Commitment to Diversity
The discipline of architecture weaves form, space, and use through design, through humanities, and through sciences. Our field needs to actively take on the complex unraveling of race, marginality, and exclusion in our studies. the basis of our pledge is that the architectural curriculum and design pedagogy serve as barriers to inclusivity and diversity.
As a department, we pledge to take action towards a cultural transformation of our processes, our infrastructure and our curriculum through the graduate diversity pilot program, the department of architecture has outlined initiatives and has pledged to improve the department across the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
As a first step since receiving a pilot grant to enact change, the department has established an equity steering committee dedicated to the implementation of the initiatives of the pledge below. The committee is now developing initiatives to be put into place.
Designing an Inclusive Architecture Department
Departmental Goals and Pledges
- Increase diversity + inclusion of minoritized identities
- Provide sustained + targeted support for all students
- Facilitate engagement with social justice movements across scales
- Improve the ways we teach
We pledge to advance diversity among community members, including students, faculty, staff, visiting lecturers, visiting critics, and colloquium speakers by re-imagining and investing in diversity efforts in outreach, admissions, and recruiting. We welcome the broadest range of voices to engage with us in all these goals.
We pledge to develop an infrastructure of wellness, health and equity that supports all students from the time they consider college until long after they graduate. This begins with outreach and moves to policies in admissions, scholarships and fellowships to ensure a departmental climate that prioritizes wellness and belonging. We also pledge to develop specific resources for students of minoritized identities including career counseling and strong alumni networks.
Authentic engagement with local and global movements toward equity will require investing departmental time and resources, executing tangible projects, and building individual, research and professional connections. It is the pledge of the architecture department to encourage and facilitate student engagement with these issues so they enter the profession as sensitive and considerate practitioners and community members.
The surest way to build enduring change is to transform what and how we teach. as such, we pledge to expand literacy in spatial equity and environmental justice in architectural design, architectural humanities and architectural sciences. It will take a sustained effort and coalition to nurture the collective conversations and research necessary to challenge entrenched assumptions, canons and precedents.
Making It Happen
- Spring 2022: Highlights
- Fall 2021: Highlights
- A Call to Action: 2021
During the Spring of 2022 the members of committee were comprised of the following: Tya Abe (M.Arch), Millicent Akayesi (M.Arch), Erica Blandon (M.Arch), Greg Castillo (Professor and Faculty Equity Advisor), Lingxiu Chong (Lecturer), Renee Chow (Professor and Department Chair), Greig Crysler (Professor), Paola Gutierrez (M.Arch), Angelina Huang (B.A.), Fiona Kaech (M.Arch), Elena Lunt (MSO), Asha Nathaniel (GSAO), Daniela Pardo Duran (M.Arch), Keith Plymale (Continuing Lecturer), Marcel Sanchez Prieto (Professor), Catherine Wang (B.A.), Mia Zinni (Lecturer).
Initiative Two: Support the Student Experience
The committee looked to expand on the support of the student experience by exploring career service opportunities. This semester, the committee focused on increasing visibility in career services and events. Specifically, the committee along with the CED Assistant Director of Career services sought to increase visibility and information on portfolio review opportunities for students. In this effort, career service updates have also been extended to include faculty members in addition to students. Career services has also reported a successful pilot portfolio review with members of AIA east bay which could be implemented again in the near future.
In addition to the efforts outlined above, the committee has also made headway on the ongoing student led event project in collaboration with ASJC fellows. This semester a survey was sent to gauge student interest in various topics, organizations, and guest speakers. Feedback from this survey allowed dedicated subgroup members to narrow down event topic selection and create a list of proposed speakers and invitees. In an effort to keep momentum throughout the summer, summer assistants will be hired to work on the project. The event will be held at the start of the Fall 2022 semester
Initiative Three: Facilitate Engagement with Social Justice Movements
NOMAS provided a presentation on current efforts the student organization is working towards and through discussion the committee and NOMAS members have identified exciting new areas of collaboration. The organization’s current efforts include seminar series, highschool outreach, and firm tours. In addition to NOMAS, Undergraduate Advising has also identified new ways to engage community fellows + CED undergraduates possibly through inviting community members to participate in introductory architecture courses. The committee will explore these ideas more in depth in the coming semester
During the Fall of 2021, the ARCH Equity Steering Committee was recomprised to include more students as part of the committee’s efforts.
The 2021-2022 members include: Tya Abe (M.Arch), Millicent Akayesi (M.Arch), Erica Blandon (M.Arch), Greg Castillo (Professor and Faculty Equity Advisor), Lingxiu Chong (Lecturer), Renee Chow (Professor and Department Chair), Greig Crysler (Professor), Paola Gutierrez (M.Arch), Angelina Huang (B.A.), Fiona Kaech (M.Arch), Elena Lunt (MSO), Asha Nathaniel (GSAO), Daniela Pardo Duran (M.Arch), Keith Plymale (Continuing Lecturer), Marcel Sanchez Prieto (Professor), Catherine Wang (B.A.), Mia Zinni (Lecturer).
Initiative One: Increased representation of minorities identities and build a culture of inclusion + Initiative Two: Support the student experience + Initiative Four: Improve the ways we teach
Through the on-going efforts of many students, staff and faculty, the Department is addressing structural issues that limit diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our community, our pedagogy, and our profession. The Fall 2021 Equity Steering Committee unanimously endorsed a white paper on design studio culture and course cost template for distribution to faculty and students.
The document was shared with ARCH faculty on November 19 and shared with all students at the end of November. Our plan is for voluntary adoption by faculty on course cost additions to syllabi as well as discussion about design studio culture between students and faculty in the upcoming spring semester. “Design Studio Culture” is intended to be a living document, serving as a source of discussion between faculty and students, continually modified to reflect discussions. This document was drafted by two graduate students, Samantha Miller and Mario Devora, during the summer of 2021 with funding from the Graduate Division Diversity Pilot Program. The white paper can be found, here.
The ESC is also recommending that “Course Costs” be added to syllabi, as soon as this spring. This addition allows several things: for instructors to reflect on how to ensure equal access to resources and products for their students, for students to be able to budget for the semester and for students to apply for financial aid to cover course costs. A template is added at the end of this document and can also be found at this link. All suggestions are welcome. We ask you to read the white paper with an open mind — to look for ways that we can advance both lecture and seminar formats of teaching as well as design teaching. The Equity Steering Committee will follow up for feedback, or you can send comments – thoughts – questions to archjedi@berkeley.edu.
Initiative Three: Facilitate engagement with social justice movements
22 graduate students were announced as the inaugural Arcus Social justice Corp Fellows. The fellows make up a CED cohort who will not only dedicate themselves to supporting vulnerable communities but who also focus on creating a greater sense of belonging for all students at CED. Through programming designed for the fellows, they will ideate and iterate upon what it means to make systemic, lasting, and meaningful change though social impact design work. Among the CED recipients are four M.Arch students: Alanna Muldowney, Cypress Erbez-Benson, Mario Devora, and Vanessa Giraldo. Congratulations! Applications are currently open for those applying to CED graduate programs for Fall 2022; deadline is January 15, 2022.
Initiative Five: Revising the Department Equity Plan
This continues an on-going task that is being spearheaded by Faculty Equity Advisor, Professor Greg Castillo. In the fall, Professor Greig Crysler served as the Chief Diversity Officer for the College. He will be on sabbatical in the spring, and a new CDO will be named.
Initiative Six: Assessments
We will begin review of quantitative metrics regarding our departmental demographics again in the spring.
The Department of Architecture is in the midst of making changes toward becoming an anti-racist and inclusive institution, discipline and profession. On the anniversary of the challenge presented to the department by our students and alumni, we mark the occasion with a progress report for the academic year of 2020-2021. There is much to do.
In July of 2020, following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and too many others, the graduate architecture students and alums circulated A Call to Action — Graduate Architecture Students and Alums requesting changes in the Department of Architecture to dismantle systemic racism in the department, the academy and the profession. The Call described the problems in our department and proposed changes.
In August of 2021, the doctoral and MS students in History, Theory and Society sent a letter to Dean Chakrabarti and Chair Chow, asking the College and Department to address the “inequality and systematic exclusion of Indigenous and Black students and faculty from the College of Environmental Design.” They too highlighted department concerns and proposed changes.
Fortuitously, Berkeley Graduate Division announced the Graduate Diversity Pilot Program directed toward combating racism and fostering diversity, equity and inclusion. During a year in which COVID-19 stretched budgets to their limits, receiving a four-year grant of $175,000 has been critical to the department’s support of students, staff and faculty that are directing change.
Read more on the Centers for Educational Justice & Community Engagement website.