Fraternity hsots class

Sammy brothers sick of trekking across campus to go to class can soon enroll in a College course which will be taught in the comfort of their own living room. The College of Arts and Sciences, in a joint effort with the fraternity, will offer a pilot course taught at the Sigma Alpha Mu house beginning next semester. And College Dean Matthew Santirocco said Tuesday night that if the course is a success, the College hopes to expand the program to other Greek houses next fall. "We have tried over a number of years to bring the learning experience into the student living environment," Santirocco said. "We have done this in the residences and now we are making a bold effort to expand it to the Greek houses." Taught by law school professor Frank Goodman, the course – "Free Speech and Free Press: The Supreme Court and The First Amendment"– will be part of the University's Living-Learning program. Open to all students, the course will emphasize the casebook method of legal scholarship, but also will explore the history and philosophy of the subject. Santirocco said the College's decision to offer the course stems from discussions with Greek leaders which began over the summer, and a formal proposal submitted by Sammy this fall. "The fraternities are eager to demonstrate their commitment to the intellectual enterprise, and we're eager to facilitate their efforts to do this," he added. Sammy brother and College senior J.R. Scherr, who spearheaded the effort for Sammy, said he is very excited about the opportunities that the course will provide. "Such a significant portion of the student body lives in fraternity and sorority houses," Scherr said. "And, the course is really a way of addressing their needs." According to Scherr, non-Greek students as well as fraternity members will benefit from the class. "[The course] will help to integrate fraternity members and non-fraternity members, and this is beneficial," he said. "The stereotype of fraternities as being only disruptive [will be] dispelled." He also said students will benefit from the intimate, cozy setting of a fraternity house, which will foster an environment for better and more valuable conversations. Santirocco said the course is "so uniquely Penn," and added that the subject is especially appropriate given the problems which plagued the campus last spring. "This course is yet another way of keeping the discourse going and doing what we do best, educating people on the issues," he said. "We educate much better than we write speech codes." Santirocco said he sees four major reasons for the course: to further facilitate the fraternity's intellectual experience, to link learning and living, to respond to student interest, to keep the conversation about free speech going and to realize the goal of "One University." Other courses in the College deal with the First Amendment and freedom of expression from different angles, but Goodman's will focus on law – an area where he is known to be a national expert. Scherr said if the pilot program is a success, he hopes it will be expanded to encompass other classes and other houses. "The future of the fraternity system lies in a collective effort," he said. "You can't abandon academics and expect to survive in the long run." Students should be aware, however, that class enrollment is limited to approximately 15 students – and several of those spots are being reserved for Sammy brothers. Students can enroll in the course, Political Science 198, section 303, which is held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m., through PARIS.