Mansfield University Blog

It’s Homecoming Weekend at MU.  It’s 70 degrees with cloudless skies and two days’ worth of activities.

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Congratulations to Adam Murtland and Jake Burdick on this outstanding video promoting Homecoming 2011 and the game against Navy.

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You can see, from this video of the Spirit & Pride of PA Mountie Marching Band,  why the Olympics are calling them.

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In this episode of Conversations, author Bill Robertson ’72 talks about his collections of ghost stories and tells some scary — and hilarious — tales revolving around his days as a Mansfield State College undergraduate.

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Every year, Sarah, the ghost of North Hall, seems to pop up in a magazine or web page somewhere.  This year she’s featured in collegexpress.com in an article on “Scary Stories.”

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A warm, light rain, leaves hinting they’re about to change, the rising mist.  I have a wonderful view from my office of a beautiful campus.

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The new suites and semi-suites residence halls continue to progress.  Students are scheduled to move in during the January 2012 semester.

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With this episode of Terry’s Take, you get the news and the beautiful view.

Are your pigs gathering sticks?  Crickets in the chimney?  Or maybe an abundance of acorns.  Here’s a Farmer’s Almanac list of folk methods of predicting a rough winter.

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.

I was  part of the party to get a special guided tour, with President Maravene Loeschke and others, of the new housing being constructed on campus by the private, nonprofit Mansfield Auxilary Corp.  The res halls are going to be an impressive addition to the campus and to campus life.    This shot is from the fourth floor looking south.  This one looks to the west. Here’s a shot of the tour group. Photos by Bruce Dart.

I snapped this one of a  really happy  President Loeschke.  Actually, Chuck Colby seems pretty pleased, too.  (Chuck, I told you not to blink!)

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MU Professor and school library expert Deb Kachel, is the featured guest in this issue Hotlinks, the national newsletter for the American Association of School Librarians. The Spotlight provides a link to her recent interview on the MU TV show Conversations.

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After reading this, I feel like our challenges seem  pretty manageable.  I love the little twist of the dissertation which makes this a true academic affair.  As always, you must read the comments.

Oh, yes, it turned out to be a profitable relationship for at least one party.

http://news.yahoo.com/affair-presidents-wife-shakes-vermont-university-164533484.html

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Nature is amazing.  Can anyone get footage like this of one of our local eagles?

Here’s a Festival wrap up from MU Choir Director Peggy Dettwiler, sent Sunday, July 10.  Congratulations to all!

Dear Friends of the MU Concert Choir:
I am so proud to report how beautifully the Concert Choirs sang in all five categories in which they participated in the International Choral Festival (Eisteddfod) in Llangollen, Wales. We won prizes in three of the five performances! Here are the rankins with a few of the judges’ comments:

Youth Choirs- 2nd place (350 pounds in prize money)
1. Cantilon Chamber Choir from Canada
2. Mansfield University Concert Choir from USA (1/2 point difference from first place!)
3. DePaul University A Cappella Choir from USA

“This is a first class choir. Terrific rhythmic drive. We sensed and admired the pride the choir had in their soloists.”
Mixed Choirs – 2nd place (550 pounds in prize money)
1. Adventist University of the Philippines Ambassadors
2. Mansfield University Concert choir, USA
3. CFL from Cardiff, Wales.,
“Captivating performance. Lovely warm tone. Observed every possible detail of articulation. Steadiness of your rhythm was outstanding, helped by your very musical pianist. The dynamic contours you produced were very powerful.”
Folk Showcase – did not place in top three.
We had not planned to participate in this category but were listed in the program. So we decided to perform some of our favorite selections: star in the East, The Road Home, and I Want Jesus to Walk With Me. Dancers/singers from South Korea, India and England were the winners.
“A beautiful sounding choir with a powerful cohesive sound. The presentation of each piece was done with great musicality and panache! This was an enjoyable performance of a very high standard. However, we did feel you should have added another element into your performances.” (Such as dancing or costumes).
Women’s Choir — 1st place. (1,100 pounds in prize money)
1. Mansfield University Concert Choir – USA
2. Cantilon Chamber Choir – Canada
3. Bel Canton – England
“A beautiful transparent and elegant sound texture was created and dynamics were rendered true to the integrity of the style period. Elegant conducting” (tribute to Hingrid who conducted the first piece by Schubert) “Dynamics were rendered very careful with great insight. Performed with panache and true to style.”

Male Choirs – did not place
Choirs from England and Wales won the competition, but our men sang beautifully. We have not yet received the individual comments. However, the chief juror spoke from the podium about the male choir tradition and alluded to the fact that one of the choirs featured men from a mixed choir and not an official male chorus organization.
Vocal Solo competition for age 21years or older
Here we had six out of ten of our students qualify to perform in this very competitive category! (Melanie DeJesus, Derek Gracey, Michael Hogue, Jocyelyn Raychel, Derrek Start and Nick Webb.) There were 24 singers competing, most of whom were much older!  A soprano and a tenor from Wales won 1st and 2nd place, and Derrek Stark (age 21) placed 3rd.  This is a remarkable achievement.  Several of the jurors commented on his potential for a wonderful career as a tenor.

Lastly, because our women’s Choir placed first, we qualified to perform in the Choir of the World Championship on Saturday night, along with four other choirs from the Philippines and England for an audience of 4,500 people.  While we did not win the top crown (it was given to the wonderful choir from the Philippines),  many in the audience congratulated our women for a fabulous performance.

Mansfield University can be very proud of the achievement of our students!

Tonight we celebrate together from Kilkenny, Ireland!

Peggy Dettwiler

Editor’s Note:  Here’s a collection of videos of the choirs during their performances and a large collection of photos taken by Brad Rissmiller.

The Mansfield University Concert Choir is now in England.  Monday they performed at St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Tuesday they bring music to Stratford-upon-Avon and Wednesday they head to Llangollen, Wales, where the competition performances begin.   Here’s the link to their itinerary.   You can also see the latest photos and info here. Best of luck Peggy Dettwiler and Choir!

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MU student and Cogan Station volunteer firefighter Richard Springman was killed last year in an accident as he was rushing to the scene of another accident.  Everyone who knew Richard agreed that he was kind, generous and community oriented.  To remember him,  his parents are helping organize a July 17 Poker Ride to  raise money for a scholarship in Richard’s name.

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While Yale might lose $500 million in federal funding for problems with fraternities, Mansfield University is shown in a very positive light concerning our fraternities and sororities under  President Loeschke’s leadership.  The article appears in Britain’s  Times Higher Education article, “Schools for scandal: can fraternities shed their sinister image?”

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Amy DeLozier, director of the Kelchner Fitness Center, has been working a long time to get a climbing wall in KFC.  It looks like going to happen this fall and be ready for indoor adventurers in the spring semester.  Check out this video including a special guest with the silken touch.

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How much have small towns changed in the last century?  Well,  quite and bit and not so much.  Area historian Joyce Tice over the years collected post cards of towns and buildings around Bradford County taken in 1917.  She recently visited every site and took a photo from the same location.  You can see the results and listen to her fascinating commentary on the latest episode of Conversations.

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The Wallendas remain wired.  Nik Wallenda has just received permission from the New York State legislature to do a high wire walk across Niagara Falls.  Back in 1990 the MU PR Department sponsored the Steve and Angel Wallenda “Farewell Performance “ in Decker Gym to raise money for Angel Wallenda’s cancer treatments.  News media from around the world covered the event and more than $10,000 was raised.  Both Angel and Steve Wallenda have since passed on.

As always, April is overflowing with activities.  Gay rights activist Judy Shepard will speak Monday, April 4, Straughn, 8 p.m.  Pop/R&B artist Jay Sean will perform Thursday, April 7 at 8 p.m. in Decker Gym.  The Mansfield University Festival Chorus and Wind Orchestra under the direction of Pegg7 Dettwiler will perform King David in Steadman April 9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 3 p.m.   A full news release will be posted on our news site later today.

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Andrea McDonough Varner, an MU grad student, will host an art show Tuesday, April 5 in her home in Williamsport.  For information click here.

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An interview with MU President Maravene Loeschke appears in the most recent edition of  Education-Portal.com.  In it, the president talks about her relationship with students, her open door policy at her residence and the “president’s sweet shop.”

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Guest artists have been announced for the 2012 Endless Mountain Music Festival.  Included in the roster is  MU’s own Nancy Boston

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How’s the area water quality?  MU science prof  Paul Wendel decided to find out.  He created the Marcellus Shale Water Study  Group with his students to test water samples for barium and strontium.  the blind study is being conducted by student and faculty volunteers from the science department.

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[Steve] ” Jobs realizes that dictatorial rule, if done well, will be more popular than democracy.”  Can Tim Wu Save The Internet?

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I can’t make up my mind why I’m struck by this video of twin toddlers who have an animated one syllable dialogue complete with commands, jokes and  body language.   Over 1.5 million viewers feel the same way.  Any insights or comments  from folks in communication, psychology, or early childhood development?

If you’re old enough, you remember when The Hut was the main hangout for students.  Now, after 40 years of other uses, it  has re-opened. . . as a hangout for students.  It’s completely remodeled with new carpet, curtains, lighting, a state-of-the-art sound system, pool table, furniture and food court.  The  renovation was joint collaboration of Student Activities and the Student Government Association.  After the ribbon cutting, SGA President Will Brown, Committee on Finance Chair Kris Dumchak and MU President Maravene Loeschke gathered on stage to “rock out” in celebration of the re-opening.  In the near future, we’ll do a video tour of The Hut with Student Activities Director Steve Plesac.

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RemingtonRyde headlines this year’s Winter Bluegrass Festival at the old Wellsboro High School Auditorium Feb. 12, 7-10 p.m.  Also performing is The Mathews Family Tradition.  General admission is $9.50, seniors, $8.50.  For information call 570-724-7572 or 724-0300.

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Comedian Lewis Black kicked off his “In God We Rust Tour at MU last night to a sold-out audience in Straughn.  Nothing he said can be repeated here, but Adam Murtland did catch the angry man smiling.

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Our graphic artist Sheran Lawton took a walk during last Friday’s storm, camera in hand, and captured not only the snowy beauty of our area but also students who seemed to enjoy the winter wonderland.

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It was so beautiful out Friday morning that I grabbed my camera and wandered the campus  until I bumped into Elisa Morales Heras, who is here for a year from Spain.

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Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living; the world owes you nothing; it was here first. Mark Twain

Serial killers. Baffling cold cases. Psychic sculptors. Michael Capuzzo’s The Murder Room, which goes behind the scenes of the Vidocq Society, has reached the best seller lists. And Capuzzo and Richard Walter, one of the world’s top criminal profilers, will speak in Straughn Monday, September 13 at 7 p.m.

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I interviewed Capuzzo recently about his book and some of the cases detailed.  You can listen to the podcast here.  It will also be available as a Conversations video on Blue Ridge this weekend and on YouTube.  More later.

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The semester’s first Conversations with the President will be held Wed., Sept. 15 in North Hall’s Nesbit Reading Room.  These are  candid meetings in which Dr. Loeschke shares the latest information she has on all things affecting the campus, as well as taking questions and suggestions.

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The 1890s Motorless Parade now has motors. In an effort to expand the parade and give a variety of other units a spot in the Main St. spotlight, antique cars and tractors will begin a new tradition for the 1890s Weekend which is Sept, 24-25.  Here’s a full schedule of events.

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Google has just introduced Google Instant, a search feature that anticipates what you’re searching for, saving you 2-5  seconds per search.  It predicts your search and shows you results before you finish typing.  I imagine the next logical step is that Google will tell you what you need, give it to you, and save you the search and any mental effort.

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Scott Thornsley, criminal justice, has been busy rounding up the best of the good guys.  Dr. George Cronin, criminal investigation assessment officer  of the PA State Police, will speak in Alumni Hall 307 at 1 p.m. Tuesday.  Cronin, who is an adjunct faculty member with Shippensburg U. focuses on “cold cases” and consults on violent crimes and predatory sexual offenses.  He is also a member of the Vidocq Society, explored so well in The Murder Room.  The presentation is free and open to the public.

To see how a book inspired a movement, go to tonight’s presentation, “Animal, Vegetable, Mansfield” in Straughn at 7 p.m.   Local organic growers will talk about how the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle inspired them to create the successful Mansfield Growers Market held every Friday downtown.  Sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Institute.

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The Mansfield Growers Market also has a Facebook page.  Visit it and and join the ranks of fans.

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Terry Day captured some of the excitement of convocation with Mansfield Mountie Band’s performance of the fight song outside Straughn on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

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Dr. Mike Chester, physics, was the featured speaker at convocation.  Here’s the podcast of his address, in which he talks about his family’s years of organic farming.

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Work has progressed to the north side of North Hall’s roof.  Crews are installing  rows of slate tiles and ice guards.  They are now working right above the president’s office.

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Check out this video interview with Drew Robinson, manager of Sodexo on how the company completely changed the look, feel and food in Manser while contributing to the university’s green goals.  Great combination of sustenance and sustainability.

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I’ll be interviewing Mike Capuzzo, author of  the bestseller The Murder Room Friday.  It will air on Blue Ridge next weekend and be posted on YouTube.  Mike, a Pulitzer Prize nominee for his book Close To Shore, is publisher of Mountain Home Magazine.

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Here’s NPR’s story on the top five health issues on campus today.  As usual, the comments are as interesting as the story, which earned, from readers, a barely passing grade.

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Hey, Zombies Vs Humans or any other undead geek, seen the trailers for Walking Dead? What do you think? Winner or dead man walking?

There have been so many questions about all the construction on campus and downtown that I thought I’d compile the latest information for you.

There have been changes, delays, unexpected interruptions,  but Allen Hall will be open for business when the students return at the end of August.  Ben Jones, director of facilities management, gave Kevin Abrams, executive director, Northern Tier Regional Planing & Development Commission and me a sneak preview tour recently.  It’s a beautiful facility.  In the next couple weeks when things are tidied up, I’ll do a video tour and share it with you.

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The original Allen Hall will come down in mid-August, making way for a parking lot.  Construction of the old building began in 1926 when we were still Mansfield Normal School.  Junior high students called it the “Hillside Penitentiary.”  Historian Joyce Tice has assembled a history and photos of Allen Hall.   We also have history of the building and the man after whom it was named here.

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Our facilities folks are turning the band practice field into a parking lot to replace parking lost with the construction of the new residence halls behind Beecher.  Construction on the privatized housing hopefully will start in August with a planned finish date of December 2011.  The Mansfield Auxiliary Corp, in cooperation with MU, is heading the  project and seeking  approximately $40 million to make it happen.  For details and artist renderings, click here.

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Following the dots, the marching band will practice on the football practice field and VanNorman field this year.  A new band practice field will be developed at the picnic area near the water tower and will be ready next summer.

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The university has bought the property that until recently held the borough hall.  The building was razed in July.  The university also bought what most people refer to as the old Wilston Funeral Home.  The house dates back to the 1840′s and through the centuries served as a home, a hospital and funeral home.

The properties will be leased by the Mansfield Downtown Development Corp. whose members are now developing plans for a movie theatre-cultural complex which will be located where the borough hall stood.   There are no firm plans for the house.  A variety of options are being discussed.  I’ll share more news when I get it.

For a video version, taken on location at the sites, click here.