The Fordham men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams officially became fish out of water on the morning of Thursday, March 21 when University President Tania Tetlow announced in an email sent to community members that the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center would be repurposed for her own personal use. By noon, the natatorium was closed to all visitors.
The announcement launched a tidal wave of outcry from the men and women’s teams, who recorded 8-1 and 9-0, respectively, in their 2023-24 seasons. According to Samuel Plash, head of communications for the teams, both groups felt insulted at the news since they are “a well known and greatly respected sport on campus.” This claim could not be independently verified. Meanwhile, the administration’s email explained the extent of the repurposing.
“We are excited to announce that President Tetlow will be taking synchronized swimming classes to support her mental health,” the email to Fordham students and faculty explained. “As such, Tetlow asked that the aquatic center be permanently closed to the student body and our swim teams in order to ensure the safety and security of the President.”
A white Tesla, believed to be Tetlow’s personal vehicle, was spotted executing a hurried parking job in Tom Wilken’s — interim head coach of the swimming and diving teams — reserved space shortly after the announcement. Publicity images of her arrival were published on the official Fordham Athletics page on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioned: “A new era of Fordham swimming! The first ever university president to seize an entire athletics facility!”
This drew the ire of some parents, whose outspoken criticism made a splash on the “Fordham Moms” Facebook group later that day.
“I mean, why should I believe my kid is going to have any chance of success at Fordham University if the president can’t demonstrate better parking skills?” Flavia Ipperson, mother of a new student on a scholarship with the swimming and diving team, said. “I’m not worried about my child’s swimming career, there’s water all around New York, but I expect the president to show a better example in terms of practical values.”
“We are confident that the swim team can still find ways to train. We spoke today with interim head coach Wilkens and agreed that the Hudson is wonderful this time of year. It was a productive meeting all around.”Brook Rivers, administrative assistant to the assistant of the vice president for communications
Following the shocking news, a large contingent of Fordham swimmers took to protesting outside the natatorium, brandishing signs such as “Justice for the Swim Team!” and “Our Pool, Our Rules!” A handful of other students showed out to support the beached athletes, taking photos and pouring water on their heads in solidarity.
Two members of the Fordham Graduate Student Workers Union were also in attendance. The graduate students affirmed their commitment to the union’s demands, using a megaphone to declare to passing students that “all those undermined by the administration should unite.”
Tetlow’s office did not respond to the gatherings, citing concerning remarks by some of the protestors and a lack of ethical integrity on the part of the administrators. According to Brook Rivers, administrative assistant to the assistant of the vice president for communications, Fordham is instead focusing its messaging on the bright future that this change heralds.
“We are excited to announce that President Tetlow will be taking synchronized swimming classes to support her mental health.”some official email
“We are confident that the swim team can still find ways to train,” the official said. “We spoke today with interim head coach Wilkens and agreed that the Hudson is wonderful this time of year. It was a productive meeting all around.”
Tetlow was allegedly not in attendance during the meeting for the future of the swim team, as unconfirmed social media footage showed her “splashing around” and singing her rendition of the national anthem inside the natatorium on Thursday afternoon.
Despite all of this, the swim team’s frustration may be temporary. The coaching staff went about their business preparing for the next season and spoke very little about the change. Wilkens hosted an impromptu press conference to briefly address the issue.
“It’s just the way things go, but we keep our heads up,” Wilkens told reporters. “I think this may do us some good. We need a challenge and the water around the city offers us a new way to improve our performance.”
Wilkens joined his teams later that evening to share the upcoming training regimen, including a six-hour endurance swim in the Kennedy Reservoir and a “Sully Special” Hudson River sprint. According to an email exchange provided by Wilkens, the teams were granted conditional authorization to use the Hudson for training by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. On every Tuesday hereout, from 4 to 8 p.m., the New York side of the river will be shut down to commercial traffic.
With these big changes, the teams will certainly look and perform differently — the Messmore Aquatic Center may never be the same, but most people on campus won’t even notice.
