Student Groups
The American Institute of Architecture Students – Notre Dame Chapter (AIAS-ND)
Faculty Advisor: John Mellor
The American Institute for Architecture Students chapter at the University of Notre Dame enlivens the educational and social life of Walsh Family Hall. AIAS-ND enhances the educational process by scheduling visits to active construction sites on campus with the cooperation of the University Architect and inviting guest speakers from nearby AIA chapters. AIAS-ND encourages the culture of hand-drafting and watercolor rendering at the school with an architectural supply closet so members can get what materials they need conveniently and at a discounted rate. In addition to these educational aspects, the club sponsors trips to national and regional events, plans interclass mixers, and holds an annual Beaux Arts Ball in the spring. The goal of AIAS-ND is to spur conversation, curiosity, and passion in this chosen field of study.
The Frank Montana Sketching Club of Notre Dame – (FMSCND)
Faculty Advisor:
The Frank Montana Sketching Club was founded in 2016 to encourage the passion and scholarly collaboration that results from drawing and sketching. Inspired by the travel paintings done abroad by Frank Montana, the Club seeks to instill a love of drawing cultivated not only at school and while in Rome, but throughout one's life. All students at Notre Dame are welcome, and the School of Architecture will be the general headquarters for the club's main activities, including: visits to the Snite Art Museum, sketching and measuring buildings on campus, lectures, and social events.
The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students – Notre Dame (NOMAS-ND)
Faculty Advisor: Samantha Salden Teach
The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students is an organization established to support and encourage students of different races, genders and sexual orientations. NOMAS ND provides mentorship as well as interaction with NOMAS clubs at other schools across the country. The goal of the club is to give minority students a sense of community and provide role models to encourage, inspire, and provide them with a sense of belonging in the field of architecture.
Stoa Magazine
Faculty Advisor: Sean Nohelty
Stoa—the student-led, student-designed, and student-edited magazine of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture—serves as a platform for showcasing student experiences, design research, and writing. By bringing the unique Notre Dame student perspective to broad architectural themes, Stoa acts as a catalyst for mindful exposition and theory for contributors and readers alike. Above all, the magazine cultivates a community for intellectual growth by connecting students, alumni, and faculty, as well as fostering a dialogue with the wider academic and architectural world.
Student Association for Women in Architecture – Notre Dame (SAWA-ND)
Faculty Advisor: Krupali Krusche
Student Association for Women in Architecture was founded in 2007 by Mollie Code and Danielle Potts through a grant from the Beverly Willis foundation. The club is open to both undergraduates and graduates in the School of Architecture who support the presence of women and promote gender equality in the industry. SAWA meets throughout the academic year with faculty to discuss current topics relating to the field, foster inter-class mentoring relationship between student, and host panel lectures.
Students for Classical Architecture – Notre Dame (SCA-ND)
Faculty Advisor: Richard Economakis
Students for Classical Architecture's Notre Dame Chapter is a student group focusing on classical architecture in the architectural practice and education of the 21st century. As the only chapter of the SCA at a school with a classical curriculum, our chapter's activity is crucial to coordinating the national effort of the SCA. Our Mission Statement is: Architecture has its roots in hundreds of years of tradition. Yet, it is common in today’s architectural academies that the teaching of this tradition be willfully neglected. As students, we want to learn the fundamentals that have arisen from this tradition so that we might incorporate those principles into our own, contemporary, architecture. We believe that the integration of canonical instruction will yield graduates competent at designing buildings which exemplify the Vitruvian triad of commodity, firmness and delight, while dissuading the notion of architecture as self-expression. Thus, we elect to study the classics and ask that our universities give us opportunities to do so. Students for Classical Architecture will promote discussion regarding how best to incorporate architectural fundamentals into a contemporary curriculum. The Students for Classical Architecture will also support local chapters of this organization at all institutions of higher learning. It is our hope that collaboration between these chapters will encourage dialogue between their respective academic programs, fostering a gradual rebirth of tradition in education.
Students for New Urbanism – Notre Dame Chapter (SNU-ND)
Faculty Advisor: Samir Younés
Students for New Urbanism (SNU-ND) provides education on the New Urbanist planning approach. The chapter also supports New Urbanism initiatives in the local community. Recently SNU-ND worked with the city of South Bend to develop a renovation plan for the city’s Ravina Park. The club also supports student participation in city forums related to downtown revitalization projects including the St. Joseph County Public Library renovation and the South Bend Riverfront redesign. Every year, the club brings planners, architects, and real-estate personnel to give lectures and engage in discussion with the Notre Dame students and faculty to encourage thought and enthusiasm for traditional city-planning.