The spectre of "The Vagina Monologues" continues to spook the Saint Mary's College administration in LeMans Hall. Two years after the officially sanctioned presentation of the popular play and a year after an officially opposed, grassroots production in the residence halls, "The Vagina Monologues" rises again, this time as the principal cause of a statement on academic freedom issued by the student Board of Governance.

This statement, which so slavishly "affirm[s] the administration's decision to pursue different avenues of programming dealing with the topics raised in `The Vagina Monologues' and commend[s] the steps taken by the administration to educate the women of Saint Mary's College" through programs and lectures other than "The Vagina Monologues," demonstrates a troubling lack of independent thinking.

It seems curiously less than coincidental that such a statement should be made during the very week when V-Day productions of the play are being presented around the world to raise our awareness of the violence inflicted on women. When the BOG affirms the administration's program of education about "topics raised in "The Vagina Monologues," does it or does it not approve of the presentation on campus of "The Vagina Monologues?"

While nearly 450 colleges nationwide and 700 worldwide are presenting "The Vagina Monologues," including local productions at IUSB and Notre Dame, Saint Mary's excuses itself under the guise of academic freedom. It is even more troubling that the administration has been reluctant to discuss outside of the closed offices of LeMans exactly what its concept of academic freedom should be.

What is the BOG's position on academic freedom for students on campus? Saint Mary's students should insist that their BOG be absolutely clear about its position on academic freedom so that they can be held responsible for their position.

The BOG's encomium for the administration should worry students and faculty alike in that it crosses the line that rightfully should separate the two different, if complimentary, governing bodies of the College, the administration and student government. Unfortunately, this latest issuance from the Nagle and Matha student administration is another example of its practice of giving a rubber stamp to the administration's policies regarding student life and thought.

As a librarian for 25 years at Saint Mary's College, I am committed to providing our students with the widest spectrum of opinion and information and have encouraged them to discover and speak the truth for themselves. Rather than seeking smiles of approval from the administration, the students and their representatives should take pride in knowing that their predecessors were the first to bring "The Vagina Monologues" to the theater-going public of Michiana and that by their vision, permission was given to other women and institutions in our larger community to do the same.

When women's self-expression is forced underground, as happened with "The Vagina Monologues" production at Saint Mary's College last year, and women are required to practice their "mysteries" by the light of the moon, women themselves are buried and a patriarchy which demeans them is supported.

Robert J. Hohl

reference librarian

Saint Mary's College

February 15, 2002

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