By Cassie Florian
News Editor
Alma College’s on-campus women’s aid center, the MacCurdy house, has been very active this year, having held events such as the slut walk and a house meet and greet that members hosted in the fall.
This month, MacCurdy is sponsoring two more events that, like those it has hosted in the past, help to promote equal rights among people of all genders on campus.
The first event that they are hosting is a production of “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and
A Prayer” or MMRP for short. “[An MMRP] is a collection of monologues written by or inspired by real people,” said Ishijah Johnson (‘18).
They were put together by Eve Ensler, who also did the Vagina Monologues, which MacCurdy has also performed in the past.
The Vagina Monologues are episodic plays that discuss topics such as body image, consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences and several other topics as seen from a woman’s perspective.
Although MacCurdy has been doing Vagina Monologues for a while now, the group felt that it was best to make the switch over to MMRP.
“A few of us in the house [did] not like the idea of acquainting women with vaginas,” said Johnson, so we switched to MMRP, which is more inclusive and raises awareness to certain issues.”
Although the dates to audition to be in the performance have already past, Alma College staff and students can still watch the monologues get performed and support their fellow students.
The production will take place Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel and students are encouraged to come and listen.
“It will be eye opening,” said Johnson. The second thing that MacCurdy is doing this month is a dress drive throughout February and into March.
“The dress drive is a collaborative project between MacCurdy house and the Career Closet here in Alma, run by the Women’s Resource Center of Gratiot County,” said Audrey Karr (‘18).
Items that can be donated include gently worn prom dresses, accessories, shoes, jewelry and strapless bras of all sizes and designs, according to Karr.
Donated items can be dropped off at the MacCurdy house, 701 W. Center Street, or the Career Closet, which is located at 150 W. Center Street.
“This is a new project growing out of the need for local high school students who cannot afford the enormously expensive necessities of prom season,” said Karr.
The dresses that are donated go to the students here in Gratiot County so that they can have them for prom.
“It is important to donate and participate in events like this because it brings the campus and local community together for a great cause,” said Karr.
She said everyone deserves to go to prom and enjoy themselves, and not being able to afford all of the components for a successful prom is an unfair reason to have to miss out on such a special night.
For students who are interested in doing more with the project, MacCurdy welcomes anyone who wishes to help out with the drive.
If any students are interested in volunteering their time at the Career Closet or wish to assist in any other way with the project, they are encouraged to contact Karr, who is the current MacCurdy house manager.
