Thank you for your question, Sean!
Hopefully, I can help clarify and assuage any concerns. A fellow AIA SPP member flagged the posting from a few days ago.
These discussion forums are all self-moderating, meaning any member of the group has the ability to flag content as inappropriate or as spammy. Once flagged, the post will be hidden for a brief time while under review. At the request of the member who flagged it, the original post was forwarded to our Office of General Counsel for review. This was done to ensure that the posting was consistent with federal antitrust law and the Institute's antitrust compliance policy. This is of particular concern to avoid the kind of Justice Department investigation and lawsuit that in 1990 resulted in a consent decree, with court-ordered Justice Department oversight over the AIA for a ten-year period.
The General Counsel has reviewed and approved the release of the posting. You can find it at its original link here:
http://network.aia.org/discussions/viewthread/?GroupId=181&MID=15927
The original poster and the concerned member have both been contacted in an effort to answer any questions and hear the concerns they may have about the post. Thank you for your vigilance and active participation in the discussions! Feel free to contact me directly at the office if you have any other concerns or questions.
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Ann Harris
Manager, Knowledge Communities
Washington, DC
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