3 posts tagged “v-day”

So, I've decided that the SLU Mission Statement was either written while someone was really high, or that people just like to fucking lie through their teeth.  In light of recent administrative decisions, let's examine it--emphasis and colorations are my own.

• Encourages and supports innovative scholarship and effective teaching in all fields of the humanities, the natural, health and medical sciences, the social sciences, the law, business, aviation, and technology.
  
  
• Enables an academic environment which values and promotes free, active and original intellectual inquiry among its faculty and students.   (As long as it doesn't get *too* free or active...)
  
  
• Maintains and encourages programs which link the University and its resources to its local, national, and international communities in support of efforts to alleviate ignorance, poverty, injustice, and hunger, to extend compassionate care to the ill and needy, and to maintain and improve the quality of life for all persons.
  
  
• Strives continuously to seek means to build upon its Catholic, Jesuit identity, and to promote activities which apply that intellectual and ethical heritage to work for the good of society as a whole.
  
  
• Welcomes students, faculty and staff from all racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds and beliefs and creates a sense of community which facilitates their development as men and women for others.  (As long as you eventually come to our way of thinking, and forget the unpleasantries of The Real World)
  
  
• Nurtures within its community an understanding of and commitment to the promotion of faith and justice in the spirit of the Gospels.
  
  
• Wisely allocates its resources to maintain efficiency and effectiveness in attaining its mission and goals.

Dear Saint Louis University,

        I have recently been informed of SLU's decision to not allow the performance of Eve Ensler's productions The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer on SLU's campus as part of UNA's annual V-Day campaign. V-Day is a world-wide movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness primarily through annual benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues. Since 1998, V-Day has raised more than $50 million dollars and is still going strong in its 10^th year. V-Day funds have reopened shelters and funded community based anti-violence programs, as well as safe-houses for women all over the world. In St. Louis, proceeds from UNA's annual productions of the Vagina Monologues raise money for The Catholic Worker Karen House for homeless women and children, and The Women's Safe House for battered women and their children.

        As a Catholic university whose motto is "men and women for others," I cannot understand how silencing women's voices is part of your Jesuit mission. Vagina is NOT a dirty word. Female sexuality is not obscene. By effectively banning V-Day at SLU, you are silencing the voices of women who need their stories told. Every day, in our city, our state, our nation, and the world, RAPE happens, VIOLENCE happens—and THAT is the real vulgarity!

        In your mission statement, you purport to promote "free, active and original intellectual inquiry." How does censoring speech you disagree with fit in with that mission? The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer raise awareness and foster discussion about difficult yet important issues that affect women everywhere, especially in St. Louis. Yes, they are controversial, and make many uncomfortable—but since when have the Jesuits been afraid to stand up for equality, truth, and speak for the oppressed without a voice? Controversy is the very vehicle of social change. I urge you: stop censorship, stand up for honesty and support V-Day! Give UNA the freedom to campaign to end gender-fueled violence by allowing The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer to be held on campus--where it belongs! The V-Day campaign and The Vagina Monologues will not, and should not stop until we end violence against women and girls! The Jesuit mission should never have been used to censor free speech at SLU, and now it is time for your administration to do the right thing. I will be waiting and watching, and I am confident that SLU will be held responsible in the media, and by concerned citizens (like my classmates and myself) for whatever course of action that your university chooses to take.
 

Cordially,

Lacey _____
MS-1

SLU School of Medicine

I am so sad right now.  Via Feministing's story about pending V-Day celebrations, I have discovered that the institute at which I am a student has BANNED THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES!!!  Banned.  So, last year, the campus' feminist organization, UNA, put together an off-campus performance, off-campus advertising AND ticket sales (the play sold out!!).  Seems, fair, right?  The ban only applies to on campus performances, and the organization was using their own funds to plan the event completely without the support or use of any SLU facilities.  The Cardinal Newman Society supports the viewpoint of SLU and "200 other Catholic institutions" that ban the Monologues.  This, of course, has nothing to do with  oppressing the uppity women/same-sex relationships/etc., but the fact that the Monologues is "a sexually explicit play that attacks women's dignity!" 

This year, UNA figured they would try and perform an alternative play that might garner the support of the SLU administration; something less sexual and less about a part of the DIRTY DIRTY female anatomy, that we women have to *deal with* every day...  They decided to perform another Eve Ensler production, "A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer."  However--now the administration is trying to put the kibosh on that too!  They're calling it a "Vagina Monologues 2" and are pushing to cancel the entire event.  I'm so disappointed, I'm not really sure how to say it.

I was apparently spoiled for equality, appreciation of women's talents, and freedom of belief/speech/expression during my time at Mizzou.  V-Day celebrations, events, and awareness of violence against women spanned the entire week, and every campus media outlet was committed to advertising and coverage.  Feminist organizations were prevalent, celebrated, and given opportunity to serve their members and the community on the same level as any other organization--even the College Republicans!  The auditions for the Vagina Monologues were always packed--dozens of students were turned away every year for lack of a spot.  Men, women, gay, straight, bisexual, tall, short, fat, thin... everyone was invited, welcomed, and involved every year.  V-Day was truly an important day on campus.

Now I'm here.  Where our education is truncated based on "Catholic doctrine" that a minority of the student (AND PATIENT) population share.  Even the out-of-class experiences are at the mercy of old, white, celibate men who act as parrots for the false G-d king who sits in a palace in Italy.  These men claim to be protecting women's dignity by simply not talking about them.  Keeping us silent and "in our place" is much better than empowering us to leave men who abuse us, to seek help for our troubles, to attain proper and comprehensive health care... to find a doctor who cares about medicine, science and the health of the patient more than the opinion (because THAT'S WHAT IT IS) of a septuagenarian from Poland, who was elected by his equally-radical peers.

I keep finding ways that SLU is slowly killing me.  This one has most definitely picked up the pace.  3.5 more years...I hope I survive.

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Dear Vagina:

I'm sorry.  You are dirty, and no one (especially men, or women with "dignity") wants to ever think about you, or any of your sisters.  You are only for my husband's use for (pure and holy Missionary Position marital relations)--never my own pleasure--and for birthing his babies...as many as God wills me to bear.  You are exceptionally nasty and to be kept secret and forgotten at all costs.  You are never to be spoken of, and should be ashamed of your very existence.   You are far inferior to the Great and Mighty Penis, and you shall always be lower priority, no matter the social arena.  I apologize for any number of inconveniences.

Lacey

PS:  Fuck that shit!  Disregard entirety of above letter.  The 'pope' has no business in my panties--let's party!

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http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/540076210.html        WANT!!

(I e-mailed my fiance this link, with text proclaiming "Just in time for the Vagina Monologues!"... It bounced back due to company e-mail filters, no doubt, that caught the word *vagina* and flipped out.)