By SAMANTHA HIGGINS &
ASHLEY WEMMELL
STAFF WRITERs
[email protected]

The Vagina Monologues, a play to raise awareness and money for sexual assault victims, opened on Tuesday April 7, leaving the Alumni Lounge almost at capacity at show time.

The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play based off of true stories that is done all over the country to raise awareness for sexual assault, domestic violence and violence against women. V-day gives colleges and the younger generation the opportunity to get involved and make a difference. Statistically, one in four women and one in six men will be sexually assaulted before they are 18. This performance raises awareness to those statistics. It also ensures that those who are effected and triggered know of the resources available to them. At this event, it was stressed that the Victimology club, the peer educators and so many others on our campus are available to anyone who needs it, and that “you are not alone, we believe you, it was not your fault.”

The Vagina Monologues opened on with an introduction by Brittany Bauch, President of the Victimology club, which sponsored the show. The Victimology Club meets weekly and plans events with the goal of raising awareness on campus about sexual assault, domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse and much more.

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the organization hosted the show, which has been an annual event at the University of New Haven for as long as Bauch can remember. Previous presidents began the tradition because V-day raises money for local rape crisis centers to end violence against women.

The Alumni Lounge was decorated with hearts and the word love along with resources for stalking, domestic violence and sexual assault provided by the on campus Violence Prevention and Intervention Center. This was done in the event that any of the content was triggering for audience members.

Jenny Wenderoth, the college advocate for the Rape Crisis Center, was identified as well as the Peer Educators for the Violence Prevention Center. Admission was $2; all proceeds were donated to the Milford Rape Crisis Center.

Jennifer Balabanow, Project Coordinator of the Violence Prevention and Intervention Center, said this event was important because “every victim and survivor deserves all the support possible.”

The introduction went right into the first performance, and each performance varied from the last. Some were more serious while others were clearly to entertain and had the audience roaring with laughter. Between acts there were both “happy vagina facts” and “not so happy vagina facts,” helping to make the night educational as well as entertaining. The night ended on a high note with what many audience members said was the “best act” that had everyone in the room almost falling out of their seats laughing.