By Stella Simeonova
Architecture students are pleased their program is finally getting some recognition through a long pending faculty name change.
Academic Council voted Nov. 8 to change the name of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science to the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science in a move to increase visibility for the Architecture program, said faculty dean Stalin Boctor.
Boctor hopes the change will reflect the right image for the faculty, and draw greater attention to the Architecture program’s presence. The name change has been in the works for five year, but was not acted upon until this month. Boctor said he greatly supports the move, as it lends to a more accurate impression of the faculty.
Philip McKeen, a first-year Architecture student, supports the Academic Council’s decision for a more practical reason; he says it will look much more impressive on his r?sum? than an applied sciences program.
“I’m sure potential employers will want to see you graduated from an actual faculty of Architecture, instead of something as general as applied sciences or engineering.”
The change met with enthusiastic support from third-year Architecture student Paul Dolick, who is glad his program, which was once “hidden,” is finally getting recognition from the faculty. Dolick and fellow third-year student Ryan Trinidade agreed the program, which Dolick called “a blend of pseudo-engineering and pseudo-architecture” deserves its own category.
Both students said the removal of the ‘applied sciences’ title gives the program a more professional, academic feel. Trinidade speculated the change is the first step in a broader “restructuring of the entire undergraduate program,” in an effort to start a Master’s program for Architecture.
Miguel Saenz, a first-year Architecture student, said the name change is a definite step towards creating a separate faculty for Architectural Sciences. For Saenz “the program is just too extensive not to have its own faculty, it doesn’t make sense to group it into an applied science.”
First-year student Joel Turgeon said “being thrown in to that group makes Architecture seem like a second-rate program.” He believes the new change will bring the program the recognition it deserves. Turgeon said he never saw Architecture as something that fit into the engineering field “and especially not applied science.”
Boctor hopes the change will lead to a positive future for the Architectural Sciences program and will be met by support from faculty and students.
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