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Fresno State hosts V-Day observance

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By Shirley Melikian Armbruster

An observance of V-Day 2002, the international movement to stop violence against women and girls, is under way for the first time at Fresno State through March 1, with speakers, workshops, a "rape-free zone" campaign and performances of Eve Ensler's award-winning Off-Broadway play, "The Vagina Monologues."

V-Day, now in its fourth year internationally, is observed on or around Valentine's Day with theatrical and artistic events that raise money and awareness to stop violence against women.

To date, Ensler's play has been the centerpiece of these events, the biggest of which was last year's benefit performance at Madison Square Garden.

V-Day 2002 at Fresno State is sponsored by the Women's Alliance, Women's Resource Center, Women's Studies Program and Department of Criminology. Students Desi Cortez and Aniesha Saklikar are coordinating activities.

Worth Magazine named V-Day among the top 100 Best Charities in December 2001.

More than 500 colleges worldwide that are participating in the V-Day College Campaign will offer productions of "The Vagina Monologues" on their campuses. The proceeds from these events are donated to local organizations in the schools' communities that are working to stop sexual violence. Beneficiaries designated by Fresno State organizers are Healing for Survivors, Domestic Violence Victim's Services, Central California Pride Network, Marjaree Mason Center, Destination Out ... Of Harm's Way, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, Rape Counseling Services, Women's Alliance Take Back the Night 2002 and RAWA (Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan).

The production at Fresno State will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 and March 1 in the Satellite Student Union. Tickets, available at the USU Information Booth, are $7.50 for students and seniors; $15 general admission.

Barbara Jo Maier is directing a cast of 23 women from the campus and community. The play is a series of monologues based on interviews with over 200 women who speak very openly, honestly and frankly about their most intimate experiences.

Note: the play contains adult material and may not be suitable for viewing by children.

Another V-Day event is a "Nighttime Campus Walk Through" at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26. Members of the plant operations staff will offer safety advice during the walk, which begins at the plant operations office under the water tower off of Barstow Avenue.

For more information, call the V-Day voice mail line at 8-4814 or go to http://www.csufresno.edu/StudentOrgs/womensalliance or http://www.vday.org.

Back to University Journal, 2/25/02 Issue