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Show WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015 NEWS DIXIESUNNEWS.COM -- 3- Workshops, discussions, performances held to help tackle women s issues BY EMILY HAVENS emilyhavensDSN If the word vagina scares you, the 2015 Vagina Project may be the most important event you attend at Dixie State University this year. The Vagina Project was organized for the first time last year to raise awareness for womens issues through a variety of lenses. Due to last years huge success, the 2015 Vagina Projects events will span the nights: today course of three through Friday. Dannelle Larsen-Rifsocial and behavioral sciences department chair and an assistant professor of psychology, said the nature of her classes have caused e, LAWSUIT continued from Page 2 He said he hopes the case is settled quickly but is willing to fight as long as it takes. Section 97 of the official complaint filed by the students, available on the FIRE website, many students to approach her with questions about sexuality. She said there is a hunger for this information on campus. Female faculty, students and staff are being harassed and objectified on a daily basis, Larsen-Rif- e said. These issues are very real and relevant on this campus. I hear from students all the time about how these things have impacted their lives. Although these issues arent necessarily exclusively problems for women, Larsen-Rif- e said Utah has a higher than average rate of sexual violence against women. However, she said the Vagina Project is for everybody. Feedback from attendees last year revealed there is a yearning for more discussion. To feed this need, this years Vagina Project said the students "are entitled to damages in an amount to be determined by the evidence and this Court and the reasonable costs of this lawsuit" as well as all fees for attorneys. Sevcenko said this is standard practice for a civil rights case. Ronald London, a First Amendment attorney who is an outside counsel for FIRE, will offer workshops and open discussions in addition to the Vagina Monologues, art exhibition, theater and music performances and an improv dance perfor- mance. Some of the discussion topics will be about healthy relationships, female anatomy and women in criminal justice. There is also a website where students can post their secrets to be shared anonymously. Nancy Ross, an assistant professor of art history, helped Larsen-Rif- e found the Vagina last year, and this year Project shes organizing the art exhibition. Ross said womens issues in Utah need to be addressed. I think being a woman in southern Utah is very difficult, she said. I know not everybody experiences that difficulty, and said during a phone interview if the complaint is litigated, the monetary compensation helps makes up for the violation. "I think the complaint lays out our perspective ofi how their First Amendment rights have been violated in the past under these policies," London said. "They are certainly entitled to be made whole for Scholarships, experience awarded at Pansy Hardy BY NICK ANDERSON nickvanderson The Pansy Hardy Speech to Entertain competition is again to reward talented student speakers with trophies, refreshments and, most importhere antly, money. Students need to sign up Thursday to be eligible to participate in the competition on April 2. The first, second and e winners will receive $1 ,000, $300 and $150 scholarships. Students must be prepared with an eight to speech that can entertain an audience but also by third-plac- be informative. Its not a stand-u- p comedy said Kathleen Briggs, an administrative secretary for routine, he communication ment. depart- They are supposed to fired continued from Page 2 because of the amount of supreceived. There has been fantastic support from the community and students, Davenport said. port he has Up m blown away. Moving forward leam and inform the audience, but in an entertaining way. Students give their speeches three times before different judges. Then the judges tally the scores theyve given, and the three finalists give their speeches again before the winners are announced. Briggs said in the past many of the speeches she heard, including the whining speeches, were personal anecdotes. Sally Hardy, a senior communication major from Spanish fork, was a contestant in last years competition and adapted one of her own experiences to use as a speech. It was one of my most embarrassing moments, Hardy said in an email. I had told a lot of people about it and they would ask me to tell it again and again. I took that story and related it to a moral concept. Hardy said she plans on While waiting for the investigation to be completed, Davenport said the chances the president will change his mind and he be reinstated are slim. I am far from perfect, Davenport said. But I would love the opportunity to clear my name. Im an open book. entering again this year. Besides the scholarship money, Briggs said there are other benefits from learning to speak in front of audiences. It translates into lots of dif- ferent presentations, Briggs said. Anything that you do before a group, it would help you to just be judged on it and get input on how well you do. Hardy said when she entered, she had the opportunity to leam and grow by getting out of her comfort zone. You also get to meet some amazing people, Hardy said. People who enter these contests are adventurous and brave just like you. And, the refreshments are yummy. Even though she said she broke into a sweat just signing up for the competition, Hardy said that it was important to face her fear. She ended up taking third place in 2014. Davenport said everyone has been very mature in supporting him through all the confusion he and his family have been experiencing recently. I love Dixie State, Davenport said. I dont want to go. I just wish there was a way for a reconciliation to be reached. thats certainly fair to say, but Utah was just recently named to be the worst state in the union for women. Ross said she feels like the culture of womanhood is taboo in the DSU community, and she was surprised last years turn out was so high. You cant address a problem until its out in the open, Ross said. Im Mormon, and Im very active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints, Ross said. On my way in (to the event last year), I saw a woman there who belongs to my ward, and Im sure her family didnt know she was there. I think she was there because there was something for her that she wasnt getting elsewhere. those harms, which when these matters are litigated means a damage award." London said he believes FIRE has reached out to DSU in the past about the university's policies. "FIRE is always willing to work with any university that wants to brings its policies up to date ... when it comes to the said one of the more exciting parts of the Vagina Project is the involvement of people from across many different departments on campus. Men and women on campus are aware there is a problem and they want to be a part of the solusaid. Seetion, Larsen-Rif- e students ing my colleagues included want to be involved is really exciting. The culture of womanhood needs to be bigger than what it is now, Ross said. Its not like nobody in southern Utah wants to talk about womens issues, and were just trying to force this idea onto people that there are problems, but rather, that there are problems and we need to give voice to those problems, she said. Larsen-Rif- e First Amendment," London said. "The bottom line is that DSU needs to conform to the First Amendment." Steve Johnson, director of public relations, said in an email, "Dixie State University does not comment on pending litigation." According to the FIRE press release, Greg Lukianoff, FERE president and CEO, said, "Dixie State is a public university bound by the First Amendment, and the First Amendment is quite clear that you have the unequivocal right to criticize or mock political figures." FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that has provided attorneys to represent the students during the lawsuit. |