Vol. 71, no. 16
Free U offers learning without hierarchy, tuition
For over 30 years, Lewis & Clark has offered classes without homework, tests, grades or tuition. It may sound too good to be true, but in fact LC’s Free University does just that. The only negative is that these classes won’t get you any closer to a degree.
Free University, composed of classes taught by members of the community, professors and students alike, is starting the semester with a diverse selection of 11 classes. Free U has encouraged cooperative education since its inception in the 1970s.
This semester, students, faculty and other members of the LC community are encouraged to explore topics ranging from yoga to vegan baking to Portuguese, all free of charge.
“Free U is a non-structured school in which students and teachers can share ideas and knowledge,” said Free U co-coordinator Jean-Marie Pearce (’09). “Usually people have more to share with others than they think they do.”
Flynn De Bona (’10) wandered into a Free U meeting without intentions and soon found herself filling out a form to teach an herbal medicine course. “I just want to teach people that it’s really simple to make your own medicine. It’s very empowering to heal yourself,” said De Bona.
De Bona’s herbal medicine course will meet Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00pm in the Co-op. Students will learn how to make basic tinctures and salves to heal various ailments.
At Free U, no extensive experience or expertise is necessary. Students can jump into classes any time during the semester, and the students of one semester are often the teachers of the next. Pearce took a linoleum block-printing class during her first semester at LC and taught a printing class the next semester.
Free U is marked by collaboration between students and teachers. “If the teacher doesn’t know something, the class figures it out together. There’s no hierarchy,” said Pearce.
“Free U is about bringing people together to develop their interests,” added Free U co-coordinator Andrew Yip (’09). “The teachers can become the students; it’s very interactive.”
Free U not only connects people to one another; it also connects people to existing resources and activities. “No one was using the ceramics room, so we’ve developed a ceramics course,” explained Yip.
“Every year the clubs have less and less funding. Free U has given emerging clubs resources to sponsor workshops and classes,” said former Free U coordinator Lizzy Fussell (’07). Over the past couple of years, Free U has provided funding and publicity to budding groups such as the Bike Room and the Print Shop.
“Free U is a facilitating organization, connecting people to activities that are already happening, like juggling,” said Pearce. This semester, the free-lance jugglers of Pac-man lawn will meet Mondays from 6:00-9:00pm in Pamplin to instruct anyone interested in juggling.
Attend any one of the exciting, new classes on campus this semester. If you are interested in teaching or have ideas for courses, contact Pearce and Yip at freeu@lclark.edu.