The split among the Penn rowing program's alumni over whether former coach Stan Bergman should have retained his position has now resurfaced, this time over the efforts of some alumni to name a new boat in his honor.
The effort, which has been led by a small group of alumni including Ryan Seiger, is aimed at naming a new shell after Bergman -- now Penn's director of Rowing Affairs -- and his wife, Barbara.
But despite the extraordinary measures some alumni went to in an attempt to keep Bergman on board for another year, this effort seems to be galvanizing some opposition from the support base that the program relies on.
"I'm a little confused as to why [Seiger] would," do this, said one recent graduate of the program who requested anonymity.
He added that "this is something he wants to do to try to keep coach Bergman's name around" the program. "I figured they'd sort of dropped the issue."
Perhaps more importantly, the proposed naming, which is highly unusual in the rowing tradition, has forced members of the Penn rowing community to take sides, sources have said.
"Some people really like what [Seiger] is doing, some people really think it's a waste of time," said another program supporter and former rower.
In an e-mail to potential supporters obtained by The Summer Pennsylvanian, those organizing the effort countered: "In our opinion, the volume and intensity of criticism (and down-right opposition) to these efforts has been disproportionate to the task and either represents a fundamental misunderstanding of these efforts or a concerted effort to undermine the success of 'the Bergman.'"
Several sources have also said that the team does not need another boat, arguing that it already has all the equipment it needs and that more energy should be focused on recruiting.
In general, those sources and others have said that the normal course of action in getting a new boat is to funnel money through the University and allow it to decide both the uses of the funds and the naming of whatever is bought. This, they said, was also how Penn prefers that alumni donate.
More than anything, this latest development reflects the passion that supporters of the program harbor for years after they have graduated -- a sentiment that sometimes produces these conflicts.
"It borders on the bizarre," said the former rower, who added that the best thing to do is "let this whole dust settle and find out what the program really needs."
