If you've ever wondered where your architecture major friends disappear to on nights and weekends, wonder no more. A recent Miami University graduate is working with higher education institutions across the country to get architecture majors out of the studio and into a more realistic college scene.
Brett Roeth, a 2009 Miami graduate, is serving a year-long term as vice president of the American Institute of Architecture Students. He hopes to see substantial changes to the experience of architecture majors nationwide.
According to Roeth, who featured in Inside Higher Ed magazine for his endeavors, architecture majors experience extreme stress in the studio.
"There are a lot of instances were students will cut themselves because they're working late into the night and they're not thinking clearly," Roeth said. "There's a lot of caffeine, a lot of junk food, anything students can use to get a sugar rush. I think sometimes architecture studios draw a fine line between being dirty and untidy. Typically students do everything they can to stay up as long as possible."
Roeth said he anticipates this type of environment to dissolve from the architecture major. He hopes that universities will start to implement a "Studio Culture Policy" written by students and faculty to define guidelines for architectural living.
"What is needed is an understanding that architects cannot be trained in a bubble," Roeth said. "Architectural practice in our society really requires that people understand things from multiple perspectives."
John Weigand, chair of the department of architecture and interior design, said his program is at the forefront of this development.
"Architectural education has a history of keeping students in the studio late hours," Weigand said. "I think our department is one of the best in the country in keeping balance."
Roeth reinforced this claim with his resume of activities and involvement.
"I tried as much as possible to involve myself in campus life and understand that education is more than just studio," Roeth said. "Miami did a lot to push me outside of my major."
According to Weigand, the program must educate students on time management to keep students from spending late nights at the studio.
"We bring in such talented and driven students that they want to be late in the studio and pushing it," Weigand said. "We want them all flourishing as well-rounded students."
The architecture major has faced the inability to propel students from the studio for years, according to Weigand.
"I think it has historically been a problem where it has become a rite of passage to pull all nighters," Weigand said.
At Miami, Weigand said students have multiple opportunities to receive an interdisciplinary education.
"I think compared to other accredited architecture and interior design programs, the Miami Plan and Miami's emphasis on liberal education ensures that we get students out of the building," Weigand said. "There are other competitive schools that are probably more insular. I think that's a strength, that's one reason why our students may be a little bit better balanced."
Weigand also cited initiatives from the architecture program itself.
"Architecture is inherently disciplinary, we established a new venture, the Miami Design Collaborative, (and) we might do projects where we partner directly with marketing or engineering," Weigand said.
Weigand said students like Roeth will have more opportunities in the future because of their liberal education and experiences.
"It's much more important to me to educate someone for a lifetime," Weigand said. "One reason that alumni like Miami students is that they come in as someone who will lead the firm in 20 years; that's the connection with liberal education."
Roeth agreed but said that ultimately accreditation and school boards make the rules.
"I wish that architecture schools and the accrediting agencies as well would understand that there is more to studio than creating a contributing member of society," Roeth said.
However, Roeth said he has hope for the future.
"It is occurring on a national scale," Roeth said. "It's a shift toward understanding new forms of education that aren't so narrow. "
