By Guram Sakvarelidze

Special to The Denisonian

A globally discussed issue of violence against women will again be addressed at Denison in February during the V-Week. Students and faculty members are planning to offer various projects during the V-Week, starting in Feb. 8, to emphasize the importance of the issue. According to Niki Feehan ‘14, who heads the VDay project during the V-Week with Laura Wilson ‘14, one of the main goals of the events during the V-Week is to emphasize the responsibilities of men and women alike when trying to correct the issue of violence against women.

VDay, a worldwide campaign for raising awareness regarding violence against women, will kick off the V-Week on Feb. 8, in Knapp Performance Space at 7 p.m. with two performances – The Vagina Monologues, and A Memory A Monologue A Rant A Prayer (MMRP), both of which will be held the next day in Knapp Performance Space once again.

Similar to The Vagina Monologues, MMRP is a set of monologues written by average people reflecting on their subjective experiences with violence against women. This year, during the V-Days, male perspective is going to be heard when talking about violence against women. MMRP gives men, along with women, the chance to perform the monologues. The two performances will be directed and acted by Denison students who volunteered to raise awareness of the issue of violence against women through theater.

V-Week does not end with The Vagina Monologues and MMRP. Along with various film screenings in Slayter Auditorium and lectures by professors concerning the issue of violence against women, One Billion Rising Dance is planned to take place on the 3rd floor of Slayter on Feb. 14, V-Day’s 15th anniversary. According to onebillionrising.org, the dance is a global strike. The event is a call to men and women alike to raise awareness of the status quo. The dance is supposed to be an act symbolizing solidarity towards women, and a strike against violence against women.

Whether you attended The Vagina Monologues last year or not, participating in the V-Week seems to be of great importance. The issue of violence against women is a big one, affecting lives of millions. V-Week might be a good time to learn more about the issue and become a part a movement that tries to make the world a better place.