Penny University is a term originating from the eighteenth century coffeehouses in Lonon, England. Instead of paying for drinks, people were charged a penny to enter a coffee house. Once inside, the patron had access to coffee, the company of others, various discussions, pamphlets, bulletins, newspapers, and the latest news and gossip. Reporters called "runners" went around to the coffee houses announcing the latest news, perhaps not too unlike what we might hear on the TV or the radio today.