V-DAY: SASSE at Syracuse

Provocative pictures posted around campus show a woman’s midsection, her hand just covering up.  The posters display details for The Vagina Monologues, a play put on this weekend by SASSE.  SASSE, a club here at S.U., stands for Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment, the woman in the posters is one of their proud members.  I wanted to know more about SASSE and The Vagina Monologues so I spoke with club co-presidents Laura Hollahan and Erin Carhart. 
 
First a little bit about the group.  SASSE’s membership is made up of majority girls, though they welcome everyone. The club sponsors events and activities throughout the year to facilitate discussion and action on a wide array of issues.  The largest event for the group is their yearly production of The Vagina Monologues.
 
The Vagina Monologues is a play written by Eve Ensler, feminist and activist.  The play is a culmination of individual monologues; based off interviews Eve Ensler had with women, all different but in some way related to vaginas. The Vagina Monologues comes to the Syracuse campus every year around the same time. Why? V-Day of course, but not the Valentines Day you’re thinking of. Laura and Erin explained that V-Day is a campaign around the country where various groups put on productions of the monologues. The V-Day campaign occurs around Valentines Day, but the purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of women’s issues, particularly sexual and domestic violence.
 
So, what can you actually expect at The Vagina Monologues here at Syracuse? The cast will be reading the original monologues, and the monologues cover topics like your first period, childbirth, and hair.  Monologues range from humorous to emotional. The show is meant to be open and while shocking should facilitate discussion about a variety of woman’s issues.  The presidents would like people to leave the show inspired.  The show is a great place to start the conversation, what’s good about being a woman, what’s not so great, and what we can do to change. Though the presidents think The Vagina Monologues is something that women on campus should experience, men do make up a portion of the audience and are definitely invited. 
 
Want to see the Vagina Monologues? There will be four showings February 9^th, 10^th and 11^th.   Three of the four will be in Hendricks Chapel, and the first Thursday night show will be free and on the ESF campus in Marshall Auditorium.  The Thursday show starts at 6:30, the Friday show at 8pm, and on Saturday there are two productions, one at 2pm and another at 8pm. Tickets are seven dollars with a student id and can be purchased at the Schine box office.  Proceeds from the show will go to Vera House, Planned Parenthood, and The Advocacy Center. 
 
Want to know more or get involved in SASSE?  The club tries to meet every other Friday and puts on events throughout the year. You can follow them on twitter @SASSEsyracuse or like them on Facebook.