In this recent piece, Brandon Donnelly relates how the OAA sicced lawyers on him, upon finding out that he was describing himself as an "architect-trained real-estate developer" in a variety of public forums, on the premise that "Architect" is, by law, a protected title. It is, after all, a seemingly reasonable description for someone who holds a master of architecture and has been in the field in different capacities for years.
I've heard first hand of other such cases, including one about a friend who was going through the last couple of his licensure exams, where the OAA sent him a similar injunction, even though he is, or at least will be very soon an OAA member.
What's concerning is that the OAA is going after people who are not intently trying to deceive the public and worse, people who understand why "architect" is a protected title. The ham-fisted approach only contributes to alienating the association from the general public and its own members. Just read the comments on Brandon's blog to get a taste of the reactions.
As someone who's been a part of the architecture community for almost 20 years, it seems completely misguided and contributes nothing to advancing the architecture discourse and worse, makes the OAA, as an institution, look completely out of touch with the times. Yes, go after the real offenders, but threatening without warning people that should be at the very least treated as allies is sociopathic. I'm pretty sure that, had they made a courtesy call to Brandon first, and politely explained the situation, he would have happily complied just the same, but they would have also reinforced a relationship with an innovative developer instead.
The world is changing, but the profession isn't and knee-jerk reactions like this are proof that the people in charge haven't yet heard the news. What will it take for people to realize that it is better to ask questions before shooting?
I've had a similar description on various of my own biographies around the web as well. Now let's see how long it takes for the OAA to fire. Brace for impact!
What has your experience been? Share in the comments!
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