Mansfield University Blog

Homecoming is October 7-9  and folks are going to “Paint the Town Red and Black.”   The Sprint football team is still savoring its 42-2 win over Princeton but will face stiffer competition against Navy at 1 p.m. Saturday.  For a full schedule and registration form, go to alumni.mansfield.edu

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MU and Albany State University  are featured on the Campus Safety Magazine website.  One Card Administrator Alex Miller talks about how  the Blackboard Transact programs has improved safety and streamlined security operations.

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The 60 Minutes episode that featured former FBI counter terrorist investigator Ali Soufan ’94, mentioned that a Mansfield University administrator suggested that he take the test to join the FBI.  We tracked down that administrator and talked with him about his relationship with the young political science major and why he made the now famous suggestion.

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Soufan’s book, The Black Banners, is now #9 on the NY Times Bestseller list.  His partner, Dan Freedman, looks at terrorists from a different angle in the Forbes Magazine article,  “Al Qaeda’s Dumbest Terrorists”.  Possibly taking top honors was the Yemini explosives trainer who told his class “not to do this” then accidentally did it.  (Must read to believe).

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And Mansfield continues to grow.  The new Sheetz, located on the Farmer-in-the-Dell site, complete with traffic light.  We are now a three-light town.

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Get the latest news via video with Terry’s Take whose location this week is the art gallery featuring the works of graphic designer and artist Marc Rubin.

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Finally, this story about Derek Paravacini, a blind, autistic, musical savant, should be of interest to folks in music, psychology, education and anyone who marvels at the power of the human mind and spirit.

Congratulations to President Maravene Loeschke who was named President of Towson University in Maryland, a  campus of 22,000. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees there and spent more than 30 years as  years there as a faculty member and as dean of Fine Arts and Communication.  She was named MU president in 2006 and will remain through this semester.  The TU community welcomed her Thursday.

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The 20th annual Fabulous 1890s Weekend, runs today through  Saturday, Smythe Park.  The first night football game was played here on Sept. 28, 1892 and one of the Weekend’s highlights is the historically accurate re-enactment on the same field.    Over the years the Weekend has been featured in every major media outlet from the New York Times to USA Today, ABC, NBC, Fox and MTV among others here and around the world.  For a complete schedule, visit our website. For a quick video update,  check this out.

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Here’s a link to the latest interview with Ali Soufan.  Part of the intro reads: “Through all of this, through the additions of layers and layers of top secret bureaucracy, one man’s efforts have truly made a difference.  That man is Ali Soufan . . . ”

Ali’s book The Black Banners, has entered most of the major bestseller lists.

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The works of Elmira artist and graphic designer Marc Rubin are on display in Allen Hall this month.  Stop by and get a feel for this artist’s classic, yet unique and modern feel of the world.  Thanks to Falguni Kripalu’s cool photos of Marc at the reception.

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In honor of Banned Books Week, here are the books some schools love to ban, including, as usual, Mark Twain, the Jon Stewart of the 19th century, the guy Faulkner called the “father of American literature.” Parents, beware, classic authors, even after they die,  conspire to taint your child forever.

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And in the “I’m really trying to be cool” corner, here are samples of parents trying — in hilariously vain attempts — to communicate with their kids through texting.

Ali Soufan ’94 is everywhere. This week he was a guest on  Fresh Air with Terry Gross, 60 Minutes and Frontline, among other shows.  Here’s a live chat with The New Yorker senior editor Amy Davidson.

Ali, former FBI counter terrorism agent, details his experiences investigating major terrorist attacks and getting terrorists to talk without “enhanced interrogation techniques” in his new book,  The Black Banners: the Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al Qaeda. Ali has been an outspoken opponent of torture since he first went public in a New York Times op-ed piece, “My Tortured Decision” in 2009.    Here’s the  Facebook site which has a running list of Ali’s media appearances along with links.   The Soufan Group website is also updated on a regular basis.

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And from our own archives is an  in-depth story I did on Ali in the Fall 1998 Mansfieldian.

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Area artist and graphic designer Marc Rubin has an exhibit entitled D2ALITY in Allen Hall through Oct. 7.  In addition to his art, Rubin is an award winning graphic designer  and owner of Marc Rubin Associates in Elmira , NY.

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Check out this week’s Terry’s Take, the under-two-minute video MU news blog.  Terry moves to a new location each week so you not only keep up with news, you also get a year-long tour of the campus!

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In this episode of Conversations, Peggy Dettwiler, director of Choral Activities, gives us a behind the scenes look at how the choirs came back from international competition victorious again, despite being evicted from their hotel two hours before their first competition.  You’ll come away feeling pride in our MU students who are talented, resilient and, well, just plain nice.

Topping it off, they’re among the best singers in the world.

Lt. Rick Sethman, Pa State Police will be the featured speaker at the Sunday, 9/11 Ceremony of Remembrance at 2 p.m. in the Veteran’s Park in Mansfield.

Sethman was a first responder to the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Somerset County on September 11, 2001 and was assigned  to establish security for the “Inner Perimeter” of the crash site.

The Pride & Spirit of PA March Band will provide the  music at 1:45 p.m., followed by a welcome from Bruce Dart, Vice Commander Post 478, and posting of Colors by the Tioga Co. Honor Guard.  The band will play two other numbers, Campus Ministers Detlef Huckfeldt will give the invocation and Courtney Hull will give the Fireman’s Prayer.   Calvin Cobb, chaplain, Tioga Co. Honor Guard will give the benediction.

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A candlelight vigil will be held  on the lawn in front of Memorial at 9 p.m. Sunday.  President Loeschke, SGA President Thomas Thornton, Kris Dumschat, chair, Committee on Finance & Campus Minister Courtney Hull, will speak at the event which is open to the public.  If it rains, the ceremony will be held in Alumni Hall.

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Ali Soufan ’94, is the subject of a story entitled “The Interrogator” on PBS’ Frontline, Tuesday, Sept. 13. Here’s the trailer. Ali’s book, The Black Banner, goes on sale Sept. 12 with a first printing of 150,000 copies.   For info on the memoir and Soufan, see last week’s blog.

Update:  Just found out that Ali will also be on 60 Minutes this Sunday.

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Kristin Sanner, English, has an op-ed piece, “The Literature  Cure,” published in last week’s Chronicle of Higher Education. In it she makes a case, from personal experience, about the importance of literature and communication in dealing with breast cancer.

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North Hall custodian Joe Chapel said farewell to friends and colleagues Thursday.  Two friends gave him a pretty special farewell gift. Joe and his wife Peg, retired purchasing agent, have Alaska in their travel plans.

Ali Soufan ’94,  continues to make headlines in his ongoing conflicts with the CIA.  Ali, a former FBI agent, was for years an Al-Qaeda expert and a lead investigator in several terrorist attacks around the world beginning with the USS Cole.  He also thwarted several terrorist plots and has publicly decried the use of torture to get information.

In his new book The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against Al Qaeda, Ali provides an inside look at his years in the FBI.  The CIA is demanding that some information in the book be removed or redacted, saying  it’s classified information.

Author Lawrence Wright highlighted the problems between the FBI and CIA in his New Yorker article,  “The Agent,” which provides an in depth look at Soufan’s FBI years.

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Even before all the publicity about  Black Banners, SGA President Thomas Thornton, in his convocation address, listed Stuart Weiss ’80, president/owner of Studio City,  Steve Crawford ’81, Managing VP at S.R. Wojdak & Associates and Ali Soufan as his role models.  Tom took a break during the freshman picnic for local paparazzi to get this shot with colleague,  SGA Treasurer Kris Dumschat

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Reminder:  The student newspaper, The Flashlight, is now online with lots of new features.  It will also continue in the print version.

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Last but not least: great new video from the North Hall Library  for online students.