‘Vagina Monologues’ protesters disrespectful

 On Friday, March 19, the Gonzaga community witnessed a group of students protesting the recent decision by President Thayne McCulloh to uphold the previous 2002 decision by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. and the Board of Trustees disallowing "The Vagina Monologues" to be held on campus.
The disrespectful manner in which this group of students chose to protest was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and degrading to the entire Gonzaga community.
The way in which this group of protesters was chanting "Vagina!" in the middle of campus disrespected women entirely. Does this group of protesters believe that the way to earn more respect for women is by objectifying and making a mockery of the female anatomy? The Catholic Church regards the physical body as a temple of God, and this protest did not respect the female body as such.
The statue outside of the Crosby Student Center honoring the memory of Bing Crosby was disgraced with "Vagina Propaganda" such as signs reading, "I wish I had a vagina," "I love vaginas," and derogatory names for the vagina. A photograph of two male students holding these signs and posing inappropriately with the statue was posted on the Internet.
Not only are female bodies undeserving of such language, but if anyone took the time to research Bing Crosby's influence on our University, they would realize the respect he deserves too.
Throughout Mr. Crosby's career, he personally raised more than $900,000 for the school, including support for scholarship funds, clubs, and resources for campus buildings such as the library and residence halls. An article from the Gonzaga Web site highlights his important influence, "Bing gave Gonzaga much more than money; he gave the University his name, his loyalty and the credit for his success."
Also posted on the Internet was the photograph of a female student in front of the Crosby Student Center holding a sign which read, "We celebrate all people, (who are privileged, white, male and heterosexual) and cultures in pursuit of the greater good."
This statement could not be any further from the truth and to make such a claim disrespects the Gonzaga community as a whole.
According to recent statistical data, 95 percent of Gonzaga students receive financial aid, 15.2 percent of the student body are considered "students of color," the Unity House offers a multicultural club for students, the current male to female ratio is 47 percent male to 53 percent female, and each year "National Coming Out Day" and "A Day of Silence" are celebrated on campus by students who wish to celebrate homosexuality.
Additionally, Gonzaga University supports not only the greater Spokane community, but also other parts of the world with the help of volunteer organizations through programs such as CCASL, student-run clubs, and Study Abroad.
To claim that Gonzaga only celebrates people who are privileged, white, male, and heterosexual is an ignorant and false statement that undermines the rich tradition of Jesuit education of which we are all blessed to be a part of.
In addition to the protest on the steps of Crosby, students proceeded to place "Vagina Propaganda" on a wall in college hall reserved for photographs of the current Board of Trustees.
Some of the signs read: "Jesus came from a vagina too," "Your mother has one … and you came out if it!" and other obscene posters and drawings suggesting that Gonzaga University, President McCulloh, and the Board of Trustees are "against vaginas."
President McCulloh and the Board of Trustees deserve the same respect that they showed to the students in communicating the ban of "The Vagina Monologues," but instead they were publicly accused of being prejudiced. President McCulloh clearly stated in his letter to the Gonzaga Community that he encourages the group to perform the play off campus and that he would support an effort specifically devoted to promoting an end to violence (including sexual violence) against women.
If this group of protesters is as passionate about the issue of violence towards women as they claim to be, then I challenge them to constructively work towards a club at Gonzaga that specifically promotes an end to such violence.
As a Jesuit institution, we are different from other institutions as our foundation is deeply rooted in the Catholic Church.
We are all blessed to be a part of this unique Catholic community in which we pursue our degrees. I challenge this group of protesters to show more respect for our school's history and the crucial members of our community such as President McCulloh and the Board of Trustees who work very hard to ensure that the core values of Gonzaga's foundation are upheld throughout all facets of the University.