Correction: The statistics cited in Sarah Elspeth Patterson’s research are from two separate studies headed by Dr. Ronald Roberts of Kingston University, London. The statistics on student debt are based on data collected from the New York Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Additionally, the study regarding discussion of sex work in the classroom is not conducted by Widener University, but independently by Patterson. “I started stripping when I was 19 because I had huge debt. I was in a private… Read more

L.A.’s creative industry is expected to grow over the next five years, according to a new report. Direct employment in the creative industries is expected to increase by more than 4 percent, or 13,100 jobs, by 2015, according to the 2011 Otis Report on the Creative Economy of the Los Angeles Region. The fifth annual report studied the rate of employment in Los Angeles and Orange counties’ entertainment, toy, digital media, fashion, furniture, architecture, interior design, art galleries, product and… Read more

National Coming Out Day, an annual celebration in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer community meant to embolden those in the closet to “come out” to family and friends. National Coming Out Day was created in 1988, the brainchild of personal growth workshop leader Rob Eichberg and then-head of the National Gay Rights Advocates Jean O’Leary, as a collective response to Reagan era anti-gay politics, according to the Human Rights Campaign website. “To this day, National Coming Out… Read more

Student activists, who have had a relatively quiet presence on campus this semester, are focusing their attention on the greater community, according to student leaders. Many organizing efforts on the part of student activists this semester have been focused on planning large-scale events with other campuses, including the college solidarity movement of Occupy Wall Street, said Krystal Brooks, member of Students for Quality Education,or SQE. Occupy CSUN, which has waxed and waned in participation during its time on campus, did… Read more

Former foster youth who attend institutes of higher education require more assistance in their college career, Superior Court Judge Zeke Zeidler said in a presentation to CSUN students Wednesday. These youth have unique barriers to receiving higher education, said Zeidler, CSUN alumnus and former president of Associated Students. Almost 100 percent of former foster youth need to take remedial math and English courses when they enter the CSU system, Zeidler said.  This is compared to 50 percent of overall incoming… Read more