By Christa Rodriguez || Campus Life Editor
On Thursday, January 26, V-Warriors hosted a Period Party in the Steinman College Center from 6p.m. to 9p.m. V-Warriors is a group of student activists on campus that strive to fundraise and advocate for social justice. It is an all-inclusive club, which means anyone can join and be as involved as they choose to be.
The Period Party’s purpose is to destigmatize menstruation by celebrating it, while also raising money to help women and children in need. Attendees could either pay the $1 admission fee or donate one of several items, including feminine products, diapers, floor cleaner, laundry detergent, paper towels, or gift cards to Lowes, Giant, or Wal-Mart. These items and all proceeds went to the Milagro House in Lancaster, which offers education, counseling, and housing to homeless women and their children.
Their website states that “Women who enter Milagro House come with a commitment and determination to move ahead in their education and gain skills to support themselves and their children and to manage their lives after they move into their own housing.”
Students could play various games in order to win raffle tickets throughout the night. Each raffle ticket provided a chance for the winner to receive free V-Warriors merchandise or free tickets to the upcoming Vagina Monologues, which will take place on February 23, 24 and 25 at 7p.m. in the Green Room Theatre. The games included Period Bingo, Menstrual Trivia, and Pin the Ovaries on the Uterus.
Period Bingo involved player boards with different pictures depicting various aspects relating to menstruation from a a heating pad, to Midol, to ice cream. Menstrual Trivia included a series of questions such as how much blood does the average woman lose during her period to can a woman’s voice change while on her period. Pin the Ovaries on the Uterus was a playful take on Pin the Tail on the Donkey, in which the player would put on a blindfold, be spun around by a volunteer, and try to place the ovaries on its proper place on an enlarged picture of a uterus attached to the wall. These games simultaneously educated guests about women’s bodies as well as reduced the stigma associated with them. In addition, guests could purchase cupcakes and pizza as well as V-Warriors t-shirts.
Female empowerment music played throughout the night, in between multiple performances by different on-campus groups. One of F&M’s all-female a capella groups, Sweet Ophelia, and F&M’s only co-ed a capella group, Poor Richards, performed songs for the crowd.
The Rumspringas, the only improvisational comedy group on campus, performed skits based on one-word suggestions from the audience.
The student groups SISTERS and LIFT both performed spoken-word poetry, relevant to women’s issues.
By the night’s end, V-Warriors raised $219.90 for the Milagro House.
The Vagina Monologues is the next big event V-Warriors will host, and will be open to both students and the community with proceeds going towards charity as well.
Sophomore Christa Rodriguez is the Campus Life Editor. Her email is crodrigu@fandm.edu.