Practice Management Member Conversations

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  • 1.  Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-04-2011 05:58 PM
    Today I received my AIArchitect weekly email newsletter, which I believe is sent to all AIA members.  Right under the masthead was a link that will take you to the Call for Issues survey, which will give the AIA leadership and bureaucracy a better understanding of the views of the general membership.  The survey is open until November 15, and if you didn't get the newsletter, you can get to the gateway of the survey by following this link: 
    http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB091608

    I urge everyone to take the survey.  Several of the recent threads in the discussion forums have dealt with political issues, and several have taken the AIA to task for not listening to their membership.  Here is an opportunity to make your voice heard, anonymously if you prefer.

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    Klaus Steinke AIA
    Las Vegas NV
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  • 2.  RE:Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-07-2011 03:13 AM
    This is a great example of "the AIA" being out of touch. 

    People reading posts on this board are being asked to give input in yet another place.  Yet they have already taken time to express themselves here.
    How about this for a thought.   Instead of members being asked to take more time to respond to a survey or post their concerns elsewhere, why doesn't "the AIA" just read the board threads.  Isn't that what these boards are supposed to be for?  Isn't anyone at "the AIA" participating, or at least monitoring the conversations?
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    Howard Littman AIA
    Forensic Architect, Expert Witness
    Howard I. Littman, AIA
    Agoura Hills CA
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  • 3.  RE:Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-08-2011 04:56 AM

    Dear Mr. Littman,

    your original post of 21 points was obviously the result of a great deal of thought and time and I agree with you on all 21.

    Of course these discussion fora are being monitored and I agree that it would be interesting to hear the reaction of the "mother organization."

    We in the international chapters of the AIA lost our advocate in Washington when Ellen Delage was cut loose as international coordinator number of years ago. We in AIA Europe, spread out from Ireland to Israel (without UK), benefit from our membership through our own initiative in organizing conferences and other events. I do not feel that Washington has provided an of this benefit. Yet already in mid year, I am reminded to renew my membership.

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    Karl Hartnack AIA
    Component Past President
    Hartnack Architecture
    Duesseldorf, Germany

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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE:Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-08-2011 09:39 AM
    I understand your frustrations but the AIA is a large organization with thousands of members.  Someone on the board is monitoring this site and is reading these comments.  I am a past state chapter president and one of the hardest things is to determine what the majority of the membership wants.  The survey is such a voice that can be analyzed to try to determine just that.  You cannot react to just the voices of the few while ignoring the majority but you do listen to them and try to understand.
    We, the membership, told the leadership to cut dues, in particular firm dues based on number of employees.  At the same time we said to maintain the level of service.  AIA did just that and they have reorganized cutting staff and becoming much leaner.  Contrary what the popular believe is to provide services requires money, what we do not pay in dues we have to pay with fees.
    There have been fee waivers granted and special programs for those suffering worse than normal.  Most of us are suffering, I put more back into the firm via stock holder loans than I took home in take home pay.  We did cut staff down to core group of eight that we need to practice.  Hopefully someday the will make enough money to repay my retirement fund and I consider ourselves to be lucky.
    As to the value you receive from the AIA - one simple answer get involved.  I have been the Iowa Construction Industry Chair for about 20 years.  Those of us who are carrying the water are spending many hours working for the benefit of the members and the practice.  Those are hours taken away from the practice or the family. 
    I might as well respond to title too.  AIA shows that you are a registered architect somewhere.  In almost all states it is illegal to say you are an architect unless you are licensed/registered in that state.  So if you put registered architect on your business cards then you need different cards to use in states where you are not registered.  Once upon a time, I worked for a national firm and being able to put AIA on the card told everyone I was a registered architect.  It also means you agree to up hold a standard of ethics and continuing eductation and yes people have had their membership withdrawn.

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    Robert Carlson AIA
    Principal
    Carlson Design Team PC
    Iowa City IA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE:Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-08-2011 11:31 AM
    Howard:  Yes, we are listening.

    The AIA KnowledgeNet discussion forums are a peer-to-peer communications platform.  AIA staff does read the postings and forwards concerns to the appropriate staff to ensure that questions and issues are addressed.  We also forward member concerns to AIA leaders for their input.

     

    The survey previously mentioned is about about identifying current issues within the profession and it is the AIA's formal way of engaging member input to help the national staff and elected leadership shape the AIA legislative priorities to advocate to the US Congress and Administration. 

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    Susan Parrish
    Manager, Knowledge Communities
    The American Institute of Architects
    Washington DC
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE:Make your voice heard to the AIA

    Posted 11-07-2011 11:30 AM

    Subject: Make your voice heard to the AIA
    From: Robert L. Miller, FAIA

    Thanks to Klaus Steinke for alerting this forum to the current (until Nov. 15) AIA member survey. Making members' voices heard at all levels of government-this, and advancing collective knowledge, are the basic goals for any professional society.

    But can this survey become a tool members can use to raise their own issues with the AIA?  Here's how it's described:

    I would like to invite you to participate in the AIA's annual 'Call for Issues,' a request that goes out every year for AIA members to provide feedback on the issues they see as the most important to the future of the profession at the Federal level of government.

    Unfortunately. this sounds mostly like a tool that AIA Government Affairs can use to show widespread member support for what they're doing already (or to get early warning of some big shift in member sentiment.)  I'd welcome any evidence to the contrary-I plan to pay my AIA dues and am not permanently cynical about AIA governance, just weary.  However, having the Call for Issues call for issues end with a cheery "thank you in advance" is not a good sign. 


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    Robert Miller FAIA
    Robert Miller Associates
    Washington DC
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