Anything for the elevators

He's using YouTube, he's taking Facebook by storm. This alumnus wants to fix the high rise elevators so badly that he's willing to disregard University policy in his quest for a faster commute to class.

Peter Kuperman stepped up his media campaign yesterday to evaluate student interest in improving the high-rise elevators. The 1996 graduate has pledged $50,000 for the cause if 5,000 students join his Facebook group.

New methods of attracting students to the group include flyering on Locust Walk as well as launching an advertisement yesterday on the video Web site YouTube.com called, "Yes, I want to fix the high rise elevators."

Kuperman takes viewers on a tour of his apartment building - complete with high-speed elevators - in an effort to promote student interest in his group.

"This is my apartment complex in San Francisco," Kuperman says in the video. "I love living here. But the best part is, when I press that button for the elevator, it comes."

However, the University - which just completed $75 million worth of renovations on high rise dorms - has expressed little interest in the project.

"I applaud his enthusiasm, but this is not an institutional activity or priority," said John Zeller, who runs University-wide fundraising. "Mr. Kuperman has taken it upon himself to advocate for this, and he hasn't gotten the endorsement of a process that is required for these types of projects."

Frank Daly, managing director of design and constructions, wrote in an e-mail interview that such a renovation that would cost between $3.5 and $4 million. Any renovations, he said, would not make significant improvements in speed because the elevators still must make frequent stops.

Undergraduate Assembly members on the housing committee helped Kuperman pass out flyers on Locust Walk yesterday morning, which the Undergraduate Assembly paid for. "We've been helping him gauge how much student support there is," said Brett Thalmann, Wharton senior and UA chairman. "We're continually in conversations with the administration about what the priorities are."

Currently there is no official UA support for the project, but Thalmann said the body would consider a proposal soon.

Kuperman also mentioned plans to contact past Penn President Judith Rodin in hopes of securing her support.

Though Kuperman is continuing to research the project without official University support, he said, "If there's a power struggle, I'll walk away."

Furthermore, not all students are as enthusiastic as Kuperman about the project.

"Maybe if they just work on improving the scheduling they use for [the elevators] it would work better," said Engineering sophomore Luke Zarko, who lives in Harnwell College House.

And not all students are comfortable with the actions Kuperman has taken independent of administrators.

"I think he should work with the school" said College sophomore Isabelle Kenyon. "It'd be a lot more official."

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