Brittany Good

Adrian, MI- Friday, April 19th, and Saturday, April 20th, Siena Heights University (SHU) will stage “The Vagina Monologues” to raise awareness of domestic violence. A free-will donation will be collected for the Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Shelter in Adrian, Mich.

“Vagina Monologues” is performed as part of the V-Day movement. The movement was founded in 1994 by playwright and activist Eve Ensler. Through the V-Day movement Ensler raises awareness of rape and the sexual abuse of women.

“’The Vagina Monologues’ makes a very positive impact,” Dayna Crumback, a SHU sophomore and cast member said. “The name alone gets people’s attention and makes them ask what is it about? So just explaining what the production is about we are able to raise awareness about the violence against women that occurs.”

“Vagina Monologues” is performed around the world, not just in the United States.  As SHU junior Ines Rodriguez explains, the Monologues are relatable to the audience in any language. Rodriguez is an international student from Venezuela. “In Venezuela women are machismo, which means we do whatever men tell us. This production sends across the message that having that view of women is not okay, which is a good thing. This production also uses some cuss words to raise awareness of the viewers as to how offensive these words are and what they actually mean,” Rodriguez explained.

The edgy nature of the production has caused several conservative Catholic organizations such as The Cardinal Newman Society to publish articles criticizing the twelve U.S. Catholic universities, SHU included, which staged the production this year. Peaceful protestors from the Jackson, Mich., Right to Life Organization and the Adrian Knights of Columbus are expected to be on campus during the production and SHU has set up a free speech zone to ensure that individuals and groups have a safe space to voice their views.

However, the attention “Vagina Monologues” has received has stirred interest among university students.

“It’s a positive movement, so the protesting against the production is just making it more popular. The V-Day production is something that should get a lot of recognition around the world because it’s helping raise awareness of violence towards women,” Amanda Duke, a SHU senior and cast member, noted.

SHU’s production is not only performed by students but also directed by students. Junior Shelby Perkins, one of the directors and cast members, has been involved for months planning the event. “’The Vagina Monologues’ is a global, activist movement advocating for and denouncing violence against women and girls. Most violence against women is sexual, to prevent it we must talk about it,” Perkins explained.

The two faculty advisers are Dr. Julie Barst and Nick Kaplan.

Kaplan noted, “The mission of Siena Heights University, a Catholic university founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters, is to assist people to become more competent, purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity of all.  If we privilege some voices and restrict other voices, we are not respecting the ‘dignity of all,’ and our perception of truth is distorted. John Paul II wrote in ‘Ex corde ecclesia,’ ‘it is the honor and responsibility of a Catholic University to consecrate itself without reserve to the cause of truth.’  We are educators striving to better understand the world around us through the pursuit of truth from all people.”

The administration at SHU has been supportive of the student-led production. The official university statement explained that staging “The Vagina Monologues” doesn’t represent “an endorsement of these behaviors on the part of the university.” The statement also makes clear that “We [SHU] recognize that the culture in which our students are immersed holds many values that are at odds with the Catholic tradition.”

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