Participants support Monologues amid administration discussions

A group of students is trying to bring the "The Vagina Monologues" scripted performance to campus next month.

Eve Ensler, the script's author, interviewed hundreds of women about their "stories of intimacy, vulnerability, and sexual self-discovery," to produce the narrative that sparked a movement dedicated to fighting violence against women, according to the Monologues Web site.

Gonzaga's administration is now discussing the appropriateness of this performance on campus, according to Dr. Linda Tredennick, the group's faculty sponsor and acting director of Women's and Gender studies.

At this point, students involved in the production are moving forward to perform "The Vagina Monologues" March 19.  They held auditions and cast the roles this week, Tredennick said.

According to the Monologues Web site, it has been performed on 300 campuses in 20 countries, and has raised $3 million to date.

In 2002, a group of students brought a performance of the Monologues, hosted in the ballroom of the West Coast River Inn because of a campus ban from former University President Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., according to a 2002 dailycatholic.org article.

The Women's Studies Club, an affiliate of the University, organized the event, though the University itself did not sponsor the event, the dailycatholic.org article states.

A Seattle Times article from 2003 paraphrased Spitzer as arguing, "the university cannot sponsor and associate itself with groups that espouse beliefs contrary to the doctrine of the Catholic Church."

In 2006, 20 Catholic schools permitted the play on their campus, including Georgetown, DePaul, and Boston College.

The Seattle University Spectator reported that the play was recently held on its campus for the second year. In 2009, Santa Clara students held the performance off-campus for the second year, according to the student newspaper The Santa Clara.

Some schools, such as Providence College, have banned the play altogether, a 2006 article from USA Today states.

More information on The Vagina Monlogues

More information on Gonzaga University's events policy