u SMC leader approves group's requests for letter and written statement
By COLLEEN McCARTHY
Associate News Editor
A meeting Wednesday between members of the Saint Mary's administration and board members of the Campus Alliance for Rape Elimination (CARE) yielded no change in the administration's decision not to allow `The Vagina Monologues' to be performed on campus this year.
CARE board member Emily Koelsch said the group didn't expect the administration's position to change.
"We came into the meeting hoping to get the administration to approve a letter CARE had drafted to send to the Parent's Council, Board of Trustees and the Alumnae Board and we wanted to get a written statement from Dr.Eldred sent to the student body so the students would be aware why the play was not being performed on campus this year," said Koelsch.
The administration agreed to both requests. Previously Eldred had requested that the letter not be sent.
"We wanted the letter to be sent to these groups because we thought it was important that they heard from a student perspective what `The Vagina Monologues' were about and why we felt they were needed on campus," said Koelsch.
CARE also drafted the letter in response to written by former Saint Mary's professor E. Michael Jones which claimed that the `Monologues' are contradictory to the teachings of the Catholic Church and promote lesbianism and masturbation. CARE members believed this letter obscured the real meaning of the "Monologues" and didn't mention positive feedback the play had generated, and thus unfairly influenced alumnae and College benefactors.
Eldred said she just changed her mind.
"As I reread the CARE letter, I just thought more about it and felt it was appropriate for these groups to hear from CARE," she said.
Eldred also addressed questions regarding her response to concerns expressed last spring by alumnae and benefactors about the `Monologues.'
"The nature of the responses I sent was that `The Vagina Monologues' was part of a much larger effort to talk about sexuality and was done within the context of larger programming efforts by the committee on holistic formation," she said. "I felt it was important to defend the students and the performance that these students had been a part of on campus."
Eldred also agreed to send an e-mail to the student body next week regarding the administration's reasons for not allowing the play to take place at the College this year.
Although Eldred said she saw the performance of "The Vagina Monologues" last year on campus, she declined to give her opinion of the play.
"Yes, I did see [The Vagina Monologues]," she said. "However, sometimes when you are in a position of responsibility you have to set aside personal views and do what is best for the organization. My view is that what I think is best for Saint Mary's College is not to have the play performed on campus this year."
In place of the "Monologues," Eldred suggested more inclusive programming regarding sexuality and violence against women.
"We have continued to say that we don't feel that there is a need to do the play again this year," said Eldred. "We talked about creating more programming to meet the needs of more students."
This kind of programming would involve a panel discussion or bringing speakers to campus representing a wide range of opinions on issues of sexuality, said Koelsch.
However, Koelsch said CARE already sponsors such programming efforts throughout the year on campus.
"I think there was a misunderstanding between CARE and the administration about inclusiveness," said Koelsch. "We pointed out to them that we already have those other programming but `The Vagina Monologues' was a different way to talk about things and even if we had it last year, there will always be someone new on campus who could benefit from seeing it."
CARE board member Katie Poynter agreed. She added that lectures and panels do not draw crowds the way the monologues did last year, when an estimated 350 people attended performances.
"The administration is saying that we should do other programming in place of `The Vagina Monologues,' so if the administration thinks they can put together a panel that brings 350 students to see it and then a year later can bring together a group of students so fired up that ... they come to a forum to speak out and voice their opinions about it, then I guess I would say we should have that panel discussion instead of `The Vagina Monologues,'" said Poynter.
Eldred told the CARE board members that she would assist the group in securing funding for a bus to take students to Chicago providing the students could get tickets to see a performance of "The Vagina Monologues," provided they could get tickets.
"Basically, what the administration is saying is `we think the play is fine but we don't think that we should have it at Saint Mary's,'" said Koelsch. "The problem with that is that the tickets are very expensive and most likely sold out."
The V-Day initiative through which CARE had hoped to perform the "Monologues" provides copies of Ensler's play free of charge. All profits go to organizations that help raise awareness of battery, rape, abuse and violence against women.
Regardless of the administration's stance, Koelsch said the fight is not over. The V-Day initiative lets colleges perform the play anywhere from Feb. 7 to 21.
"We're going to talk to Board of Governance and see if they will take a position on `The Vagina Monologues,' and we are going to talk to Faculty Assembly also," said Koelsch. "People who think this issue will just roll over and die are wrong. I won't stop fighting to have `The Vagina Monologues' performed on this campus until Feb. 21. I have 20 more days to raise a ruckus and I intend to. There will be more discussions."
All News Stories for Friday, February 2, 2001
