The Griffon News

The Vagina Monologues, a play that features different aspects of female sexuality in the form of monologues performed by different actresses, will be performed Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Potter Hall Theatre.

The Missouri Western Counseling and Testing Center, The Griffon Arts Society and the Pan Hellenic Association sponsor this event. The performance coincides with V-Day, the annual campaign to stop violence against women.

The beneficiary this year is the Family Planning Clinic, which assists many low-income women and families, as well as Missouri Western students. Julie Summa, who is  heading up the event this year, decided to change the beneficiary organization from YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter to the clinic.

“When I started talking to them, I realized they are doing such good work on such a shoestring budget and knew that they deserved a little of our help,” Summa said. “As a woman and a mother, this is always a very important issue.”

Last year, the total number of clients at the clinic, whose primary age group was 20 to 24, was over 5,000 and total number of visits was over 10,000. Three-quarters of all patients were low-income patients who received their treatment for free, meaning the clinic has to cover those costs.

This is the fifth year Missouri Western has put on the show to go along with V-Day. But this is the first year that it has been a onenight only show. This is also the first year that the Hormonal Harpies have been a part of the show. The Harpies, made up of Western English department members Karen Fulton, Stacia Bensyl and Cynthia Jeney, will perform “The Vagina Workshop,” “The Flood” and “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” respectively.

Regarding the performance, Fulton is puzzled by the controversy and ruckus that has been stirred up in the past.

“It seems to me that it is a life-affirming and human-being affirming work and that the use of any monies raised that will go to victims of domestic abuse is certainly a worthwhile thing,” Fulton said.

In addition to the performance, the Panhellenic Association is sponsoring two educational speakers. One is a representative from national pharmaceutical giant Merck,  whose Gardacil is the first Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. The other will be Mitzi Teliczan from the Buchanan County Health Department, who will be speaking on practicing safe sex.

The Griffon Arts Society is also featuring artwork in the theatre lobby the day of the performance. A silent auction featuring donated art pieces is also in the works, and all of the activities will begin at 3:00 p.m. the day of the performance.

Summa understands from past experience that not everyone sees the event as a worthwhile cause. When she put out the press release, she warned everyone that if anything was going to go down, now would be the time.

“We have a few professors that feel the need to protest,” Summa said.

Admission for the performance will cost $3 for students and faculty and $5 for the public. Tickets will be available at the door.