Welcome to Spring Semester!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday break and that your spring semester has gotten off to a terrific start. We're ready to jump right in to another semester of activities and events, and we look forward to having you all involved as well! At the moment, much of L.I.P. Service's focus is on the upcoming production of the Vagina Monologues that is being put on by the Women's Studies program. L.I.P. Service is a co-sponsor of the production, which means that members can be involved in a number of ways:

1. Buy a t-shirt! The cost per shirt is $12. If you would like to order a shirt, please e-mail the group account ASAP (no later than Friday afternoon, at lipservice.ua@gmail.com) to give your size info, and you can bring the payment (cash or a check made out to Women's Studies) to the Women's Studies office at Schrank Hall North 58. There is a *really* short timeframe on this, so the sooner the better!

2. Volunteer to make baked goods! We had discussed at our December meeting about having a bake sale to help contribute to the Vagina Monologues, and people seemed excited about that idea. If you would like to donate some baked goods to sell at the performances, then first please e-mail us so we have a sense of how many people are volunteering and what they might be bringing. Once you've made your delicious treats, they need to be *individually wrapped (in plastic wrap or baggies)* and labeled (so people know what they're getting, if it has nuts in it, whatever). You can then bring these to the Women's Studies office on Friday, February 13, or to the performance itself at 6:30 on Friday or Saturday. When you volunteer, please let us know when you think you might be able to drop off the treats.

3. Volunteer to help out during the performances! In addition to the donation of baked goodies, we will need people to staff the table both nights to sell the treats, collect money, etc. We also need people who are willing to volunteer in general for some of the last-minute details of the performances -- doing things like chalking the sidewalk, directing people from the parking lot to the performance hall, ushering, handing out programs, and doing general troubleshooting tasks during the nights of the performances. If you are willing to commit to help in any capacity, please let us know via e-mail ASAP.

4. Donate some needed materials! This is a great way to help out if you're not baking-inclined and are unavailable during the nights of the performances. Our wish list of items includes baggies and plastic wrap (in case there are any issues with the baked goods) as well as air fresheners and/or Fabreeze (because the theatre smells a bit on the musty side). More immediately, we also need donations of chocolate that can be melted and used to make the chocolate vagina suckers that we will be selling at the shows. If you would like to donate any of these items, just bring them to the Women's Studies office. The chocolate is needed by February 8 so that there's sufficient time for the chocolate vaginas to be made.

5. Take part in the prior awareness events! In the days before the actual performances, L.I.P. Service is sponsoring two consciousness raising events to help promote the Vagina Monologues and its principles. The first of these is a screening of the documentary "Until the Violence Stops," which tells the story of how the Vagina Monologues grew into the V-Day organization. That is happening on Monday, February 9 at 4-7pm in CAS 133. The other is a teach-in on the women of the Congo, which is this year's beneficiary of VM profits. The teach-in will feature a presentation, documentary, and discussion on gender-based violence in the Congo and how the women of this region have experienced rape as a weapon of war. That event is happening on Tuesday, February 10 at 5-7pm in SU 335. We would like to see lots of L.I.P. Service members at these events -- all you need to do is show up (and bring some friends). If you're interested in helping out with these events in some way (e.g., facilitating discussion) please e-mail us and let me know. Otherwise, all you have to do is show up.


Let us know how you'd like to take part in any of the above, and we'll make it happen! Thanks for your involvement, and we're looking forward to an awesome semester!!