MANSFIELD, PA— Mansfield University will pay tribute to fallen 
Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Bryon Dickson during pregame ceremonies at the Mountaineers home football game against the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Dickson was fatally shot last Friday in an ambush outside his barracks in Blooming Grove. Trooper Alex Douglass was wounded in the attack and continues to recover.
The MU Student Government Association (SGA) will distribute 1,000 blue glow sticks at the game. At 7:13 p.m. a moment of silence will be observed as the glow sticks are held aloft. Blue lights are recognition of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
The tribute is part of a state-wide effort organized on Facebook and came about from discussions between Zane Swanger, student member of the Mansfield Council of Trustees, and SGA President Victoria Malatesta.
“I think this is something that can definitely bring our university family together to show that as a state school, we support our state and the honor and courage that our law enforcement officers exhibit every day,” Swanger said. He credits Malatesta and the SGA Executive Board for embracing the idea and approving the purchase of the glow sticks.
“The blue lights symbolize the service, dedication, honor and courage that this officer gave in the line of duty,” Malatesta said. “As a state university, it seems very appropriate to honor our Pennsylvania State Police in this moment of hardship.”
The game is the MU football season opener and the culmination of the annual “Light Up Mansfield Again” (LUMA) festivities as part of Family & Friends Weekend.
Pregame ceremonies will get underway at 7 p.m. at Karl Van Norman Field, with kickoff slated for 7:35 p.m.
For more information on LUMA and Family & Friends Weekend at Mansfield, go to lightupmansfield.com or mansfield.edu/family-and-friends-weekend