'Class of '96' inspired by life of U. freshma

College freshman Amanda Goldberg is part of the Class of 1996 -- in more ways than one. Not only will she graduate with the rest of the University's current freshman class in four years, but she is also very much a part of the new television series, "Class of '96." Her father, Leonard Goldberg, is the executive co-producer of the new series and in order to keep the scripts accurate and realistic, the younger Goldberg often discusses the shows' story lines with her father. "We usually talk about the projects he works on," she said Wednesday. "He had me read [the script] and asked me what I thought about the characters. Sometimes he sends me shows at school. We talk about a lot of the ideas ahead of time." Amanda Goldberg said she also makes suggestions about what her father should include in the show. "Sometimes I say, 'Oh no, that wouldn't happen,' " she said. "Other times I tell him stories that happened to me so maybe he can incorporate them into the show." So far, three of the younger Goldberg's stories have actually been part of the series -- her impression of the excitement of Locust Walk, certain sections of 34th Street Magazine, and the story about the University female who posed in Hustler magazine. "When I first got here, walking down Locust Walk was interesting," she said. "Groups on the walk make sure there are a lot of activities at school. It was exciting so I told my father." The elder Goldberg agrees that some of Amanda's freshman experiences have been adapted for television. According to the producer, her feeling of excitement while walking down Locust Walk was especially important because it was something that he felt the show had lacked. "In one of the episodes in the back of The Beacon [the newspaper of the mock Ivy League school, Havenhurst, where the show is set] we put in a gossip column because Amanda had told me about a similar 34th Street column," the elder Goldberg said yesterday. "She also talked about Locust Walk and how there was so much going on. We realized the excitement of a college campus was missing." Goldberg also said yesterday that an upcoming episode will include a magazine called the Girls of the Ivy League -- an adaptation of the Hustler story that circulated on campus in the fall. But the freshman added that the show is not modeled solely on her experiences. She said she helps her father when she can, but the decisions for the program are up to the writers. "Nothing is copied directly," she said. "I'm not watching my life on television." "Sometimes we use [her ideas], sometimes we can't," the producer added. "But it's helpful having someone living the life." But according to the younger Goldberg, she is always looking for new ideas for the show. "When something happens to me sometimes I think to myself, 'This is a good idea for Patty or this could happen to this character,' " she said. "Things are always happening on this campus and the surrounding area. If something exciting happens, the first thing I want to do is to call my dad." Although the older Goldberg graduated the University's Wharton school in 1956 and his daughter is a present student, he claims the television series is not based on life at the University. Instead, he said, Havenhurst is a hybrid of several Ivy League schools. "Havenhurst is a combination of schools," he said. "Jon [Romano, the other co-producer and the show's original writer] is a Yale graduate and he taught at Columbia. Another writer went to Williams and another went to Yale." "The show was a risky adventure," he added. "People said it would be elitist because it's an Ivy League school, but it's what we know. We wanted to say that it's OK to be smart and wanted to encourage young people to strive for their goals." The younger Goldberg, who also takes classes at the Moore College of Art and Design, said she assisted with the costumes for the original broadcast because she is interested in fashion design. "She served as assistant to the costume designer," her father said. "It's great for an 18-year-old girl to pick out clothes for 18-year-old girls." The freshman Goldberg said that she talks to her father regularly because they have a very close relationship and that their discussions alone often stimulate ideas for the show. "I have a close relationship with my father so I talk to him a couple times a week," she said. "I am the class of '96, so any experiences I have I hope will be helpful for my dad.