V-Day is no longer about romance; it is about violence.

In an effort to stop violence against women, “The Vagina Monologues” creator Eve Ensler started an organization called V-Day.

This global movement is one beneficiary of Chapman’s second annual production of “The Vagina Monologues,”showing Feb. 29 and March 1 in the Irvine Lecture Hall.

The production is an example of an effort made by one of Chapman’s on-campus groups dedicated to preventing violence on campus. By providing information and hosting educational events throughout the year, numerous campus organizations aim to keep students and faculty conscientious and interactive in an attempt to curtail violence against women.

“The first step in ending violence, or more specifically violence against women, is to bring awareness to the Chapman community,” said junior Michelle Pascucci, producer of the Vagina Monologues. “‘[The] Vagina Monologues’ discusses issues ranging from tampons to Bosnian women’s rape testimonies.”

“The Vagina Monoglues” will donate proceeds to Casa Teresa, an Orange County program that provides a support network for single pregnant women. The program was first involved with the Chapman community in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“Usually we have to pound on doors to get donations,” said Pamela Sailor, Casa Teresa marketing and special events manager. “But Chapman students came to us and it has been a great partnership.”

Chapman groups and Orange County organizations such as Bead for Life, Planned Parenthood, Community Service Programs, and C.A.R.E.S. will also be represented at “The Vagina Monologues” with tables set up to provide information on preventing violence against women.

Based at Chapman, C.A.R.E.S. - Creating a Rape-free Environment for Students - comprises student volunteers. The group educates and empowers others about issues of rape and sexual assault.

This advocacy group hosts educational programs and events such as The Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night. The Clothesline Project is an annual event that displays T-shirts color-coded to represent acts of violence and advocacy. Chapman has modified this national project to represent violence against boys and men as well as including advocacy shirts from members of the Chapman community to speak out against all types of violence.

“Violence is a people’s issue, not a women’s issue,” said Smith.

Take Back the Night, another event that speaks out against sexual and domestic violence, includes an open mic portion that gives people their voice, said Smith.

“It’s difficult for a lot of people to talk about and report their experiences,” said Pascucci. “These events allow students and faculty members to create their own way of speaking out and preventing violence.”

In a 2004-2007 Public Safety department annual security report, there were 13 reported assaults and one reported rape on Chapman University-controlled property.

“These statistics show a consistently low violence rate on campus,” said Randy Burba, Chief of Public Safety. “But for me, one instance is too many.”

However, violence is not just a campus safety concern. It is just as problematic in the classroom when dealing with writing as a form of self-expression, said Richard Ruppel, the English department chair.

“People are used to violence in novels, stories and film,” said Ruppel. “But difficulties arise when people are affected by it and it’s up to the teacher to be the judge and make the students feel safe in their classrooms.”

If these expressions of violence become excessive, personal or targeted towards others, the professor will contact the department chair, confer with the students involved and possibly contact on-campus counseling services or public safety if the problem becomes extreme, according to Ruppel.

Outside of the classroom, Public Safety plays an integral role in keeping the campus predator-free. The blue emergency phone booths on school grounds are checked once a month for maintenance, lighting surveys are conducted frequently, safety walks are performed annually to check for weaknesses in campus security and Operation Safe Ride is provided for students whenever needed, according to Burba.

“We try to produce an environment where people are less likely to be victimized,” said Burba. “And since Chapman has a small campus and student population, we are able to look out for each other.”

In addition to keeping the campus looking and feeling safe, Public Safety’s goal is to teach students about violence prevention by providing information and self-defense training, said Burba.

“By educating students about violence, they are able to take care of themselves and then take care of others,” said Burba.

Public Safety teaches defense tactics for women, ages 16 and older, as part of their Rape Awareness Defense (R.A.D.) classes every semester.

The program, taught by Public Safety Lt. Craig Lee, is broken up into three days. The first focuses on education, the second covers defense tactics and the third teaches hands-on training. Once the program is completed, each person becomes R.A.D. certified. A group session outside of the scheduled classes of up to 15 people can be arranged by contacting Lt. Lee.

“The Provost Office and C.A.R.E.S. group have been through the program,” said Lee. “We are in the process of getting the residence assistants R.A.D. certified and we would love to get the sororities involved too.”

These events, programs and classes give students the opportunity to receive education, but the key to achieving non-violence is to take action, according to Smith.

Today we have mistaken the idea of violence and non-violence,” Smith said. “Being non-violent does not mean that we are passive, it means that we are more mature.”


Contact this reporter: sarah.young@thepantheronline.com