Facilities: The University of Rhode Island has begun the largest design and construction project in school history -- a $54 million Convocation Center. The project began July 13 with the demolition of the fieldhouse at Meade Stadium to clear the site for the 200,000 square foot Convocation Center, which will be the new home for Rhode Island's basketball teams, as well as other athletics and campus events. In addition to demolishing the fieldhouse, crews also will remove the west grandstand at Meade Stadium. The new Convocation Center will contain luxury boxes that provide views both of the arena inside the Convocation center and the football field. Seating capacity in the arena will be about 8,000. The project is expected to be completed by fall 2002.

Sports sponsorship: Wagner College has announced that it will add women's water polo to its slate of 21 sports for the 2001-02 academic year. Current Wagner women's swimming coach Katie Dolan will assume the head coaching duties. Wagner currently sponsors 11 women's and 10 men's sports. The school's women's swimming team competed at the Division I level for the first time two seasons ago. Wagner finished the construction of a $11 million student and athletics facility in spring 1999. The facility, which features a six-lane pool that is ideal for water polo competition, also houses a 2,100-seat basketball, wrestling and volleyball arena. "Our decision to add water polo is motivated by the fact that the college now has a regulation indoor swimming pool, which enables us to offer water sports, in combination with our need to muscle up women's sports in order to demonstrate our continued commitment to gender equity," said Norman Smith, Wagner president. "Wagner water polo is another step toward our commitment to equity in athletics."

Miscellaneous: Two Division I schools have unveiled new athletics logos recently.

Kent State University's new mark features an italicized block "K" surrounded by a streaking golden eagle head that flows into a curved lightning bolt. The logo capitalizes on the popular action-oriented look while also reflecting the university's return to "Kent State" as opposed to "Kent." It will be Kent State athletics' primary logo but will be used in conjunction with two other logos that debuted this past summer. "The impetus for changing the logo came about from the decision to more accurately promote 'Kent State University' by our athletics teams and department, and it provided the opportunity to roll out a consistent branding message," said Kent State director of athletics Laing Kennedy. The new logo was designed by a production firm that included three Kent State graduates.

And at California Polytechnic State University, Director of Athletics John McCutcheon unveiled a group of logos that culminates a year of analysis by a logo committee consisting of university administrators, athletics department staff, student representatives and Cal Poly Foundation administrators. Cal Poly's new logos include a primary mark, which shows a Mustang head incorporated with the words "Cal Poly Mustangs." "We are very excited about the new logos and look forward to the exposure and excitement this will bring us both on a regional and national level," said McCutcheon.