Elevator breakdown leads to sing-along

About a half-dozen members of the a cappella group Penn Six-5000 didn't go so far as to harmonize the Beatles' "Help." But after being stuck in an elevator for more than 30 minutes last night, they sure were pleased to receive it. Philadelphia firemen and Penn Police came to the rescue last night when a Harnwell College House elevator holding 13 people -- including the a cappella members -- got stuck between the first and second floors. From the elevator, the students used their cell phones to call friends to come to their rescue a little after 7 p.m., when the emergency phone didn't work. Police and firefighters arrived on the scene about 15 minutes later and worked for about the same time to fix the mechanical glitch, jamming an expanding airbag up the shaft to force open the elevator. Although a few of the people stuck in the elevator were claustrophobic, the group was in relatively good spirits. To pass the time, the Penn Six-5000 members even gave their captive audience an abbreviated performance. "It was hot and stuffy but we had a nice buzz up there," said Penn Six member Barnes Benson, a College sophomore. "At times we tried to harmonize because it was so boring." The police and firemen, however, seemed less appreciative. "We'll get you out if you stop singing," one of the firefighters quipped. -- Eric Dash

Committee to send sweatshop report

Early next week the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility will deliver its report to University President Judith Rodin recommending that Penn join two rival sweatshop monitoring organizations -- the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium. The Committee met for about an hour yesterday to review the recommendation, which will be in the form of a letter explaining how the Committee reached its decision to support dual membership. It will include majority and minority opinions. "I felt that [we] needed to see everything that was going to be a part of the recommendation," said Committee Chairman Gregory Possehl, head of the Anthropology Department. The decision recommending FLA and WRC membership was reached last week when the Committee put the issue to vote. The vote was 5-4 in favor of joining both. The four who voted against it wanted to only join the WRC. Because the vote was so close, each side will explain its take on the issue to Rodin. "I didn't feel it was fair for me to speak for the minority,"explained Possehl, who drafted the letter of recommendation. "That's [the minority's] report, they can say whatever they want." Possehl also pointed out that the Committee is only making a recommendation. "We are not making a decision," he said. The Committee will meet one more time this fall. Next semester they will work to carry out tentative plans for hosting an educational conference about sweatshops, the apparel industry and issues surrounding both. -- Rachel Nawi