Squash has been sprouting up in farmers’ crops for centuries, and it is usually harvested during the summer. At Northeastern, the crop is finally ripe. The kind of squash on campus, however, is the sport of squash — a game with rackets and a ball that is played in a three-walled room. SquashBusters Badger and Rosen Facility, located on Columbus Avenue, was officially welcomed to campus Friday at a ribbon cutting ceremony. President Richard Freeland, World Squash Champion Peter Nicol and SquashBusters Founder and Executive Director Greg Zaff attended the ceremony. “[The ribbon cutting had] a really great turnout. There were a lot of people there,” said Jessica Nadeau of NU community relations. “President Freeland started speaking of some old squash stories that he had, and Greg Zaff gave a really emotional speech about how he built SquashBusters from the ground up.” Zaff also talked about his mother, to whom the facility is dedicated. She helped President Freeland cut the ribbon, while Zaff looked on, Nadeau said. Nicol, the number one player, played an exhibition match against the number nine player in the world. The facility, which took 14 months to complete, will accomadate more than 400 Boston children with a place to do their homework, work with mentors and play squash. SquashBusters was founded in 1995 and engages 12 to 18-year-old students in a three to seven year program of community and academics. The $9.5 million facility was a joint project between NU and SquashBusters. Northeastern agreed to donate the land in a 50-year free lease, assume $3.5 million of the construction costs, manage the facility and give the program a “permanent home,” a release said. In return, SquashBusters was in charge of raising the additional construction funds. The building sits atop 10,000 square feet of land adjacent to the Columbus Parking Garage. According to a press release, the construction crew built 28,370 square feet of space necessary to fit eight squash courts, three classrooms, office space, locker facilities and 8,000 square feet of fitness space. Construction began in spring 2002. If the students don’t play squash, there are other fitness rooms in the building. Nadeau said the students will “most likely go [to the gym equipment] in a group, in a group activity.” She said the leaders at SquashBusters are “very organized” with their activities. NU students, on the other hand, do have access to the gym equipment and squash courts without supervision. SquashBusters occupies the courts from 2-6 p.m., but NU students may use the courts outside of these hours when they sign out the courts a day in advance. “Everyone I’ve talked to thinks they’re just squash courts. So far, all of the athletic teams I’ve talked to think it’s just for squash,” said Alex Khaw, a junior chemical engineering major. “The [access to the gym] would be good for the kids on Columbus [Avenue].”