Volume 31, No.25
March 24, 2000
Contact: Terry Day (570) 662-4844
tday@mnsfld.edu             

Hail To The Chief

     Gerald R. Ford spoke to a crowd of more than 2,500 at Mansfield University’s Decker Gymnasium Tuesday night. Introduced by MU President John Halstead as the man who "brought a sense of dignity and honesty back to the White House," the 38^th President of the United States covered a variety of subjects in his speech.
     Ford’s topics ranged from his notoriously bad golf game to the rising cost of oil, and from the current political climate to the United States accomplishments over the past century. Overall he gives the country he has served most of his adult life high marks. "I condemn the cynics, skeptics and pessimists who criticize this country," Ford said. "The record of the U.S. is first class for the most part. The scorecard over the part 100 years shows far more successes than failures."
     Ford said the future for America is bright in the 21^st century but he does have concerns. He believes that, with the current treasury surplus, the federal government should assure full funding of the social security, Medicare and Medicaid trust funds, spend more on defense, pay back some of the national debt and make adjustments to the current tax codes.
     Calling himself an eternal optimist Ford left the MU crowd with this thought. "Work to banish war from our ever shrinking planet and banish hate from our ever expanding hearts," he said. "Work to make the whole planet as full of friendship and felicity as this place is tonight."
     President Ford’s Mansfield engagement was sponsored by Citizens & Northern Bank and the university. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Alumni Memorial Scholarship Fund administered by the Mansfield University Foundation.

A Note Of Thanks

     I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone on campus who made "An Evening with Gerald Ford" such a positive and successful event for Mansfield University and the community. Many people in several departments played a role in seeing that the myriad of details that go into planning an event like this were carried out.
     Carpenters, electricians, grounds crew, moving crew, police, food services, public relations, print shop, development staff, custodial staff, maintenance staff, football coaches and players, field hockey players and their coach, faculty, students — everyone made this event a success for Mansfield University.
     My personal thank you to everyone for working to enhance our university.

Leslie Folmer

Working Women

     Mansfield will officially participate in "Take Our Daughters To Work Day" for the first time On Thursday, April 27. Students and employees are invited to bring a female relative to work on that day to participate in a full schedule of events.
     Workshops and activities are still being organized. Among those already planned are a campus-wide occupational scavenger hunt, aerobics, storytelling, tours and a luncheon. There will also be several hands-on workshops on a wide variety of topics aimed at informing girls on educational and career choices and encouraging them to stay in school and strive for success.
     Any member of the campus community interested in organizing a workshop, participating in any of the activities, or needing more information can call Peggy Hayes at x4939.
     A schedule of events and registration forms are available at the Women’s Center page on the MU website. Registration is limited and the deadline is April 15.

Bach In Time

     The Music Department will present a concert featuring the music of Johann Sebastian Bach on Friday, March 24, 8 p.m. in Steadman Theatre
     Considered one of the greatest composers of all time, Bach lived between 1685 and 1750 in Germany. Musicians all over the world are celebrating the 250th anniversary of his death with concerts and festivals of his music.
     The concert, organized by Peggy Dettwiler, director of choral activities at MU, will feature Cantata 187, "Es wartet alles auf dich," performed by the sixteen voices of the Chamber Singers and a small orchestra. Soloists in the cantata are Scott Faust, Allison Huesgen, John Jacoby, Julie McElhoes, and Krista Mechtly.
     The Concert Choir will perform Motet I, "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied," based on Psalm 149. The forty-eight voices of the Concert Choir are divided into two groups of 24 voices each for the double chorus motet.
     Instrumental students will also participate to include keyboard, cello, guitar, flute and a brass quintet.
     The concert is free and open to the public.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

     MU football opens a new era with the start of spring practice on Tuesday, April 4. New Head Coach Joe Gilbert and his staff will put the Mountaineers through three weeks of workouts culminating with the spring game on Saturday, April 29.
     A full day of football and fun will start with the Butsko Award breakfast at 7 a.m. The cost is $10. The Butsko Award winner and the captains for the 2000 season will be named at the breakfast.
     The spring game kicks off at 10 a.m. and then, for anyone wanting to hit the fairways after football, a golf outing will be held at Corey Creek Country Club starting at 1:30 p.m. Cost is $75 and includes greens fees, cart and dinner.
     Reservations for the breakfast and golf are required. Call x4460 for information.

Tunes In Time

     The MU Concert Choir will span the centuries during a concert on Sunday, April 2 at 3 p.m. in Steadman Theatre.
     The program will include selections from the Renaissance to the 20th Century, from the motet to the spiritual. Performing in five different languages, the Concert Choir will present works by Sweelinck, Bach, Schumann, Tavener, Hogan, Gavilan, Wehi, and Ellington, among others.
     The featured selection is a powerfully expressive composition by Norman Dinerstein, "When David Heard," which describes the grief of King David upon the death of his son, Absalom. The choir will also perform Motet I, "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied," by J. S. Bach in honor of the 250th anniversary of his death.
     The Concert Choir is directed by Peggy Dettwiler. The group performed at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Convention in Baltimore in February. It was one of two university mixed choirs from the 12 states in the eastern division invited to the conference.
     The concert is free and open to the public.

Andrea Harris, Languages and Literature, has had her book Other Sexes: Rewriting Difference from Woolf to Winterson published. Focusing on selection of novels by Virginia Woolf, Djuna Barnes, Marianne Hauser, and Jeanette Winterson she argues that there is a continuum in these novelists’ investigations of gender. The book is published by SUNY Press.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Community Service-Learning Office will host a national teleconference, "Linking Citizenship and Scholarship Through Service Learning: A National Imperative," on Thursday, April 6, 1-4 p.m. in the North Hall 6^th Floor Community Room. Several national speakers will discuss the importance of service learning, campus-community relations and a variety of other topics. Everyone in the campus community is invited to attend.
• Applications for the position of Director of the Center For Effective Teaching are now being accepted. The position is for 2000-20002 at a minimum and there is ¼ re-assigned time associated with the position. Applicants are asked to submit their vita and a detailed letter outlining the goals one would have for the Center, the applicant's qualifications which would contribute to the success of those goals, and activities which might be sponsored by the Center for Effective Teaching. Applicants also must submit three letters of recommendation from faculty colleagues. The deadline for applications is April 5, 1 p.m. Send application materials to Sandra Linck, Associate Provost, 509 North Hall.
• The campus bookstore is holding a moving sale. All clothing and supplies are 20 percent off. Over 2,000 books- paperbacks, reference and old textbooks-are on sale for $1. The sale will continue until the bookstore moves to its new location in Alumni Hall.
• The Center for Lifelong Learning is offering a Computer Art Workshop, taught by Harold Carter, April 4-6, 6-8 p.m. The cost is $30. For information call x4851.
• To help battle world hunger visit the Hunger Site on the world wide web at http://thehungersite.com. Visitors to the web site can make one food donation per day with all donations paid for by corporate sponsors.

SPORTS UPDATE

      The baseball team (9-7) dropped its 2000 home opener Wednesday 10-9 to Ithaca College, despite a furious ninth-inning rally. MU junior centerfielder Matt Edwards was 4-4 on the day, with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored, while senior designated hitter Chad Swogger was 4-5 and ripped a home run and two doubles. The Mounties had four games in Lewis, IL cancelled last weekend and a home date Tuesday against Cortland was rained out.
     The softball team (8-2) is ranked fifth in the Mid-Atlantic Region this week after splitting four games at Charleston, WV last weekend. Senior Kelly Morris scattered three hits and struckout five over six innings to pick up her fifth win of the season while junior Renee Grinnell slugged a three-run homer to lead MU to a 6-0 win over the University of Charleston Sunday.
     The Mounties lost two of three games Saturday at Charleston. Sophomore Lindsay Dempsey set the school save (5) record in the first game, a 3-0 win over Salem-Teikyo. Dempsey pitched the last two innings to earn the save, relieving Morris who upped her record to 4-0 on the season allowing one hit and striking out four in five innings. Senior Kim Swarts had a homer for the Mounties.
     Mansfield lost the second game, 5-0 to Indiana University (PA) and fell to Gannon University 6-3 in the last game of the day.

 LIBRARY LISTINGS

Conversations With God: Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch
The Lion’s Game by Nelson DeMille
Day Of Reckoning by Jack Higgins

THE BOTTOM LINE

"The best educated human being is the one who understands most about the life in which he is placed."
--Helen Keller