Jacob Rohan, Marina Fabela, Andrea Mendoza, and Megan Schulte, “The Resource Guide: The Department of Architecture’s Development of Sustainable Strategies Towards Creating a Better Future”
Mentor: Chelsea Wait, Architecture
Poster #111

Lack of diversity is ingrained in higher education, and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SArUP) at UWM is no exception. This impacts not only the enrollment, retention, and graduation rates from students with diverse backgrounds but impacts their access to the profession of architecture as well—a field that often concentrates wealth and exacerbates disparities. Creating diverse school culture starts with those in power. “The administrators need to be more diverse and not just as a gesture, but to actually make a change,” states an anonymous undergrad when surveyed about discrimination in SArUP. Yet merely hiring a diverse group of individuals does not generate the sense of belonging that every student deserves. Students also need the resources to understand the problems that arise from our homogenous culture. Our completed research consists of accumulation and evaluation of publications and media about diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion (DEBI). Currently, we are developing resource descriptions, a keyword glossary, and a network of authors. We will turn this broad range of multimedia resources into an accessible and interactive web-based resource guide for students, faculty, and community members to use and implement. The resource guide will facilitate implementation of DEBI resources into syllabi, reading lists, precedent projects, and context analysis. Completion is not the goal; the guide is designed to be an ongoing project rebuilt by generations of students demanding a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future. The field of architecture can only advance when design includes everyone—regardless of ability, gender, income, orientation, race, and other identity markers. Our methods are collaborative and humanistic, emerging from critical conversations that draw upon our knowledge and perspectives. We believe this approach to complex problems helps us to develop sustainable strategies that support our mission to create a better future for all students at SArUP.