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The familiar names of several old buildings on campus have been changed over the last few years, and other campus entities, such as the UCLA Medical School, got new ones as well.

Some buildings have had name changes due to reconstruction after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Another name change was motivated by a $200 million check.

The medical school became the Geffen School of Medicine after a $200 million donation from David Geffen, a co-founder of DreamWorks Pictures, the largest donation in the history of the University of California system.

The process of naming and renaming a building at UCLA involves a few steps.

First, the requester has to send a proposal to the chancellor. It is then reviewed by the Chancellor's Executive Committee. If the proposal is approved by the committee, the decision is either made by the chancellor or is forwarded to UC President Robert Dynes, depending on the situation.

Kinsey Hall is the last of the four original buildings at UCLA to be renovated after the Northridge earthquake. The renovations will begin in July 2004, and will also come with a name change.

Originally called the Physics-Biology Building, Kinsey was named in 1964 in honor of Edgar Lee Kinsey, professor of physics and one-time chair of the department, said John Sandbrook, special assistant to the executive dean.

But over the years, the physics department slowly moved out of Kinsey to Knudsen Hall.

Now, with new buildings being constructed for the physics department, there will no longer be any physics functions in Kinsey, Sandbrook said. Upon request from the physics department, the name Kinsey will be attached to the three new lecture halls that are being constructed on the south side of Knudsen Hall.

The current Kinsey Hall will be renamed as the Humanitites Building, or possibly a different name in 2006 when a seismic upgrade will be completed, Sandbrook said.

The Men’s Gym, which opened in 1932, was significantly damaged from the 1994 earthquake.

"After the Northridge earthquake there were negotiations on repairs of the building and a concurrent interest in what can be done with it,” said Michael Deluca, director of the Wooden Center.

Located in the heart of campus, the Men’s Gym Building was identified as a possible location for a center for student services, Deluca said.

In order to support renovation and future maintenance of the Men’s Gym, an initiative was approved by the student body in May 2000.

Under the “Student Programs, Activities and Resource Complex” proposal, the building was to be renamed the Student Activities Center and the $28 per-quarter fee – $18 for the former Men’s Gym and $10 for the expansion of the Wooden Center – was to go into effect for students once construction of each respective building is completed.

In 2002 the chancellor approved the proposed name change, but it may be changed if a donor contributes to the repayment of the bond that was used to pay for the reconstruction.

The Women’s Gym, on the other side of Wilson Plaza, was renamed in 1999 after Glorya Kaufman made a donation of $18 million. The building houses the Department of World Arts and Cultures which is part of the School of Arts and Architecture.

Kaufman’s donation served to enhance an already planned seismic renovation, adding new technology to the building’s theater. At the time of the donation, it was the largest gift made to a dance program in the United States.

“Mrs. Kaufman has been coming to performances at UCLA for decades,” said Laura Parker, executive director of development for the School of Arts and Architecture.