Nudity on campus is considered indecent unless it’s found in architecture 271.During the last two weeks of every Autumn quarter at Ohio State, students in the class complete their study of free-hand drawing techniques by capturing the nude human form on paper.Drawing the human figure is beneficial, because students know what it’s supposed to look like, yet find it difficult to recreate, said Julie M. Apley, a senior in architecture.’I was a little apprehensive and nervous at first,’ Apley said of the experience. ‘I think most of the class was nervous, because drawing nude humans was something really different.’People seemed uncomfortable with the situation in the beginning, but it wasn’t a problem once the drawing started, said Jocelyn R. Harkins, a sophomore majoring in architecture.After the drawing session, students displayed their sketches and had an open group discussion about the figures they had drawn, Harkins said.As people left the classroom, no one seemed to express any negative comments about the situation, she said.Models have always been used in this class, and drawing the nude human form is standard practice in visual and fine arts courses, said Kay Bea Jones, associate professor of architecture.Lighting in the classroom is altered during the sessions, with most of the lights turned off except for those on the model, who is distanced from the class, said Michael J. Lilly, architecture lecturer.’With the lights off and a teacher standing over you, it’s purely about drawing form,’ Lilly said.Using a human figure helps students study techniques such as perspective, the effects of light on the body and how the forms should be shaded in different amounts of light, he said.Architecture 271 is the only course in the architecture sequence that uses nude models. Students do free-hand drawings on landscapes and linear spaces before attempting to capture the human body on paper, he said.The students don’t draw the human until the final weeks of the course, because the human form is one of the most difficult subjects to draw, Lilly said.Drawing models requires taking visual notes on a page, and human figures offer a structurally intricate form for students to learn from, Jones said.Students are asked to do gesture drawings, which are quick sketches of the subject to get an outline of the form, as well as longer, more in-depth drawings, she said.When the class did gesture drawings, the allotted time was short and the models changed positions often. Students had to concentrate on the assignment and not the fact that a nude person was there, Apley said.Jones said that in the 12 years she has taught the course only two students have been unable to draw the nudes for religious reasons.Those students were given alternate assignments such as drawing from clothed figures or paintings, she said.Models are usually found through posting notices in the art department, she said.Sometimes models are difficult to find, but the architecture department pays well–$9 per hour, she said.