and a lot flirting, who knows, #80 is still up for grabs.
-jrsaunders@cc.usu.eduu