Nonetheless, the initial proposal was met with considerable resistance from the administration due to concerns over the sustainability of the program, the projected cost of the program, and the questionable need for a first response team on Penn’s campus. In cooperation with the Penn Police Department, the issue of need was addressed. A four-month long response time survey to record exact ambulance response times to campus medical emergencies was conducted, compiled, and analyzed. The results of the study demonstrated unequivocally the benefits of providing first response coverage to the campus community. The issue of sustainability was addressed by MERT’s sponsorship of biannual on-campus EMT classes starting in 2004. By 2006 MERT had trained over 50 new EMTs all of whom were eager to participate in the MERT program. Penn MERT also sponsored a CPR instructor class and proceeded to train students to perform the lifesaving skill. In late 2005, The Fox Leadership Program sponsored a lunch where MERT students and University administrators had the opportunity to mingle; the student excitement was palpable. By January 2006 there were indication that support for the program was growing amongst the administration. However, funding and space issues had yet to be addressed.