Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Michael Chien Women's Week volunteers have been flyering on Locust Walk all week long. They sold 'Vagina Monologues' tickets, T-shirts and vagina lollipops to pedestrians, raising money to combat violence against women. [Click to enlarge]

Women comprise 51.7 percent of the student population at Penn, according to the Admissions Web site, and yesterday marked the kick-off of a 10-day program devoted to bringing them all together.

In its fifth annual "Women's Week," the Penn Consortium of Undergraduate Women is presenting a series of 12 events hosted by women's organizations across campus and sponsored by the Penn Women's Center, Trustees' Council of Penn Women, the Connaissance committee of the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Annenberg School.

"Generally it's pretty unnatural for women to come together as women," PCUW chairwoman and College senior Lauren Lorberbaum said. "Women's Week provides a forum for women to come together without any specific agenda in mind."

This year's keynote speaker is activist, scholar and educator Angela Davis, who will culminate the program on Feb. 15 with an address on achieving social change in the twenty-first century.

"Women's Week is important because it highlights the accomplishments of women," Penn Women's Center associate director Gloria Gay said. "And in terms of women, [Davis] is one of our icons."

One of the week's most popular events is the eighth-annual student and faculty production of Eve Ensler's"The Vagina Monologues" - sponsored in part by The Daily Pennsylvanian - which debuted yesterday evening. The final show will take place tomorrow evening at 8 p.m.

In celebration of "V-Day," which stands for "Victory," "Valentine" and "Vagina," all proceeds from ticket sales benefit Women Organized Against Rape, the only rape-crisis center in Philadelphia.

Last year, the V-Day Penn campaign raised over $28,000 to fight sexual violence against women and girls. This year, the goal is $38,000, and students have been advertising by screaming the word "vagina" from the group's table on Locust Walk.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools