Steep tuition hikes, fee increases for professional programs, and a lackadaisical administration have driven thousands to mobilize. UC Regents are today putting the final stamp of approval on a plan drawn up by the university president, Mark Yudof, a president given unprecedented emergency powers, to raise tuition 32%. Students, faculty, lab techs, unions, janitors, librarians, and even high school students are in the middle of a three day strike that is centered around UCLA, where the regents are meeting. (According to reports, Wilshire and Westwood Blvds are blocked). Architecture, planning and landscape professional programs face a $6,000 professional fee. Here's a round up: AP beanbags fired students tasered twitpic LAT rage | background from nick | on twitter search for #ucwalkout and #ucstrike | save uc & more pics | related: no common sense | Regents violate own master plan + full entry...

Richard M. Sommer, an Architect and Urbanist and a member of Harvard GSD’s faculty since 1998, has been appointed Dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, succeeding George Baird. Please click here for more information.

Eric Owen Moss dispels the rumors and corrects the record: The school's lease is not up next year but in a decade, things are pretty chill with the landlord, and—most importantly—SCI-Arc would never leave downtown. The Architect's Newspaper | Previously

The University of Kentucky College of Design has posted a video of Wednesday's lecture by Robert Somol, director of the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture. Steven Ward, who attended the lecture, compared some of Somol's discussion with Bernard Colenbrander's recently posted critique of contemporary architecture criticism. It's a long video, so I recommend you bookmark it for some downtime this weekend. Once you get past the first few minutes of bad jokes it's a really great presentation. Watch

Do you like speaking at conferences? Do you like cities? Do you like architecture? Then we've got a talk you can give! Just visit the Urban Computing conference title picker and you'll be jetting off to address a crowd in no time.

(via activesocialplastic and boingboing)

"Less than half of all architecture graduates are in employment six months after graduation" - AJ

Tulane's former Architecture Dean and creator of the school's Rome Program, Ronald Filson, is suing the school for breach of employment agreement and contract, detrimental reliance, negligent misrepresentation, action in defamation, age discrimination, existing medical condition discrimination and taking of intellectual property. Tulane Hullabaloo

As we reported last week, there's been some buzz in the news lately regarding the harsh conditions architecture graduates are facing in today's market, questioning the reasoning behind studying architecture at this point in time. It's my belief, however, that the huge number of students that blog, read, and participate on Archinect can provide some very good reasons to study architecture. We've challenged you to give us your answers to why you're dedicated to the architectural education. The deadline of 12pm PST / 3pm EST is quickly approaching. We'll be giving away a Sumo Omni chair to the best answer - perfect for stashing next to your studio desk as a part-time bed. Post your answers to the comments here or to the new Archinect Facebook Fan page.

A grad student at ASU has shot and killed himself in front of his professor earlier today while speaking with him in his office. Article and video news report at AZCentral.com

The shooting occurred in the Architecture South Building on the main Tempe Campus.

Reid Mosman, a first-year architecture student, said he was on the same floor at the time and heard the noise. He said he thought it sounded like a table or heavy object falling over, so he put his headphones back on and went back to studying.

Several minutes later, authorties came in and ordered everyone out of the building.

More than an hour after the shooting, the building was still locked down as students milled about outside.

No information on the victim or the professor was available.

ASU officials released a statement encouraging students who may have known the student or those who have been affected by the incident to seek help from the ASU Counseling Centers.

TimesOnline.co.uk recently posited, "Bad pay, few jobs and an uncertain future? Who’d want to be an architecture student in the current climate?"



Students, tell us in the comments or in the new Archinect Facebook Fan Page why YOU want to be an architecture student. The best answer posted by Friday October 30 12pm PST (as judged by Archinect) will win a Sumo Omni! + full entry...

Congratulations to the top schools... But, are you gonna let a business mag rank your programs? hmm Via

Norman Foster has found a way to spend some of his recent £500,000 pay raise following the mass layoffs at his firm. Announced today, the Lord has donated $3 million to fund a visiting professorship in his name. Take the jump to read the full press release... + full entry...

Need to score some supplies in Los Angeles but can't handle any more poseurs? Well, head over to SCI-Arc's supply store, recently named LA's BEST POSEUR-FREE ART-SUPPLY STORE by the LA Weekly.

Archinect member Curt Clay announces the publication of IDIOM, a book that emerged out of one of the courses he taught last semester at Howard University.

The contents of this volume are comprised of the work completed in Professor Curtis Clay's 2009 Religious Structures: Historic Independent Study course where students explored a topic of their choice for an entire semester. These explorations are enhanced by on-site research undertaken when the entire class travels to the particular city where all of the student's structures exist. This particular semester, all of the students traveled to Florence, Italy. This volume is comprised of each student's research as well as photographs from other cities that the students encountered during their travels.

Via the Forum

Last week, the Santa Monica City Council nixed a landmarking from February 2008 for SCI-Arc's original building on Nebraska Avenue. Developers successfully convinced the council to rescind the Landmarks Commission's decision to pave the way for—what else—condos. Oddly enough, Ray Kappe could care less, as he says the building has been altered beyond salvation. The Architect's Newspaper