The ‘v’ word won’t be spoken at St. Ben’s this month.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of “The Vagina Monologues,” but this is the first time in three years that the play won’t be read at St. Ben’s.

Organizing the annual reading of “Monologues” fell through, canceling the play that has been associated with controversy at the hundreds of college campuses across the U.S. and world that perform the play.

“I was really angry,” said senior Kate Glueckert, who tried to organize the play in August, but couldn’t find a tenured faculty member from the Gender and Women’s Studies department to sponsor the project. “I do believe if someone from the (department) …. could have monitored it, the administration would have approved it.”

St. Ben’s isn’t hosting the play this year, and it isn’t alone. In fact, no other Catholic college in Minnesota is listed on the Monologues’ Web site as sites for the play this year.

Students at Catbolic insitutions are forced to go elsewhere — most likely a public school such as St. Cloud State —if they want to see “The Vagina Monologues.” St. Cloud State is hosting the play at 7 p.m. today in Ritsche Auditorium.

For students involved with the play at Catholic instutions, losing the play is a disappointing trend.

“The Vagina Monologues” is a play that portrays women’s views of their bodies and sexuality. The play, by feminist and playwright Eve Ensler, is part of a global campaign to raise awareness about and to end sexual assault and domestic violence.

“(It’s an important issue) especially because we’re an all women’s campus … (who) have a huge potential to gain knowledge about the issue,” Glueckert said.

Last year’s reading of the play drew a packed crowd to Alum Hall at the HCC — including CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger, Glueckert said.

“It was amazing,” Glueckert said of last year’s turnout. “It was packed.”

She’s disappointed by this year’s loss of the play. And she said she’s frustrated by the process it took to try and get the play to CSB, but she said she doesn’t hold anything against the administration.

“I don’t think they were out to get us,” she said.

Mary Geller, the vice president of Student Development, said the administration is supportive of discussing the issue of sexual violence, “they just feel like it’s been done so much already” through this format.

“I think there’s an interest of exploring women’s sexuality in a variety of venues,” she said.

Geller said St. Ben’s has been able to read the play in the past because it’s protected by academic freedom (the students involved with the project complete it as an ILP).

But that isn’t the case at other Catholic colleges in the state.

St. Kate’s and St. Thomas in St. Paul, St. Scholastica in Duluth and St. Mary’s in Winona all aren’t performing the controversial play this year.

While these Catholic colleges aren’t hosting the play, other private colleges are hosting readings this month.

Carleton College held a reading Feb. 9 with 1,000 people in attendance, raising more than $4,000, an organizer said.

St. Olaf will host a benefit performance Feb. 23 of the Monologues as part of week-long events to commemorate “V-week,” which includes a vagina wellness event and discussions about violence towards women.

“To my knowledge, St. Olaf has been performing ‘The Vagina Monologues for five years now,” St. Olaf senior and organizer Laural Brentner said via e-mail. “…At times we have faced some resistance. Usually here on campus people do not ‘protest’ the event or monologues — but will complain to the administration — who will then put pressure on us to change things etc.

“This can be a frustrating way to deal with it … But overall every year comes together somewhat smoothly and I think it is so important that we continue to do them every year if we are able to,” Brentner said.

She said some people may complain about the play because they’re uncomfortable about the topics.

“They just hear the word ‘vagina’ and they freak out,” she said.

Michaela Swanson know’s exactly what that’s like.

Swanson, who graduated from St. Kate’s last year, was involved with organizing the Monologues during her time at the St. Paul Catholic school. She said the Cardinal Newman Society, a national organization that works for the renewal of Catholic identity at Catholic campuses, has influenced why the school hasn’t had the play the past three out of five years.

The reason the play isn’t performed is because of the Cardinal Newman society, Swanson said. “It’s just sad they could so much pressure on a college.

“It was a big upset,” she said. “If there’s any school that should have this, it’s St. Kate’s.”

The Cardinal Newman Society started a campaign in 2006 to rid Catholic campuses of “the sexually explicit and morally offensive play,” its Web site says.

The organization cites they’ve been successful — “reclaiming” 10 campuses. This year, 22 Catholic universities hosted the play, down from the 32 that did in 2003, the organization says.

Swanson said St. Kate’s released a statment saying the play contradicted with the school’s mission statement.

The conflict with Catholic identity is currently playing out at Notre Dame, where Catholic bishops have moved a theological seminar off the campus because of performance of Monologues. They were quoted in local media saying they disagree with the university’ decision to allow the controversial play.

Glueckert said she doesn’t think the situation at St. Ben’s had anything to do with outside pressures.

“I hope it’s not for any other reason,” she said.

Today, unlike last year when she and nine other CSB students participated in “The Vagina Monolgues,” Glueckert will just be watching from the audience on another campus.

BY THE NUMBERS:

· One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape.

· 10 percent of sexual assault victims are men.

· 1 in five female college students said they have been forced to submit to sexual intercourse against their will, according to a 1995 national college study.

IF YOU GO

What: St. Cloud State University’s reading of “The Vagina Monologues”

When: 7 p.m. today

Where: Ritsche Auditorium, SCSU

Tickets: $6 in advance, $8 at the door

More info: 308-4958