"This is a great opportunity to maintain a record of excellence in this department," said Walker. "We teach the connection between play cognition and language recognition in children. This space will allow us to provide language stimulation to children in a natural play environment."

Through their gifts, primary donor Medina, along with an anonymous donor, has allowed the communicative disorders program to continue meeting the demands of accreditation. On a more personal level, it allows children receiving treatment at the center to have a place where they can feel comfortable and express themselves in a way they might not in a clinical setting.

The playground, located adjacent to Truesdail, includes a slide and jungle-gym set, as well as swings and other play areas.

Nicknamed the "Blitz Build" the goal was to build two homes in eight days-a usual build is 16 weeks for one home. Volunteers worked their choice of a four-hour shift-7-11 a.m., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. or 3-7 p.m.

"It was so cool to see how everything came together. When we got there the foundations were already done and when we returned a few days later, there was sod in the front yard," said Habitat for Humanity Student Director Keri Petersen'04.

The homes, dedicated on Nov. 9, are located on W. 19th Street in San Bernardino and not only share the same lot, both were built to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act as new neighbors Jesus Castaneda and Arturo Ureno Jr. are in wheelchairs.

Lighting the Way

Thanks to a generous gift from Dorothy Thompson, the Athletic Department has installed competition lights in the Thompson Aquatic Center.

Athletic Director Jeff Martinez said the lights allow the university to host large, national-level tournaments that were impossible before because they stretch into the evening. "It's obviously already a tremendous facility, but the addition of competition lights makes it top notch, one of the finest competitive facilities in Southern California," Martinez said.