USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

It is no secret that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), Women, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities have long been discriminated against as both citizens in the built environment and as professionals in the field of architecture. We believe that educational institutions, including USC, play a key role in combating these inequalities. Student organizations AIAS, NOMAS, and SAWA have devised this Comprehensive Diversity Initiative to facilitate the reconstruction of the USC School of Architecture curriculum and community to be more representative, inclusive, and empowering of systematically-marginalized groups.

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The current exclusion of BIPOC, Women, and LGBTQ+ designs from educational content at USC is a gross oversight that not only negatively impacts the education quality of ALL students, but also discourages participation by marginalized groups. By designing a representative education, we will create a safe, nurturing environment for underrepresented students to talk about and confront the issues surrounding inequality-- an approach that will simultaneously encourage them to succeed both in the classroom and as professionals. We see these changes as a continuation of the “Citizen Architect” concept championed by Dean Curry, via the promotion of understanding, respect, and collaboration with BIPOC,  Women, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities. We understand that there are specific minimum NCARB requirements each class must meet, but as a premier architecture institution, USC has a duty to reach beyond the minimum requirements of education and engage its student body in a discussion of the impact of our designs on ALL communities. The impact of architecture on underrepresented groups and communities should comprise the foundation of architecture education at USC in both theory and practice.

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Moving forwards, we have two goals: (1) To increase BIPOC, Women, LGBTQ+, disabled, and international perspectives in the content taught at the foundational levels of the USC architecture education and (2) To equip all students, regardless of Race, Nationality, background, or gender identity, with the ability to design spaces in the best interests of underprivileged communities, specifically to improve the spatial experience of systematically-marginalized groups.

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These goals are central to reforming the student experience at the School of Architecture. It is past time we reevaluated our community standards not only to support Black students, but to improve the educational quality and experience for all students regardless of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Physical Ability, or National Origin. Students shared their experiences with discrimination in the SOA through our survey, and this Comprehensive Diversity Initiative reflects their comments, complaints, and hopes for the future. It is our hope that enacting these inclusive policies will bring concrete change to our community and uplift the diverse student voices that comprise it.