Students Take Over Room to Protest Firing : Art: A demonstration near the CSUN president’s office ends without incident. A teacher thinks he was dismissed because he assigned his class to draw nude self-portraits.

CSUN art students, angered over the replacement of a student teaching assistant, barricaded themselves in a conference room outside President Blenda J. Wilson’s office this week in an attempt to find out why their teacher was dismissed.

The demonstration Wednesday lasted 90 minutes. Wilson was not in, and no administrator came to talk to the group. The protesters left without incident.

The teacher, graduate teaching assistant Rupert Carl Stechman, says he doesn’t know why he was replaced in his $20-an-hour student teaching position, but he thinks it was because of an assignment in which he asked his class to draw nude self-portraits.

Stechman, 25, gave his Drawing 1 class the assignment last week.

“I wanted the students to relax and be comfortable with themselves,” he said. “The catalogue description of the class used the words ‘emphasis on basic fundamentals of drawing--form and structure.’ So I thought, instead of drawing parts of the body, why not do the whole body?”

Knowing that some students would feel uncomfortable, Stechman said he told them they could sketch a single part of the body, like a leg or arm.

But on Feb. 10, Stechman said, Prof. Marvin Harden, graduate coordinator for the 2-Dimensional Art Department, called him and left a message on his answering machine saying that someone had called to complain about the assignment. Stechman said Harden did not indicate if the complaint was lodged by a student or parent.

On Feb. 12, Stechman told the class about Harden’s phone call and altered the assignment a bit, allowing the students to sketch a still life instead of a nude if they preferred.

On Monday, Stechman learned that he was being let go.

“Harden met with me after class and told me he was reassigning the position to someone else,” Stechman said. When he asked why, Harden told him again that “someone had complained about the assignment, and to head off further problems, he was going to dismiss me. He also said I was ill-prepared for class. But he had never come to my class, so how would he know?”

Harden was not available for comment.

Citing confidentiality of matters between students and faculty, administrators declined to reveal the reason Stechman was replaced.

Phillip Handler, dean of the School of the Arts, denied that Stechman was dismissed because of the morality of the assignment.

“It’s untrue he was let go because we thought the assignment was immoral,” Handler declared. “I can discredit the rumors and reports. I’m alleged to have caved in to complaints,” he said.

“If a parent calls, that doesn’t mean I’m going to fire someone.”

According to Handler, Stechman said he no longer wanted to be a part of the teaching assistant program. Stechman says that is true, because “the person I have a disagreement with is over the program.”

Stechman is the first teaching assistant in the 12-year history of the program to be replaced.

Most of the students turned in the assignment and drew nudes. Many of them felt Stechman, during his two-week tenure, did a good job.

The students learned of Stechman’s removal when he came to class Wednesday to say goodby. Shortly after he arrived, Harden brought the new teaching assistant to the class to introduce her. A verbal exchange ensued, Stechman said.

About 20 students left the class and occupied the conference room outside Wilson’s office. Stechman joined them.

Stechman said he only has one class and a gallery show left to complete the requirements for his master’s degree in art. He is concerned about possible backlash from the department.

He is seeking two months of severance pay and a letter from the department detailing why he was let go. He also wants his remaining degree requirements waived.

“I’m so close to getting my degree. But if I feel that my studies are going to be hampered, I will seek legal recourse,” he said.