Last Thursday, junior Chad Bergman, 21, received a medal from the Miami chapter of the On-Campus League for Building Better Boyfriends for doing the bare minimum in his new relationship with Savannah Stein, also 21.
The student organization holds the competition every year, for which Miami students can submit their boyfriends’ names and short essays about why they deserve the coveted Bare Minimum medal.
“I’m truly honored,” Bergman said at the award ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 24. “I didn’t expect this at all.”
Continuing his acceptance speech, Bergman said he wished to thank his dad, uncle Bob, uncle Peter, and his brothers (biological and fraternity) for their support. He wanted to thank senior Morris Douglas, 22, in particular, because he pointed Stein out to Bergman at Brick Street Bar and Grill one month prior.
“She was dancing with a bunch of her friends,” Bergman said. “Most of them were hotter. But Morris was like, ‘Hey, that one has a Cubs shirt on.’ And I f****** love the Cubs.”
In her essay, Stein wrote about the “gentlemanly” way Bergman has treated her since they started exclusively dating two weeks ago. She said he seems to understand the word “no,” has only canceled on her twice to smoke with his friends instead and has even shared his mac bites from Skipper’s Pub with her once.
“He used all the sauce, but he let me have a couple,” Stein said. “He’s a dream.”
Bergman said that while receiving the award has been “cool,” it’s put pressure on him to live up to “impossible” standards set by Stein.
When Bergman reached out to last year’s winner, Chad Griffin, for advice, Griffin told him to “never follow his instincts.”
“Just always assume you could be doing more than what you are currently doing,” Griffin said.