SCENE

May 2013 A Student Publication For The CSUN Community

IS GRAD SCHOOL REALLY WORTH IT?
HAVE FUN, STAY FIT
SCENE MAGAZINE 3
MAY 2013 CONTENTS
S
2 SCENE MAGAZINE
Karlee Johnson
JimMcLauchlin
Gabrielle Moreira
Iuliia Vazhenina
Christina Bennett, Marc Evangelista
Jasmin Cruz, Melissa Simon
Jerey Zide
Mansour Mozafari, Jasmine Mochizuki
Jonathan Bue, Agnes Constante, Jasmin Cruz,
Mayra Escobedo, Marc Evangelista, Virginia Ibarra,
Jacqueline Kalisch, Spencer Kilgore, Christina Pembleton
Natalie Rivera, Berlyn Reisenauer, Melissa Simon,
Ammons Smith, Aprile Sumague, Terese Torgersen,
Iuliia Vazhenina, Jerey Zide
Ezra Shapiro
Editor in Chief
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Photo Editor
Production, Page Design
Feature Editors
Cover Photo
Contributors
Sta
Adviser
COPYRIGHT 2013 BY SCENE MAGAZINE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
SCENE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY THE CSUN JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT
MIKE CURB COLLEGE OF ARTS, MEDIA, AND COMMUNICATION
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY NORTHRIDGE 18111 NORDHOFF STREET NORTHRIDGE, CA 91330-8311 (818) 677-3135
Scene Magazine
Fun Runs
Just running is boring. These runs are defnitely NOT
THE ZOMBIE 5K
BY JIM MCLAUCHLIN
If you want a little taste of Te Walk-
ing Dead up close and personal, well you
should reevaluate your priorities. And then
check out Run For Your Lives.
For $87, participants get the express
privilege of running a 5k while being
chased by actors and volunteers dressed as
zombies. Tere are also obstacles includ-
ing 4-foot deep mud pits, mazes and what
the companys disclaimers term as minor
electrical shocks. (Trust me, you dont feel
minor shocks). Te concept is fag foot-
ballyou get three fags and the zombies
bite you by grabbing a fag. Lose all your
fags and youve lost the gamecongratula-
tions, youre now a brain-eater yourself.
Te tangible rewards are sparse: You
get a medal upon fnishing, regardless if
you have fags or not, a moisture-wicking
performance T-shirt and a free beer.
Te intangible rewards are better. Youll
get an endorphin rush, a why the hell
did I do this/DAMN that was fun! brain
confict and an appreciation for clean, dry
socks the likes of which youve never had
before.
You could also get the chance to share a
beer with a zombie in a Jay Cutler jersey.
Nothing builds camaraderie like the
zombie apocalypse, afer all.
Info: www.RunForYourLives.com
Next in SoCal: September 28 in San Ber-
nardino
GRAFFITI RUN
BY JEFFREY ZIDE
It starts with a white T-shirt. It ends
with a T-shirtthat isnt so white anymore.
Te Grafti Run, the self-professed
colorful 5k, bombs participants with
bags of brightly colored powdered paint
at diferent grafti zones throughout the
run. And then, at the aferparty, things get
really colorful.
A DJ spins tunes, and every 15 minutes,
bags of color are thrown into the audience.
Te run prides itself on being accessible to
all agesyoung kids to parents with chil-
dren to grandparents can be seen partici-
pating in this anything-but-ordinary run.
Spectators are allowed and encouraged
to watch the run, but a word of warning
be sure to keep cameras 30 feet away from
the action, lest your gear get color-bombed.
No one wants a ruined camera crammed
with powdered paint.
Te cost for runners is $40 for early
registration and $60 for walk-ups. So sign
up early and make the colorful scene!
Info: www.TeGraftiRun.com
Next in SoCal: November 24 at the L.A.
Fairplex in Pomona
Great L.A. stu thats
right under your nose
6
Te Grad School
Decision
Guitar Pickin
Man
10
12 Fun Runs 3
17 Cheap Stu
Obeat Art
15
Shaun OBrien is nding
success by following his
muse.
Poor? Take a look at
these great low-budget
entertainment options.
Museums that march to
the beat of a dierent
drum
Run til ya drop! Ten
run some more. Tese
are fun!
Hidden Gems
Tink youre going? You
may want to think again.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JACQUELINE KALISCH
See more of OBriens story on pg. 10
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
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GET YOUR RUN ON!
The best in upcoming
crazy-cool running events
BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
Drenched Los Angeles 5k
This 5k run cools you of with a MAS-
SIVE water-balloon fght at the end and an
optional three-story freefall onto a 50-by-50
foot stuntman-worthy landing cushion.
Info: www.RunDrenched.com/events/
los-angeles/
Date: July 27, 2013 in Woodley Park in
Lake Balboa

Pajama Run
If you feel perfectly normal leaving your
house in your pajamas, then this run is for
you! It doubles as a cancer fundraiser for a
doubled feeling of satisfaction.
Info: www.PajamaRun.org
Date: June date to be determined, 2013
at Marina Green in Long Beach.

Concrete Hero
This competitive fve-mile course sends you
over cars, up ladders and across monkey
bars. Entry fees support life-saving services
for people living with HIV/AIDS right here
in the City of Angels.
Info: www.ConcreteHero.org
Date: July 14, 2013 at Los Angeles His-
toric Park, next to Dodger Stadium
RUN WITH THE
STARS
BY TERESE TORGERSEN
Celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to
Charlie Chaplin to Will Smith have their
own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Now its time to fnally get yours.
Te Hollywood Half Marathon gives you
a choice of running a 5k, 10k or half-mar-
athon down Hollywood Boulevard for
$80. Costumes are encouraged. Tis years
afair saw a Superman, a Wonder Woman, a
cadre of women in tutus and a school choir
in matching red uniforms. Cheerleaders,
policemen and fremen lined the boulevard
to cheer the runners on.
Maybe A-list Hollywood celebrities and
a red carpet were missing, but it didnt mat-
ter. You receive your own star at the fnish
line. No autographs, please.
Info: www.HollywoodHalfMarathon.com
Next in SoCal: 2014, date to be
determined
MUD RUN
BY MAYRA ESCOBEDO
If you enjoy a challenge and a dirty good
time, then check out the Merrell Down and
Dirty Mud Run.
Participants can run a 5k or 10k while
running up hills, through tunnels and going
through 20 obstacles including monkey
cross ropes (shades of your elementary
school days), balance beams, walls and hur-
dles. Its like the Marines boot campbut a
lot more fun.
Youll also get wet at the water crossing
and seriously dirty at the mud pit before
making it to the fnish line and declaring
victory.
Want to bring your kids or younger sib-
lings along? Ten sign them up for Adven-
ture Kids. Teres a 100-yard dash for kids
ages 4 to 6 and a one-mile race for ages 7 to
13. Tere are obstacles, and guaranteed mud
for all. Kids that participate get a free T-shirt
and a medal for fnishing.
Prices run from $45 to $85 depending
on your registration date for the 5k and 10k.
Adventure Kids prices are $20 for the 100-
yard dash and $28 for the one-mile run.
Info: www.DownAndDirtyMudRun.com
Next in California: Oct. 27 in
Sacramento n
HIT THE MOUNTAININ YOUR
OWN BACKYARD
CSUNs Student Rec Center has a rock-climbing
wall all its own
BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
You dont have to hit the Rockies to hit the rocks. CSUN has its
very own rock-climbing walland its free to students and faculty.
Just hit the Student Recreation Center, and your struggles with
fnals, internships and job searches will melt away. You dont even
need your own climbing shoes or harnessthose are free at the SRC
main desk as well.
Ready to get started? Heres your primer:
Just like with any other sport, warm up. A few quick squats, leg
lunges and push-ups should get the blood fowing and the muscles
primed.
Te MOST important thing in rock-climbing is to use your
legs, not your arms. Dont try to reach for a hold, but rather use your
leg muscles and push your body up.
When youre on the rock, dont just think only about reaching
the holds that are above you. Look sideways as well, or sometimes, it
makes sense to go down a bit to fnd a better way to go back up.
Top-roping is using the rope for safety. Top-roping routes are
usually longer and higher. Bouldering is climbing with no rope or
harness, typically not as high. Beginners should start with top-rop-
ing, as its easier.
Try the beginner routes on the wall frstthey have tons of
holds to choose from.
Afer a while, try the more advanced routes, called features.
Teyre styled more like real rocks, but its harder to fnd holds. n
PHOTO BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
A participant at the L.A. Grati Run gets her groove on at the runs
colorful conclusion.
PHOTO BY JIM MCLAUCHLIN
Te SRC rock-climbing
sta will train you how
to use a harness and
climb a wall. Great begin-
ner tip: Use your legs!
Runners at the Zombie 5k receive a beer at the nish line. Runners line up at the start line on Hollywood Blvd.
PHOTO BY IULIIA VAZHENINA PHOTO BY JEFFREY ZIDE PHOTO BY TERESE TORGERSEN
A Mud Run participant claws his way through the last obstacle of the run.
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
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The Mural Mile
of Pacoima
BY JEFFREY ZIDE
All along Van Nuys Boulevard in
Pacoima, a peculiar assortment of murals,
ranging from Machete star Danny Trejo
to Frida Kahlo, are painted on the sides and
backs of buildings.
Many of the buildings are boutique
Mexican restaurants and have emerged in
the last three years.
Te murals are the brainchild of Levi
Ponce, whose mission in painting the mu-
rals was to help the struggling community
cope with increasing gang violence. Ponce
sought the help of community members,
many of whom were in vulnerable places, to
help.
Danny Trejo himself, who was once an
East San Fernando Valley resident, struggled
with drug addiction and decided to help
with the creation of the murals. Tey are
sometimes referred to as the Mural Mile of
Pacoima.
Among these gems is a unique mural of
the Mona Lisa, complete with banderillas,
showing a striking resemblance to many
portraits of Pancho Villa.
Tere are also other murals that feature
the Virgin Mary surrounded by demons as
well as one titled Te Day the Music Died,
honoring Buddy Holly, J.P. Te Big Bopper
Richardson and Ritchie Valens who all died
in a plane crash in 1959 in Grant Township,
Iowa.
Next time youre on a drive through
Pacoima, stop to check out the Mural Mile
artwork.
In-N-Out
BY CHRISTINA PEMBLETON
Californians may be surprised to hear
that a commonplace burger joint is con-
sidered a travelers must-have upon arrival
to the Golden State. In-N-Out Burger is a
regional commodity, so visitors from states
other than California, Arizona, Nevada,
Texas and Utah fock to this considerably
tasty burger joint.
Another reason out-of-towners are
so into California In-N-Out locations is
because the chain started in Baldwin Park.
Being in the state where the most sought-af-
ter beef patties originated may make
Californians jaded, but visitors who go without access to In-N-Out
crave the special sauce as soon as they leave the airport.
What visitors may not know, but nearly every Californian is
privy to, is the secret menu. With preferred classics transformed into
burger art, the secret menu is home to customer favorites like the 4
by 4, a mound of four patties, four slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato,
In-N-Out spread, with or without onions, all piled between a bun.
Teres also protein style, the same great burger wrapped in lettuce
sans bun. Tere are also animal style burgers or fries, both smoth-
ered in the joints secret sauce, grilled onions, cheese and pickles or
customers can cool of with a Neapolitan shake. Yes, just like the ice
cream sandwich.
With 212 California locations, it is easy to fnd an In-N-Out to
treat guests to. If visitors have never experienced what a hamburger
is all about, as the restaurants slogan states, introduce them to the
crowd favorite. But beware! Dont be surprised when your friends
and family overstay their welcome or make frequent trips to visit
you.
Japanese Garden
BY JASMIN CRUZ
Te Japanese Garden is 6.5 acres of peace and serenity. It was de-
signed to resemble stroll gardens, which were constructed during
the 18th and 19th centuries for Japanese Feudal lords.
It is meant to provide a peaceful place for people to gain a better
understanding of Japanese culture.
Te garden shares an entrance with the Donald C. Tillman Water
Reclamation Plant and only uses reclaimed water for its ponds.
Ducks can be seen happily swimming and walking around.
With summer around the corner, visiting the garden provides
a unique location to relax and de-stress from fnals or spend some
time with family and friends. Te only thing you will need to bring
with you is a hat, an I.D. that you will be asked to show at the entry
gate when you arrive and $3 for the entrance fee.
A tea house at one end of the garden shows visitors a video
explaining the water reclamation process that makes the garden
possible. Te tea house also serves as a resting place to escape from
the sun.
Te garden is open Monday through Tursday from 11:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.
Be sure to look up directions before going because there is only a
small sign indicating the entrance and its very easy to miss.
Olvera Street
BY BERLYN REISENAUER
If youre low on cash and want to visit a historical place with a
rich culture, then Olvera Street is a great option.
Dozens of people travel to a section of downtown L.A. known as
El Pueblo de Los Angeles. Since Olvera Street isnt very well-known,
most of these visitors arent tourists. Littered with Los Angeles
natives, the street is one of the oldest parts of the city with plenty of
museums, restaurants and shops. Olvera Street also has many live
events that are free to view.
Tese events include a Cinco de Mayo celebration and Dia de
Los Muertos. Carts with churros, popcorn, candies and fruit provide
a cheaper option for food.
Locals like browsing the many shops Olvera Street has to ofer,
ranging from the Olvera Candle Shop to Vegas Leather Shop or
Flores De La Olvera. Tere are plenty of handmade items and many
stores ofer imported goods. Te street has plenty to ofer for any
shopper or browsers desires.
Olvera Street hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., which are extended in
the summer. Te public is also welcome to take a guided tour on
select nights, although exploring the place on your own could be
quite an adventure.
Ghost Town
BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
Nothing is lef of an 800-acre neighborhood near LAX except
roads overgrown with grass and weeds and ruins of tiled walls lef
Hidden Gems of L.A.
PHOTO BY JEFFREY ZIDE
Te Day the Music Died
mural in Pacoima portrays Richie
Valens, J.P. Te Big Bopper
Richardson and Buddy Holly
commemorating the 1959 plane
crash that killed all three in
Grant Township, Iowa. Te song
by Don Mclean, American Pie
inspired the title of the mural.
Te garden entrance provides a view of by bright green vegetation. You can plan
out your self-guided tour route by taking a moment to view the available paths.
PHOTO BY JASMIN CRUZ
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
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8 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 9
Middle-aged Tressa Prisbrey bought the 1/3-acre property about
60 years ago to store her collection of 17,000 pencils. Te property
was so expensive that Prisbrey had to fnd a cheap way to build a
house.
Te solution? She used recycled materials from the local dump
license plate frames, car emblems, car headlights and glass bottles.
For the next 25 years she built one structure afer another, totaling
13 buildings and 20 sculptures. All the buildings are made from
cement and recycled materials, which includes about 1 million glass
bottles.
On the property you will fnd shrines, mosaic walkways, foun-
tains and a wishing well made of blue glass bottles. At the edge of
the property are piles of glass bottles ready to be used and across
from the pile is a statue of doll heads placed on poles.
An American fag waves in the wind. A small dirty silver trailer
that Prisbrey lived in while building the diferent houses resides
on the property. She died in 1988 at the age of 91 and a non-proft
organization took over and manages the odd home.
Carroll Avenue
BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
Have you always dreamed of traveling to Europe to see amazing
architecture of centuries past? Buildings where the elite would spend
time talking about paintings or sculptures in their fancy houses?
Well your schools tuition fees will only let you dream of traveling
there. But guess what? You can get a taste of Europe without leaving
California.
Tere is a place in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Ange-
les with a high concentration of Victorian era residences, and thats
Carroll Avenue.
Many houses on Carroll Avenue have served as a setting for nu-
merous movies from the earliest days of cinematography to modern
flms.
Carroll Avenue has many tourists and visitors every day and the
Victorian manors are now used as private homes, just as they were
used in the 19th century. Some of the more well-known residents
from the Victorian era include merchant Aaron P. Philips in 1887,
real estate agent Charles C. Haskin in 1894 and warehouse operator
Michael Sanders in 1887. One of Los Angeles frst city councilman,
Daniel Innes, resided at 1329 Carroll Ave.
Te Innes house was used for all eight seasons of the TV series
Charmed, though the show said the main characters resided in
San Francisco. It also appeared in the movie Deuce Bigalow: Male
Gigolo, as the home of a giant woman who hired Deuce.
Another house at 1337 Carroll Ave. was used as the main resi-
dence in the television series Journeyman, while 1345 Carroll Ave.
appeared in Michael Jacksons Triller video.
At 1355 Carroll Ave., the house was used as the family home
in McGee and Me, a childrens Christian video series that was
released in the early 1990s.
Several individual residences along Carroll Avenue have been
named as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. n
behind afer bulldozers demolished them. You can only see an occa-
sional tumbleweed, driven by an ocean breeze from one side of the
road to another.
Te neighborhood of Palisades del Rey, also known as Surfridge,
which fourished back in the 1960s, has turned into a ghost town.
When LAX expanded, people couldnt stand the ongoing noise
of planes taking of and landing, so they had no choice but to leave
their homes. Te airport then bought the land and demolished all
the buildings to clear the area.
But then...everything else was lef untouched.
Now, the big chunk of land is deserted and no one has done
anything to change the situation. Te land was purchased in 1970
through several payments from the City of Los Angeles for public
use.
Tis town is an example of airports battling the neighborhoods
located right next to them. Surfridge had one of the worst outcomes
and is now a place that looks like a part of Chernobyl afer the nu-
clear plant explosion. No buildings lef, just the roads.
If you dont believe in ghosts, you may want to go and check this
barren town out for yourself. You may change your mind.
The Music Box Steps
BY TERESE TORGERSEN
One step, two steps, three steps. One more step. Afer 131 steps,
I arrive at the top of the hill looking down the narrow curvy roads.
Tere is barely enough space for two cars to pass one another. I
wonder if Im still in L.A.
In the academy award winning short flm Te Music Box,
which was flmed 81 years ago, the main characters, Laurel and
Hardy, struggled to get to the top of the same staircase. Te two
had been ordered to bring a piano to a house at the top of a fight of
stairs in Silver Lake with humorous yet disastrous results.
Te Music Box Steps is the longest outdoor staircase, almost
hidden between small old residential houses and barely holding
onto the hill. Te steps bring walkers from Vendome Street up to
Descanso Drive.
Staircases are becoming a rare sight in L.A. Less than 500 remain
from the citys public transit era. Tis stairway is about three feet
wide and seems much more narrow than what the movie portrayed.
Visiting flm sites like these steps make me realize how much small-
er things are in real life.
Grandma Prisbreys
Bottle Village
BY TERESE TORGERSEN
Grandma Prisbreys Bottle Village looks like any other Simi
Valley residential house, but as you get closer youll notice that the
property is made of blue and green glass bottles.
PHOTOS BY IULIIA VAZHENINA
Some manors on Carroll Avenue are inhabited, while others are vacant or were bought by
motion picture studios.
Te Innes House was used in the popular Charmed series as the
residence of the main characters.
Bottle Village has about 20 unique sculptures all made out of glass bottles and
cement.
Te staircase is a historic monument that prepares you for the beach season by
walking up and down the staircase.
Te property was heavily
damaged during the 1994
Northridge earthquake and
tourists are only able to visit a
few times a year.
PHOTOS BY TERESE TORGERSEN
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
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10 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 11
He reviews his notes from dierent experiences and days wandering the streets of
downtown L.A. and turns them into lyrics.
OBrien smokes a cigarette while he listens to melodies he has created on his keyboard.
PHOTOS AND STORY BY MANSOUR MOZAFARI
Guitar Pickin
Man
A small studio apartment in downtown Los
Angeles is where all the magic truly comes to life
for Shaun OBrien, an up-and-coming artist living
in the city of dreams.
Originally from a small town near Sacramento,
OBrien moved to L.A. to pursue a music career.
Afer spending a day with OBrien and observing
his daily routine, one cant help but leave his space
inspired.
Light pours into his small apartment and gives
life to this lonely, and at times, dark process of
creating music. Countless notebooks flled with
notes, poems and lyrics all handwritten and later tran-
scribed on an old fashioned typewriter are strewn across
his foor. Tis is the frst step in the writing process for
OBrien.
From writing lyrics to creating melodies on his
guitar and keyboard, OBrien is a multi-talented artist
that has come a long way in the six years since moving
to L.A.
Te January release of the debut album She, with
his group Modern Notions, is just the start of OBriens
music career.
Te album is available to download via iTunes. n
He enters the
elevator of his
apartment com-
plex to continue
working on dif-
ferent rhythms
and melodies.
OBrien goes
through notes
and lyrics to -
nalize vocals for
a new song hes
working on.
He plays his new song on his rooftop overlooking downtown.his keyboard to match with
lyrics.
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
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12 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 13
the job, she
said. In retro-
spect, if I knew
what was going
to happen
when I did get
an education at
that higher lev-
el, I wouldnt
have wanted
to miss out on
that experi-
ence because
it made me
the writer and
person I am today.
Haake, who specializes in creative
writing, said the feld is similar to a game of
roulette because you never know if there will
be a job opening for you. She said many of
the others in her Ph.D. program at Stanford
didnt get the same experience she had.
Haake said she also didnt have to take
out loans for grad school and was actually
paid to go. She was also fully supporting
herself fnancially. She said her parents, as
educators, had paid for her undergraduate
degree because education was her expected
career course, and she paid for her masters
by working at a peach cannery.
Depending on the feld, she said that
continuing to further your education could
be very helpful.
Im sending another son of to gradu-
ate school next year and he will be taking
out loans, she said. Hes in environmental
studies and was unable to fnd work (so) Im
supporting that because I think in his feld
he does need further credentials, but also
the two years he took of were incredibly
important.
Haake said her advice for students is to
go to grad school, but do so with open eyes.
Students should give themselves time and
should not go into huge amounts of debt.
I really do think that going immediately
from undergraduate into graduate school is
something people should think very careful-
ly about, she said. Tere are very few peo-
ple for whom that is the clear and inevitable
path, but for most of us a little time out is a
very good idea.
With an unsteady job market and what seems
like an ever-increasing tuition, is an advanced
degree worth it? Three CSUN professors weigh
GRAD SCHOOL
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JASMINE MOCHIZUKI
THE COST OF
Dr. James Mitchell, political science pro-
fessor at CSUN, said he attended Princeton
for his doctorate where he received a grant
for full tuition, room and board, plus a
monthly stipend for three years.
My fourth year stipend was replaced by
a grant from the Center for International
Studies from the Woodrow Wilson School of
Public and International Afairs, he said. As
a John Parker Compton Predoctoral Fellow,
I was given the same support as the regular
Princeton grant but a larger stipend.
He added that pretty much the rule of
thumb at Ivy League universities is that if
someone is admitted, they will likely get full
funding. He said his grant was not need or
afrmative action-based, but simply that he
was admitted and remained in good stand-
ing while working toward his doctorate.
Mitchell said that he worked as a precep-
tor, similar to a teachers aid, while in grad
school, helping him to better prepare for his
career.
Despite his funding, Mitchell did gradu-
ate with some debt, though he doesnt regret
his decision. Mitchell added that the notion
that expensive educations are less afordable
is a fallacy.
Tey are more afordable because more
support is available, he said. Tough they
do require ambition, drive and motivation.
Dr. Katharine Haake, English professor
and associate chair of the department at
CSUN, said graduate school happened back-
ward for her.
I went with this crazy idea that I wasnt
coming for the education, I was coming for
With graduation right around the
corner, the concept of what to do afer
college is quite frightening for some.
Many students would rather forego
looking for a job and continue on in
their education, while others just cant
wait to leave and go into the real
world.
Te average masters program can
last two to three years and the addition
of a Ph.D. can take even longer, with
prices to match. An unsteady job mar-
ket and unemployment rates can also
play a large role in whether or not more
than a bachelors will pay of.
In March 2013, the national unem-
ployment rate was 7.6 percent, with
California at 9.6 percent in February,
according to the Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics.
Te National Association of Col-
leges and Employers released a report
stating that the average salary for a
2013 graduate is $44,928, which is 5.3
percent higher than the 2012 average of
$42,666.
When thinking about whether or
not to go to graduate school, Tom Ho-
gen-Esch, political science professor at
CSUN, said its really important to think
about the cost.
Too many students in undergrad
see debt levels like $5,000 to $10,000
and think, Oh my God thats a lot of
money, he said. When youre 18, it
seems like a lot, but when youre 30 or
40 its nothing.
Hogen-Esch said students are
unsure that the amount of money
they spend for continued education is
worth it when they might not get a job.
Despite the short-term outlook being
unclear, he said its worth it in the long-
term as far as the opportunities that
could be available.
Debt, whether it be for an under-
graduate or graduate program, is one
thing that seems to loom over many
students heads as they near graduation.
Te average debt for CSUN students in
2012 was $16,172. Te Project on Stu-
dent Debt found that 43 percent of 2011
CSUN students graduated in debt.
In 2011-2012, the cost of tuition was
$5,472 for a full-time, in-state under-
graduate student at CSUN, according to
CSUNs college portrait, and students
paid an average of $6,116 for other
expenses, including books and trans-
portation.
With such high costs to obtain even
a bachelors degree, many students have
had to fnd ways to ofset the cost of
undergrad, including relying on their
parents, working while in school, com-
muting and, most commonly, fnancial
aid.
Armenka Khashmanyan, assistant
director for fnancial aid at CSUN, said
the amount awarded to each student
depends on the total contribution made
by his or her family, but the maximum a
student could be ofered is $5,550.
A total of 24,030 students received
$269,250,077 in fnancial aid, according
to CSUNs Financial Aid and Scholar-
ship Departments 2011 annual report.
n
BY MELISSA SIMON
Dr. Kimberly Kirner, anthropology
professor at CSUN, spent 10 years get-
ting her bachelors, masters and Ph.D.,
and took out nearly $30,000 in federal
loans because of the high interest rates
private loans can have.
It was totally worth it to take out
these loans because their total amount
and monthly payment was low com-
pared to all the education, opportunities
and degrees I received from them,
Kirner said.
She worked part time for most of
her undergraduate, with one year spent
working full time. Te time she spent
working did not afect her schooling
because all the jobs she had were fexible
and allowed her to work around her
school schedule.
Afer a year of full-time work, full-
time school, being married and having
a relatively long commute to campus,
Kirner said she was very tired and
needed less work hours. So during grad-
uate school, she only worked part time
teaching or doing research but didnt
take on another full-time job until the
fnal year of her Ph.D. while writing her
dissertation.
It was a challenge to do a full-time
job and write my dissertation at the same
time, but it was a good move for gaining
more training and starting my career a
bit early, she said. I was fortunate that
by not working very much in graduate
school, I was able to throw myself into
my studies and survive of fellowships,
assistantships and adjunct teaching
positions.
Despite taking out loans, Kirner
said a Ph.D. was necessary for her to get
a full-time, tenure-track job teaching
applied anthropology and she doesnt
regret going to grad school. She en-
courages people to avoid loans when
possible and to keep work and education
balanced.
Sometimes, if the loan is small, it
is worth it in order to have more time
for performing well in school, she said.
However, you have to be realistic about
how much debt you will take on versus
your future job market and salary. n
The verdict is in:
All three professors are unanmious in saying that
graduate school is worth it. Although each may have
diferent advice on how to get there, its clear that
there can be more opportunities available to some-
one with more than a bachelors degree.
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
S
14 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 15
BY CHRISTINA PEMBLETON
Self-titled as Te Hoppiest Place in the World, the Bunny
Museum in Pasadena features almost 30,000 rabbits. Some of
these bunnies are alive, and the others are stufed animals or
featured in pictures, shirts and other bunny memorabilia.
Tis jumping spot is the home of Steve Lubanski and Can-
dace Frazee, both live-in tenants at the museum who willingly
open their house to visitors every day of the year. Admission is
$5 for visitors over the age of 4.
Te owners encourage patrons to bring fruits and vegetables
to feed the live bunnies that bounce around the museum. Tours
usually take about an hour, but bunny lovers are welcome to stay
longer. Visitors can even bring their own live bunnies, but the
rabbits are not allowed to hop around the house because their
scents disturb the resident bunnies, according to the museum
website.
Donated bunny memorabilia changes the museums collec-
tion from day to day. Before you hop in, make an appointment
so that the home owners can plan for your arrival. Appoint-
ments are not necessary on holidays.
Location: 1933 Jeferson Drive, Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 798-8848
http://www.thebunnymuseum.com/
THE BUNNY MUSEUM
Four Peculiar Graduate
Degrees
Sex, puppets and death
BY JEFFREY ZIDE
1. Did you ever want to know more
about Scandinavia beyond Hamlet, metal
bands and pickled herrings? By the ham-
mer of Tor, UC Berkeley ofers a Master
of Arts degree in Scandinavian studies.
While anyone can apply for the program,
the school does prefer that candidates speak
Dutch, Swedish, or Norwegian and have
some knowledge of Scandinavian culture.
Te programs curriculum includes the
cultural and intellectual history of Scandi-
navia, modern Scandinavian literature and
flm and ofers a special concentration in
Old Norse.
2. Looking to take your interest in death
beyond the macabre Google search and
into the classroom? Hood College lets you
bring that dream to life (no pun intended)
with their MA program in thanatology, the
study of death. According to the colleges
website, the degree was developed to
meet the growing demand for individuals
prepared to work with the terminally ill and
bereaved, as well as persons prepared to
provide death education at levels in a variety
of organizations. Classes include principles
of caring for the dying, African-American
perspectives in thanatology and psycholog-
ical aspects of aging. Individuals with this
degree can work as grief counselors and
hospice workers.
3. Whoever said puppetrys golden
era has passed obviously hadnt heard of
the University of Connecticuts masters
program in puppet arts. Te curriculum
covers trends in puppetry as well as theatre
craf and puppet making. Are you a late
bloomer just coming to the realization that
puppetry is your true passion? Nervous that
you wont be ready for an intensive puppet
experience afer getting a practical degree?
No worries. Te UConn program is more
than pleased to have a diverse assortment of
undergraduate degrees and says virtually
all the arts and many of the humanities and
sciences feed directly into [puppetry].
4. If youre looking for a graduate degree
that will also make you popular, San Fran-
cisco State University will hook you up with
a degree in sexuality studies. Classes include
sexual identities, sexual cultures, sexuality
in historical perspectives and biological
and psychological foundations of human
sexuality. Te program is structured to allow
students to focus on their masters thesis and
oral defense. While the program does not
ofer courses in sex therapy, it prepares stu-
dents for work in HIV/AIDS education and
treatment, work for sexual health advocacy
groups such as Planned Parenthood and,
of course, a sexuality studies Ph.D. And, if
none of that appeals to you, you can always
take the route of current CSUN President
Dianne Harrison, who was a sex educator
and did extensive research in HIV treatment
before becoming an administrator. n
Here are three advanced degrees that CSUN ofers to make you
a promising candidate on the job market based on median salary,
demand and competition:
Geology/Geophysics
Te department of geological science at CSUN ofers M.S.
degrees in geology and geophysics. In addition, the science and
mathematics college at CSUN generally has the lowest headcount
for graduate students.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), geoscientists
have a median salary of $82,500, and the projected growth of the
occupation is at 21 percent with most new job creation in the areas
of management, scientifc and technical consulting.
California has the second highest level of employment for this
occupation, but according to the BLSs May 2012 occupational
employment statistics, annual mean wage in California ($95,670) is
signifcantly lower than states such as Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas and
Colorado.
Speech Pathology
A M.S. degree in communicative disorders and science can lead
CSUNs Top
Graduate Degrees
BY JONATHAN BUE
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTINA BENNETT
to a job as a speech language pathologist which, according to the
BLS, has a median pay of $66,920 and the projected growth of the
occupation is at 23 percent due to the aging population of baby
boomers. Speech pathologists in California are also amongst the
highest paid in the country ($83,710) and the state also employs the
second most in the country.
CSUNs program has a very high graduation rate, at 98 percent
in the 2010/2011 academic year, and 100 percent of the programs
students passed the national Praxis Examination to earn profes-
sional certifcation from the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association.
Physical Therapy
CSUNs department of physical therapy ofers a newly-minted
doctorate program that doesnt require a Masters degree to apply.
Nonetheless, the departments website boasts that 95 percent of its
masters students graduate and 100 percent are employed within six
months.
Te BLS says the need for physical therapists is expected to grow
within the next seven years at a rate of 39 percent. Te national
median salary for this position is $76,310 but $89,370 in California,
which also employs the most physical therapists in the country. n
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
S
16 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 17
Escape to a place where Walt Disney came up
with some of his wildest and most successful ideas.
Disney originally built a barn in his Holmby
Hills backyard, but afer the house sold, the owners
were forced to demolish the remains because of
structural problems. It was then that Disneys
daughter had the barn taken down, relocated and
reconstructed at its current home in Grifth Park.
On the third Saturday of every month, visitors
can see a downscaled replica of Disneys Carolwood
Pacifc Railroad, tour the barn where his ideas came
to life and hear stories about Disneys backyard
oasis. Te barn is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and
admission is free. Visitors are encouraged to pack
a picnic lunch to experience the relaxation that
Disney felt when he ran the barn.
Location: 4730 Crystal Springs Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(310) 213-0722
http://carolwood.com/walts-barn/
BY MAYRA ESCOBEDO
If you have an interest in the macabre then the
Museum of Death in Hollywood is the place for
you.
Take a moment to admire serial killers artwork
and handmade greeting cards before making your
way to the execution room. In the execution room
you can read up on hangings, beheadings and death
row while standing next to an electric chair replica
and the clothes worn by a death row inmate for his
execution.
Te next stop on the self-guided tour is a room
flled with funerary customs and you can check out
a mortician and autopsy instruments as a graphic
training video plays.
Tere is also a room dedicated to the Manson
family murders and the Black Dahlia slaying. Te
room is full of newspaper clips about the horrifc
murders as well as crime scene photos. Next is a
room with a bunk bed with two fgures dressed in
black with a purple cloth over their heads while a
recruiting video plays. Its a scene from the 1997
Heavens Gate cult mass suicide.
Tere are rooms dedicated to suicide, cannibal-
ism and taxidermy, and the tour culminates in a
theater room set up as a funeral. A casket is set up
at the front with chairs facing it as a video of real
deaths plays.
Admission: $15 and parking is free.
Hours: Sunday through Friday 11 a.m. to 8p.m.
and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: 6031 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
(323) 466-8011
http://www.museumofdeath.net/


Tough it leaves you with more questions than
answers, the Museum of Jurassic Technology is an
experience like no other. One thing to know before
going in is that the museum has nothing to do with
dinosaurs or the Jurassic era.
Making your way through the dimly lit rooms
you come across many oddities like a scale model
of Noahs Ark and lit up crystal balls with fgures
seemingly foating inside that lead to the works of
17th-century German scholar Athanasius Kircher.
Youll also see decaying dice belonging to magician
Ricky Jay and microscopes on a table for you to
admire Henry Daltons micromosaics made from
butterfy wings. Teres also whimsical foral radio-
graphs that come to life when viewed through 3D
glasses.
In the exhibition on ancient medical beliefs you
are told that mice were, at one point in time, eaten
in toast or pies to cure various medical ailments and
that inhaling the breath of a duck cured children of
throat and mouth disorders. Tere is also the Gar-
den of Eden on Wheels made up of many dioramas
of Los Angeles area mobile homes.
Make your way upstairs to see paintings of
the dogs launched into space by the Soviet Space
Program. Ten head to the Tula Tea Room for some
tea and sit by the garden as you try to make sense of
everything you have just seen.
Suggested Donation: adults $8, students and
seniors $5, children 12 and under free
Hours: Tursday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday
through Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: 9341 Venice Blvd., Culver City
(310)836-6131
www.mjt.org
MUSEUM OF DEATH
WALT DISNEYS BARN MUSEUM
S
Pasadena
Chalk Festival
BY CHRISTINA
PEMBLETON
Chalk may be a childs
favorite activity, but
adults have taken this
hobby and turned it into
an extreme art showcase.
Sidewalk chalk art is
nothing like what you
drew as a kid. This art
features life-like images
of people, animals and
places.
Paseo Colorado in
Pasadena is home to this
years Pasadena Chalk
Festival, which benefts
the Light Bringer Project,
a Pasadena-based art
non-proft organization
with a mission to build
community through art.
The festival will take
place June 15 and 16.
Registration is currently
open for chalk artists.
An art entry form and a
sketch are required for
registration.
MUSEUM OF JURASSIC TECHNOLOGY
The college life can be a poor
life. But the lack of Benjamins
need not get you down!
When people think California, they think Holly-
wood. And then they think that we run into famous
actors everywhere.
And, actually, you
can! If you want to
see your favorite tele-
vision actor up close,
theres a chance you
could be part of their
shows live studio au-
dience. And for the
budget-consci ous,
the low, low price is
usually free.
By choosing a
date and providing
simple contact information, you could be front row,
center. All you have to do is go to a website where tick-
ets are provided and check to see what shows have seats
available. You can attend Te Big Bang Teory, Two
Broke Girls, Chelsea Lately, Two and A Half Men
and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
TVTickets.com lets you print out your ticket imme-
diately afer providing your name and contact informa-
tion. But be advisedif you plan on taking others with
you, they will need to have their name and informa-
tion on their own ticket. When you arrive at the studio
designated on your ticket, studio personnel will check
your ticket and ID to verify your identity. Afer that
youll be escorted to the sound stage where your show
is being flmed.
Rules vary depending on which studio you visit, but
youll likely be asked to leave all phones and cameras at
the studio entrance. Once inside, youll get to see how
episodes are taped and see frsthand the bloopers that
the actors make. Youll also realize that those laughs
you hear at the end of your favorite characters punch-
line arent as mechanical as you might think. While at-
tending the taping you wont be allowed to speak while
the cameras are rolling, but youre more than welcome
:
WHERE TO SCORE
YOUR TIX!
The web is the easiest
way to score tickets to be a
part of your favorite shows.
Each website will have
a calendar showing which
dates still have seats avail-
able.
Studios often give away
too many tickets just to
make sure the audience is
full. Seating is frst come,
frst served, so its recom-
mended you show up 90
minutes before the time
listed on your ticket.
In the event all the seats
are all taken, you will be
given a phone number to call
so you can reschedule and
attend another time.
Where to get tickets for
your favorite show:
www.abc.go.com/site/
tv-ticket-request

www.TVTickets.com/

www.On-Camera-Audi-
ences.com

www.LateNightWith-
JimmyFallon.com/
about/tickets/
BE PART OF A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE
Now That Youre
Casting agency websites:
www.CentralCasting.com
www.ExtraExtraCasting.com
www.CreativeExtrasCasting.com
BY JASMIN CRUZ
to laugh. Your laugh will be recorded and saved to be used
for that episode of the show once it airs.
A half-hour show takes anywhere from four to six
hours to be recorded, so plan on staying the whole day.
Yes, snacks are handed out, so dont worry about going
hungry. And be sure to ask when your episode will air
before you leave so that you can watch with family and
tell them you were there!
Next time youre at the movies, look closelyyou
just might spot someone you know. Te truth is, anyone
can be a movie extra. And those people that sit in the
background drinking cofee or walking to the park are
getting paid.
Casting companies specialize in fnding extras for
movies and TV shows, ofen looking for specifc people
based on age, ethnicity, appearance, or whatever a stu-
dio needs to ft a certain job.
Wanna get in on the action? Register with one of
the extras casting companies. Some casting agencies
will allow you to register online, while others require
you to show up in person. And beware of scams! Some
agencies will ask for a fee for headshots and to process
your application, but the fee should usually be no more
than $20.
Once something comes up, the agency will contact
you and tell you where to report for work. Youll likely
report to a second assistant director or an extras wran-
gler. Your salary is usually about $7 an hour, and get
ready for long hours. Its not uncommon for shooting
days to last 12 hours or more. But heres a perk: Very
ofen, youll get free food while on set!
Being an extra on a TV show or a movie is a great
way to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into
production. Most movies and TV shows are flmed in
Los Angeles or New York. So congratsjust by being
here you already have a leg up. n
B
R
O
K
E
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
ILLUSTRATION BY
JACQUELINE KALISCH
MAY 2013 DO SOMETHING
S
18 SCENE MAGAZINE SCENE MAGAZINE 19
20 Miles
& 20 Bucks
BY AGNES CONSTANTE
AND NATALIE RIVERA
Trif Shop by Macklemore with Ryan
Lewis has quickly become the ber-played pop
song of the day, (thankfully) pushing Mum-
ford & Sons aside. Te quirky, hip-hop-y hit,
somewhat surprisingly, pushes the blinged-out
high-rolling lifestyle to the side, and instead
celebratessecond-hand shopping.
But can you do what Macklemore does?
Is it possible to get all the fashion items men-
tioned in his song for that 20 dollars in my
pocket?
Two brave Scene reporters tried. And
failed. Epically.
Te list itself, and unraveling Mackle-
more-lingo, is tough. A velour jumpsuit isnt
too common anymore. We had to Google it.
And whats a wolf hat? Is it a hat that a wolf
wears? A hat made out of a wolf s head? Is that
even legal? And some terms such as skeet
blanket, wellyou can just Google that your-
self.
Armed with a list, $20 and a frm deter-
mination to leave the skeet blanket alone, we
staarted at aa thrif store cleverly named Trif
Store on Sherman Way in Reseda (NOTE TO
SHOPPERS: it doesnt get more thrif store
than a thrif store named Trif Store).
We found only two items at Trif Store,
the house slippers and the plaid T-shirt. Both
items were $2.99 each, leaving only $14.02 to
spend on the remaining 12 items. Te search
was looking bleak. Afer all, whats the pos-
sibility wed be able to fnd a brown leopard
mink for a buck?
Please make no mistake
Trif Store on Sherman Way
is great. We found $1.99 cash-
mere sweaters and $4.99 vin-
tage business-like dresses. But
it wasnt too kind to the Mack-
lemore list.
Macklemores Trif Shop
music video features a
Goodwill as a flming
location. So Goodwill
seemed a great place to
stop next. But all we
could fnd was the
brown leather jack-
et at $20 (stabbing
the challenge right
through the heart) and
a blanket (clean!) at $2.
Can a pop song really
be called upon to be hon-
est? Is there a thrif store
heaven we just didnt have
access to? Can you really
get a leopard mink, a bro-
ken keyboard, Pro Wings
and more for only $20?
Our evidence would
indicate no. Could Mack-
lemore himself fnish this
challenge?
Trif Shop has been a
Billboard #1 single. Its sold
more than fve million cop-
ies. Simple answer: He doesnt
have to. n
Gonna pop some tags? Got $20 in your pocket?
Can you live up to the song?
THE
MACKLEMORE
THRIFT SHOP
Sometimes all you need is a
working car, a $20 bill and a couple
quarters for parking to have a good
time on a budget.
College is a time to be broke, but
that doesnt mean you cant have
fun. So if youre looking for some-
thing beyond watching TV, going to
Taco Bell or loitering, we have some
great wallet-friendly options.
Stories Books & Cafe
Tis Echo Park gem is anything
but your ordinary bookstore, selling
both new and used books along
with rare literary fnds. You can also
sell or trade books from your own
collection. Te real attraction to the
cafe-bookstore fusion, however, is
its busy schedule of readings and
events such as knitting, chess and
live music from local bandsall
free unless donations are required.
1716 West Sunset Boulevard, Los
Angeles, CA 90026.
Website: StoriesLA.com.
Electric Dusk Drive-In
Yknow how sometimes theres
nothing worth watching in the the-
ater and you wish that your favorite
old flms were playing instead?
Tanks to Electric Dusk Drive-
In, movie lovers get to view epic
movies, Goodfellas, A Clockwork
Orange and Te Princess Bride,
on the big screen in the heart of
downtown L.A. from the comfort of
your own car. Not only do you save
money on the ticket, which only
costs $10 per person, but you also
get to bring your choice of snacks
even if all you have lef is Cup o
Noodles. 1000 San Julian Street, Los
Angeles, CA, 90015.
Website: ElectricDuskDrivein.com.
Oh My Rockness
Te only thing better than sit-
ting in your room looking for new
music is checking out the artists
live. Tanks to Oh My Rockness,
you can now search for concerts
that wont cost you a penny. Pre-
vious artists include Best Coast,
Jimmy Eat World and the Silversun
Pickups, so you never know when a
big-time act is going to show up
for free.
Website: OhMyRockness. com. n
BY VIRGINIA IBARRAAND
TERESE TORGERSEN
Tose who value unique vintage clothing,
antiques and art defnitely value the swap
meet. Tese weekend morning hot-spots are
flled with individuals in search of a deal, or
at least a couple hours in the sun with fami-
lies and friends. Follow this guide, and youll
be at the meet that cant be beat no matter
what week it is.
Te John Muir PTA Flea Market: frst
Saturday each month
Also known as the Santa Monica Flea
Market, this lesser-known gem run by the
PTA of Te John Muir School is full of oddi-
ties. Head over for a less crowded experience
(and a crazy amount of vintage jewelry)! Ad-
mission: $1. Website: www.MyJohnMuir.org/
Images/FleaMarket.
Whats the
BEST time you
can have with
a limited
budget and
limited
mileage?
Swap Meet Weekends
Your month-long guide to budget conscious destinations
BY VIRGINIA IBARRA
PRICE TAG
ILLUSTRATION BY
JACQUELINE KALISCH
PHOTO BY TERESE TORGERSEN
Te Rose Bowl Flea Market: second
Sunday each month
Te Rose Bowl Flea Market has been in
existence for generations, and with very good
reason. With more than 2,500 vendors, youll
fnd a huge selection of antiques, clothing
and furniture on the second Sunday of every
month from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Of course,
more vendors equal more opportunities to
haggle, which makes your possibilities of
scoring something awesome a lot higher. Ad-
mission: $8.Website: www.RGCShows.com.
Long Beach Outdoor Antique &
Collectible Market: third Sunday each month
With more than 800 vendors, the Long
Beach Outdoor Antique & Collectible Mar-
ket is the top swap meet when you want
to spend a day by the beach, shopping for
unique pieces and getting a tan while youre
at it. Admission: $5. Website: www.Long-
BeachAntiqueMarket.com.
Melrose Trading Post: Any Sunday
Melrose Trading Post is an outdoor Sun-
day antiques and collectibles fea market with
250 vendors. Te market is open rain or shine
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can fnd everything
from vintage clothing to handcrafed jewelry
and African inspired furniture. Admission:
$2. Website: www.MelroseTradingPost.org. n
Fairfax High
School students
set up shop at the
Melrose Trading
Post. Students sell
antiques, vintage
clothing and
handcrafted jewel-
ry to raise money
for their schools
art program.
CHALLENGE
S
POP YOUR OWN TAGS!
Wanna take a stab at
the Thrift Shop chal-
lenge? Here are the 14
items listed in
Macklemores hit song:
Green gator shoes
Leopard mink
Velour jumpsuit
House slippers
Brown leather jacket
Broken keyboard
Skeet blanket
Kneeboard
Pro Wings
Fox skin
Wolf hat
Plaid button-up shirt
Zebra jammies
Moccasins
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY
JASMINE
MOCHIZUKI