Nearly 57 years after its initial introduction, Sacramento State’s Maryjane Rees Language, Speech and Hearing Center continues to help in the growth, acceptance and progression of students with speech impediments and hearing disorders.

Clinic Coordinator Lynda Oldenburg, who has worked at the center for nearly nine years, said that the program was designed as a way to provide students with everything from hearing tests and hearing aids to speech assessments and treatment for all communication disorders.

She went on to say that while the center is predominantly geared toward Sacramento State students, it also serves the entire Sacramento community, and other outlying communities. “Our students work with Sacramento State students, staff members, professors, adults, the elderly, teens and children,” Oldenburg said. “The ages of our clients range from small children of about two to six year-old, to older men and women who may have experienced a stroke or some similar problem.”

Oldenburg said that while there aren’t specific records to help in determining how many students the center has served over the last 56 years, she does know that the center has an average of about 200 clients per semester. She went on to say that the center’s services are offered to Sac State students free of charge.

“Students (and others) coming to our center from other universities (and areas) pay a relatively small fee for their treatment and assessments,” Oldenburg said.

Oldenburg said that most of the center’s clients join the program because they want to modify their accent, to improve a hoarse or raspy voice, or because they stutter. The center does, however, occasionally have clients who have suffered a stroke or need help with pronunciation or reading problems, she said.

Graduate speech and language pathology major Hitasha Mitera is currently involved in the program and participates in faculty-supervised, digitally recorded and videotaped clinical trials with both young children and the elderly.

“Many clients come in twice a week for a (one-on-one) one hour therapy session,” Mitera said. “Most of our clients are more than grateful for our services.”

Senior electrical engineering major Edgar Polanco has worked exclusively with Oldenburg for three semesters in order to reduce or modify his accent, and said that his speech has improved tremendously.

“(Oldenburg) has excellent ears,” Polanco said. “She is very critical and gives excellent comments. She is also very professional and sweet?she is very devoted to my progress. I am thankful for her hard work and her techniques.”

Mitera went on to say that along with an increase in self-confidence and overall communication skills, clients could also expect acceptance and compassion from the student helpers and staff and faculty members.

“We want people to know that a-person with a speech impediment is not alone and that they can seek treatment,” Mitera said.

Jim Miller, who joined the center three semesters ago after suffering a stroke, said that he had to give up a lot of things after his stroke and that the help of student from center has helped him immensely.

Miller joked that he had to give up a number of things after his stroke, including smoking, drinking, cussing and hanging out with wild women.

“(Since my stroke), the center has been good,” Miller said. “I’ve been given a lot of help and have learned a lot. I’ve also taught (those that work at the center) a lot.”

Megan Kent, who is-a graduate speech and language pathology major, said that the young children and patients that she works with on a weekly basis bring her an abundance of joy.

“Kids are both fun and funny to work with,” Kent said. “One time when I was working with one of my 3-year-old clients, we’re looking at a picture of a walrus and I said, ‘whoa, what great big teeth he has, and he said, ‘Megan, they’re not teeth, they’re tusks.’ He said it like I was so wrong!”

Kent and Mitera, who both hope to either open their own practices or work at a hospital or school after graduation, said that it was the overall reputations of the center that drew that to Sac State after getting their bachelor’s degrees.

“I chose Sac State because I graduated from the University of Connecticut in May of 2005 and took 6 months off,” Kent said. “When I started looking into grad programs, I knew I wanted to go out west, specifically to California…Sac State offered spring admission and the No. 2 ranked speech program in California.”

“I’m-from Toronto, Canada originally, and I wanted to move to California,” Mitera said. “I did some research to find out which schools had a good program (and I discovered that) Sac State had one of the best programs for speech and language pathology in the state of California.”

All three women agree that it is the dedication of the program’s faculty members and students along with their clients’ willingness to learn that make the center such a worthwhile and inspiring experience.

“The professors and staff are the backbone of our program,” Mitera said. “As a student I cannot begin to describe how professional, supportive and extremely helpful they are.- Their commitment to helping us learn is exhibited by their open door policy?their experiences enrich our learning and their research propels our profession forward.”

Oldenburg said that the students that are involved in speech pathology and audiology are bright, articulate and extremely hard working.

Ashley Evans can be reached at [email protected]