USF students rally behind provocative art teaching aide

The university reassigned the assistant, who showed a class a slide of himself engaged in a sexual act.

By BARRY KLEIN

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 5, 1999

TAMPA -- More than 100 University of South Florida students marched to the president's office Thursday to protest the reassignment of a teaching assistant who showed a sexually explicit image in an introductory art class.

The presentation was intended to illustrate how art, and especially its public display, can be controversial, said Wallace Wilson, the chairman of USF's art department.

Several images were offered as examples. One showed the teaching assistant, St. Petersburg artist Derek Washington, engaged in a sexual act, USF officials said.

A female student in the class later complained to administrators. She said the presentation, which occurred in early October, amounted to sexual harassment.

That triggered a university investigation, and Washington's temporary reassignment.

It also prompted Thursday's protest by students in the class.

"They apparently were concerned that there were censorship issues, and perhaps racial issues," said John Coker, an associate dean in the College of Fine Arts.

Washington is an African-American. USF officials said the title of the image that prompted the complaint was "N----- screwing a white woman."

Because of confidentiality laws, university officials are not identifying the student who made the harassment allegation. They also will not confirm that Washington was the target.

But Washington, who has described himself as an artistic maverick, confirmed in a telephone interview that he is the focus of the investigation. He declined to make any other comment.

Until his reassignment, the 38-year-old sculptor and painter was one of five teaching assistants in the class, which has an enrollment of about 250 students. Wilson said Introduction to Art is designed for non-art majors and is taught by Diane Elmeer, a well-regarded local painter.

Elmeer had been talking with the class about art and censorship, Wilson said. She asked Washington to bring in examples of his work that have proved controversial.

In 1991 he included a pornographic video as part of a one-person show at USF's student-run Centre Gallery. In 1993, he wanted to include a dead dog as part of a piece representing an African religion. A year later, he pulled all his work from an exhibit because he did not like the way one piece was displayed.

Though it was apparently unintended, Washington now has another controversy on his hands.

The students in the class were unaware of the complaint, or why Washington had been reassigned. When he didn't show up for class again on Thursday, a large number marched to the administration building, where they tried to question administrators.

There were no incidents, and another meeting between students and administrators is scheduled for today.

Meanwhile, officials are continuing their investigation.

R.B. Friedlander, an assistant general counsel at USF, said temporary reassignments are standard procedure in cases such as this.

She said it isn't fair to leave the alleged harasser in a position of authority over the student who complained. And it isn't fair to leave the instructor open to false charges of retaliation.

"We hope to resolve this as quickly and fairly as possible," Friedlander said.

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