In Spanish and Latin, “una” translates into the feminine form of “one.”
At Saint Louis University, Una is more commonly known as the feminine voice on campus.
The club’s purpose is to raise awareness about women’s issues, and one of the more controversial events that it sponsors is “The Vagina Monologues.”
“The Vagina Monologues [is] part of a world-wide V-Day movement to end violence against women,” said senior Anu Tomi Okuyemi, vice president of Una.
According to vday.org, “The Vagina Monologues,” held every year on Valentine’s Day, began in 1998 with 20 actors performing in New York City.
Since its beginning, more than 70 million dollars have been raised for the cause. Based on interviews with hundreds of women, the themes of the monologues range from liberation and independence to sexuality and abuse of women.
For several years, “The Vagina Monologues” was performed at SLU. However, in 2007, the group was banned from campus.
As an on-campus alternative, Una is in the process of writing a new show entitled “The SLU Monologues.”
‘“The SLU Monologues” will be stories collected from students and staff on campus “in the spirit of ‘The Vagina Monologues,” said senior Katie Cushwa, leader of Una.
With “The SLU Monologues,” members of Una hope to “do a different event focused on ending violence against women, and celebrating people who embody a life of equality,” Cushwa said.
The play focuses on raising awareness about violence against women. Funds go to Karen House and Women’s Safe House, both in St. Louis.
“The SLU Monologues” have not yet been approved to be on campus, and individual monologues are still in the process of being written. Any student is welcome to submit a monologue by Nov. 12; the student may be anonymous and can opt to perform his or her monologue if he/she chooses.
“We are hoping this will attract people who may not be the traditional audience for ‘The Vagina Monologues,’” Okuyemi said.
Along with “The Vagina Monologues” and “The SLU Monologues,” Una is holding an event called Take Back the Night. The event is a march around campus to reclaim the night from fear of sexual violence toward women. Una also celebrates Women in the Arts on Nov. 10.
“Vagina Monologues [is a] good show for its purpose” Cushwa said. “But it’s not the end-all, be-all to end violence against women.”