For UA, new elevators are a must

With the help of the Undergraduate Assembly, high-rise dwellers may be a step closer to getting faster elevators.

At its meeting last night, the UA passed a proposal - authored by UA member Enoch Arthur-Asmah, a College freshman - urging the University to "fully investigate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of upgrading the high-rise elevators" in Harrison and Harnwell college houses.

The proposal additionally encourages the University to integrate the costs of those renovations into the planned $106.5 million renovation.

But as it works to improve the elevators, the UA is keeping its distance from 1996 Penn alumnus Peter Kuperman, who began a campaign of his own last month to improve the elevators.

The UA agreed to exclude Kuperman's name from the High-Rise Elevator Repair proposal while simultaneously including a general plan to work with Alumni Relations that will allow any alumni to donate funds to projects of high priority to students.

Brett Thalmann, UA chairman and Wharton senior, said that although the proposal "is in the context of an [alumnus] who is trying to raise awareness on campus, [the UA] want[s] to make sure that the success of getting the elevators fixed is tied to its merits instead of any other individuals."

The proposal also drew awareness to the need for infrastructure repairs for other on-campus living facilities, such as Hill and Du Bois college houses.

"I wish that the University would pay more immediate attention to low-rise college houses," Arthur-Asmah said.

Beyond talking about elevators, the UA also gave an update about the School Spirit Proposal, which was passed in November with the goal of increasing student attendance at athletic events.

The UA is currently working with the class boards to put on an event called "Clash of the Classes" at the Feb. 9th basketball game against Dartmouth College, during which students will be seated according to their class.

College sophomore and sophomore class president Brett Perlmutter called the event one of the greatest collaborations between the class boards, the UA, the Red and Blue Crew, Penn Athletics and Penn Traditions.

For $10, students will get a ticket to the game in addition to a T-shirt and food. The UA is in the process of negotiating a price for those students who already own season tickets.

Students will be allowed to purchase the package, which they can charge to their bursar accounts, on Locust Walk prior to the event.

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