The University of California San Diego has some explaining to do.
A student’s mother complained to local media that her daughter was required by the college to take an exam … in her birthday suit. Seriously.
The mother, who did not want to be identified, told 10News that Associate Professor Ricardo Dominguez forced her daughter to take the exam naked.
In order to pass “Visual Arts 104A: Performing the Self.” Natch.
The mother stated, "There’s a perversion going on here. The fact he is a professor and has control over these students, I think he’s taking it way too far."
She continued, ”To blanket say you must be naked in order to pass my class … It makes me sick to my stomach."
Dominguez confirmed to 10News that nudity is required for the final. And in the 11 years he has taught the class, he has never received a complaint.
Students are informed from the beginning that the final is to be taken in the buff. Dominguez said, ”If [students] are uncomfortable with this gesture they should not take the class.”
Students can also get “figuratively” naked, the professor added.
UCSD officials are standing by their colleague’s side. For now.
Jordan Crandall, chair of the Visual Arts Department, defended Dominguez saying that the assignment is disclosed to the class at the beginning of the course.
Crandall confirmed, "Students are aware from the start of the class that it is a requirement, and that they can do the gesture in any number of ways."
In other words, "without actually having to remove their clothes.”
"There are many ways to perform nudity or nakedness, summoning art history conventions of the nude or laying bare of one’s ‘traumatic’ or most fragile and vulnerable self."
"One can ‘be’ nude while being covered."
It appears that the complaining mother is the only one with the problem.
Students defended their professor saying the exam is not sexual.
Art major Ricardo Alex told 10News, ”Everyone’s going to be naked. She’s not being singled out, she’s not being abused."
"She could take another class if she really didn’t want to get naked," argued student Kim Garcia.
Truer words have never been spoken.