Until Last Week, Saint Louis University students directing “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer”-a theater piece produced by members of Una, SLU’s feminist organization-had little to worry about.

They had booked Tegeler Hall for tonight and Saturday, Feb. 16. They had distributed parts. They had memorized lines. They had printed tickets. They had sold seats. By Friday last, everything was ready; the cast had only to step onstage this weekend and perform.

Then, unexpectedly, the venue fell through. On Friday, Feb. 8, the Department of Student Life, notably Dean of Students Scott Smith, informed Una that the play would not be allowed on campus.

Two reasons surfaced to explain the prohibition. First, Student Life said that Una had improperly booked Tegeler Hall. Organizers were to secure Student Life’s permission before booking an on-campus venue, but did not. And second, that “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” is a sequel to “The Vagina Monologues,” a production banned from campus last year for its so-called redundancy.

It is a shame that Una failed to follow Student Life protocol to properly book Tegeler Hall. Even if we chalk the error up to miscommunication, the results are the same: Scrambling producers, stressed-out performers, an inconvenienced audience and frustration on multiple fronts.

But Smith’s second claim is also shameful. He and his superiors avoid essential distinctions between this play and the last, for this production is markedly different than “The Vagina Monologues.” It deals less with awareness of female sexuality and more with the prevention of violence. It involves both male and female perspectives. It includes writings by several dozen, well-known contributors. Proceeds go to organizations that work to end violence against women and girls. Which of these aims, if any, conflicts with Jesuit values?

By renouncing Una’s efforts, our University makes its loyalties clear. Student Life dares not associate itself with the production. Administrators fear criticism, should they provide a venue. Anything remotely associated with “The Vagina Monologues”-which includes bold discussion of female sexuality and a scene of underage relations (for which SLU purportedly receives angry letters)-is deemed unworthy of defense.

The University has the right to reject ventures it considers contrary to its purpose. And if SLU did this consistently, there would be less cause for concern. Yet, in another nerveless, ambiguous switch, higher-ups have drawn a hard-nosed line of defense against criticism. “The Vagina Monologues” ran for four years at SLU before its prohibition. Now, Student Life is nipping a worthwhile production in the bud before anticipated carping can begin, but without giving it a chance.

Is this production truly redundant? Is it truly offensive? Does it truly run contrary to the Jesuit mission? To determine that, SLU would have to take a stance on its own identity. Administrators would have to apply the “Jesuit Mission” as a standard of conduct, rather than as an elasticity clause, an escape hatch, a two-sided ideal to be donned during controversy but stripped away when convenient.

And although “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer” has been banned from SLU, it has not been banished altogether. The play is set to show at The Bluebird at 2706 Olive Street on March 7. Cleaning up the mess that this miscommunication left will take work, but the show will, in the end, go on.

Now the only mess left to clear up is the University’s definition of its identity.