Special Message from President Mahesh Daas regarding Roe v. Wade Decision

The BAC is, at its core, a community. From our founding over 132 years ago as a club dedicated to “associating those interested in the profession of architecture with a view to mutual encouragement and help…[1]” to our most recent experiences of global pandemic, we remain steadfast in our support for one another. Our students and alumni come from virtually all states in the U.S. and 54 countries across the world. In light of yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to abandon stare decisis and overturn what was once “settled as a precedent,[2]” many in our community may well feel aghast and adrift.

I ask us all, regardless of individually held beliefs, to recognize the deeply painful impact this ruling will have upon many within our community as they lose the right to make decisions about their own bodies and/or experience fear over the future of hard-earned rights to marriage and equality. While it is true that little direct change will occur in Massachusetts as a result of the court’s action, the BAC is a global institution, and we support all of our community members with empathy and compassion.

As an institution of higher learning, we are committed to inquiry and discourse and there is no doubt that passionately held beliefs reside on all sides of this topic. It is also true that this ruling was much anticipated. The precise manner of the decision however, presages deeply troubling implications for other equally established human rights we as a community hold dear.

My heart goes out to those who will not rest easy tonight in the face of this painful new reality, but I take solace in the forceful words of Justice Ginsburg, “Don’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time.” Instead, we must support one another as we strive for justice and work towards a more equitable future. For as our most pragmatic founding father Benjamin Franklin reminds us, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

The BAC has put in place many forms of support for our students and employees in the form of counseling and psychological services. Employees may also access the BAC’s ombuds services.

I am confident, grateful, and proud that the BAC community continues to support each other as we have done for 132 years.