The Quad

Issue date: 3/1/10 Section: News

On Monday, March 29th, there will most likely not be a presentation called "Pussies, Pens and Politics" co-sponsored by the Women's Center Club, the Women's Studies department and LGBTQA.

The event, which had been scheduled since early last semester, was deemed "inappropriate," and the Women's Center is not able to use their SGA allotted budget to bring the group to campus.

Pussies, Pens and Politics is, according to their Facebook page, "a fist pumping, tongue-lashing spoken word romp." The performers, Ms. Wise and Denise "Ms. Misconception" Frohman, use hip-hop and contemporary poetry to share their own experiences with sexuality, gender and race.

Dr. Matt Bricketto, Vice President of Student Affairs, told the Women's Center Club that due to the use of the word "pussy," the funding would not be given, even though the club has more than half of their annual budget still left to spend. The word was called "offensive to women."

"When I saw the word in the title of the program I was concerned and contacted several of my key staff members who work with and/or support the Women's Center Club to get their perspective on the program and the use of that term in the title," Bricketto said. "Specifically, I felt that the use of the word could be viewed as very sexist/offensive and West Chester University could be seen as supporting/endorsing this term by signing a formal contract with the artists that had this word as part of their performance title."

"He's telling a group that fights sexism that this is sexist," Women's Center president Jenn Halligan noted, on the reasoning for canceling the program.

The solution that Bricketto offered as a compromise was to change the name of the performance. The Women's Center, however, refused this option.

Kimberly Montes, philanthropist/ "herstorian" said, "it's like asking them to change who they are to let them come onto campus."

"Make them change their name? No. People pick names for a reason," added secretary Kristine Paronto.

In a show of solidarity, Students for a Democratic Society put together a rally to support the Women's Center on Thursday, Feb 25.

"SDS looks at it like this- it's not unique. It's the pattern of the university. We've been fighting for cage free eggs with no response, then the Miss WCU censorship thing- It's not new," said SDS representative Nick Hiller.

The Women's Center executive board expressed a variety of reasons why the Pussies, Pens and Politics show should go on.

Continued...

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