Saint Mary's cancels `Monologues'
By MOLLY McVOY
Saint Mary's Editor
College president Marilou Eldred told student organizers of "The Vagina Monologues" Tuesday that the play would not make a reappearance on Saint Mary's campus this year.
The play is part of a nationwide movement on college campuses to increase dialogue about women's sexuality.
In response, the student organizers have called for a speak-out on Wednesday evening to discuss if the play has a place on the Saint Mary's campus and, if so, what place that is. In part, the speak-out comes in response to the College administration's position that the play should not be presented this year.
"The administration's position is that we don't want [The Vagina Monologues] performed on this campus again," said Marilou Eldred, the College's president.
The nationally acclaimed play, currently playing off-Broadway, was written by playwright Eve Ensler. Ensler's work is performed solely by women and addresses issues of women's sexuality. In particular, the movement to perform the monologues on college campuses is part of an effort that began three years ago to stop violence against women.
Last year's February production at Saint Mary's was sponsored by the Campus Alliance for Rape Elimination (CARE). After the performance, CARE offered counseling.
The play generated needed dialogue about the issues of women's sexuality, lesbianism, rape, and the need for women to recognize that their bodies should not be violated but celebrated, according to "Monologues" supporters.
"I think what happened last year after the Monologues was that people had a healthy discussion on sexuality," said senior Julia Malczynski, the women's studies representative to the student activities council.
Although the administration supports the idea of generating discussion, the play would cause more controversy than healthy discussion, according to Eldred.
Issues of lesbianism and explicit discussion of sexuality have caused some to question its appropriateness for a Catholic campus. In response to last year's presentation and a subsequent letter to the South Bend Tribune by a former professor, several members of the College Parent's Council expressed concerns to the president about the presentation of themonologues.
"I think the discussion is necessary," Eldred said. "My issue is clearly with redoing the play."
"We have to be responsible to all our constituency — students, alumni and supporters," said Linda Timm, director of student activities. "Voices on the other side of the issue [opposed to the Monologues] have seldom been heard."
The supporters of the "Monologues" feel that Wednesday's forum is the best way to generate a substantial amount of discussion and no other venue that they have encountered causes a large number of men and women to talk about issues of sexuality.
"Of all the programming I have seen in the last four years at Saint Mary's, there has been nothing that has brought so many people out and generates so much discussion," said Emily Koelsch, one of the organizers and supporters of the "Monologues."
"It's your peers putting on a production that talks about things that you're usually not supposed to talk about."
"I think the shock value of the play is very valuable," said Julie Frischkorn, another organizer of the monologues. "I've never been to anything else that draws the number of people that `The Vagina Monologues' does."
In order to advertise on the campus and reserve facilities to present the "Vagina Monologues", the students must have administrative approval. Although Linda Timm, College vice president for student affairs, explained that the College has the power to deny
advertising on campus grounds and deny access to facilities, she hopes it won't come to that.
"Typically, our response has not been to flat out say no," Timm said. "I've always felt that we have been able to work with students in a non-adversarial way. We don't always agree, but I have not felt that these students have listened to our arguments. I'm confounded by their response."
Frischkorn and Koelsch said there is a need to present the "Vagina Monologues" on campus and hope that, after Wednesday, some option will become clear.
"We recognize the administration's ability to say no, but we don't want it to come to that," Frischkorn said. "We do feel so strongly about our cause that we are going to try to have the same effect as last year, but, as of now, we do not have a specific plan."
"Not letting us have it on this campus is going send a bad signal to women who have finally started talking about their bodies," Koelsch said. "It tells the students 'last year, you could talk about these issues. This year, you can't.'"
Both sides of the issue hope the speak-out generates discussion from those in favor of the monologues and those with concerns.
"I don't feel that, at this point, there's much dialogue happening," said Timm, the director of student activities. "I feel like we [the administration] weren't heard. I felt that we were very reasonable."
"If this is not going to happen on this campus this year, the student body needs to know why," Koelsch said. "We're just going to have to wait and see what happens Wednesday."
"Why so many people support this is because it is promoting the end of violence towards women," Koelsch said.
The speak-out will be Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. in the Dalloway's coffeehouse.
All News Stories for Tuesday, January 23, 2001
