Oakland University’s Women’s Issues Forum will be participating in this national movement by sponsoring performances of “The Vagina Monologues” and “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” on March 7 and 8 in 201 Dodge Hall.

The focal point of the V-Day campaign is a performance of “The Vagina Monologues,” a nationally recognized episodic play. “The Vagina Monologues” are a collection of performances about female sexuality written by Eve Ensler.

The topics covered in the performance range from comedic takes on sexual maturity to more serious issues, such as  the aftermath of rape.

“It’s shocking but that’s how you let people know what’s happening,” said Laura Hoehner, the president of the Women’s Issues Forum. “It doesn’t just have to do with violence, it has to do with the experience of being a woman.”

The performers in both plays selected their personal favorite works from a collection of monologues published by Ensler.

“It’s personal for the people who are performing it,” Hoehner said. “They get to pick which one they perform.”

The Women’s Issues Forum had to apply for the right to participate in the national V-Day campaign. The last time Oakland participated was 2005.

Hoehner said she is glad to have Oakland participating again so people can be educated about these issues.    

Hoehner wants to let the students of OU know about the far-reaching effects of violence toward women, and particularly why men should be interested in what her group has to say.

“It’s not just affecting women,” Hoehner said. “Guys have sisters, guys have mothers, guys have friends who are female.”

Hoehner said that the second play, “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer,” deals with this idea of violence affecting everyone because, unlike “The Vagina Monologues,” it features several male performers.

“It needs to be talked about that there’s violence,” Hoehner said. “I’m not looking to change Oakland University, but if we’ve changed one person’s opinion, I’ll be satisfied.”