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Alumni reached new heights while exploring UCLA from its rooftops

UCLA alumni Scott Mulligan and Joseph Marynak refer to themselves as “urban explorers.” During their time at college, they scaled multiple campus buildings and explored UCLA’s underground tunnels. (Courtesy of Mackenzie Murphy)

By Susan Monaghan

Oct. 31, 2019 12:29 a.m.

Correction: The original version of this article misidentified Joseph Marynak in the caption. The original version of the caption also incorrectly credited the photo to Joseph Marynak. In fact, the photo was courtesy of Mackenzie Murphy.

This post was updated Nov. 3 at 1:15 p.m.

Last year, if you happened to ask him, a bleached-blond political science student could tell you how to get to the rooftop of most buildings at UCLA.

Scott Mulligan, along with his friend Joseph Marynak, were long-time urban explorers on campus before graduating in 2019. During their time at UCLA, the two made it to the top of some of the most famous buildings on campus, including Powell Library and Boelter Hall.

Though Mulligan and Marynak took as many as 10 people on climbing trips at once, Mulligan said that they were never officially organized.

“I feel like that’s almost antithetical to the scaling-building idea, having a ‘club,” Mulligan said. “I feel like it’s supposed to be a little anarchist, a little edge-lordish. If someone’s in it, it’s kind of like ‘Fight Club.’”

Mulligan met Marynak, who studied economics, as a first-year while they were living on the same dorm floor. The two of them started exploring campus on nighttime walks.

“So throughout the day … we would see (a building) and we’d be like, ‘Oh, you could scale that, then you could jump up there. OK, is there any door, try that door,’” Mulligan said. “If you really think about it, you’ll be able to do it. It’s really a test of your ingenuity.”

Mulligan said he considered videotaping a nighttime tour of UCLA’s campus to complement the official 90-minute daytime tour offered by UCLA.

“But … part of the fun of it for future climbers is figuring out how to get to the top,” Mulligan said. “Ultimately, … you’re going to have to find new ways, and that’s part of the fun. And then taking people and sharing that experience with them.”

Mulligan is careful to use the term “urban exploring” to describe his campus expeditions, which included both scaling buildings and surveying UCLA’s network of underground tunnels. Mulligan started exploring the tunnels his first year, originally as a duo with Marynak.

“We used to go, just him and I, and then slowly, if other people wanted to go, we would take them,” Mulligan said. “And it’s a real journey. I’ve heard it’s even gotten more restricted, but it was fun while it lasted.”

Misuse of UCLA property could carry legal penalties, as well as disciplinary action if the violator is a student, according to University of California policy. Building access is decided by UCLA Facilities Management, according to its website.

A UCLA spokesperson did not respond to requests to comment.

Though Mulligan himself has never made it to the top of Royce Hall, he knows at least one student who has. Royce is kind of like the Moby Dick of building climbers, he said.

“Royce is too high-profile,” Mulligan said. “But it’d be a lot of fun.”

But scaling buildings is, predictably, not without real risk, Mulligan said. Mulligan broke his hand his first year while getting down from one building near the Anderson School of Management.

“(Mulligan and I) went to go down and we were like, ‘Oh, well there’s really no way to get down,” Marynak said. “So I was like ‘Oh, we can just jump.’ I went down, and then he went down after me. We didn’t do any exploring for quite a while after that.”

Mulligan, who thought he’d only sprained his wrist, didn’t have it treated for several months.

“I jumped off, landed on my hand, didn’t know it was broken for six months, found out it was broken and had to get surgery,” Mulligan said. “Worth it though, honestly.”

As far as encounters with authorities, Mulligan has been caught once: at the top of UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center.

“The security guard came out and was like, ‘What are you boys doing?’ Mulligan said. “And we were like, ‘We heard this was a good rooftop,’ and he was like ‘I saw you guys climb up,’ … but nothing happened, we just got our BruinCards’ pictures taken.”

Marynak said their urban exploration allowed them to understand UCLA’s campus in a way most students never get the chance to.

“Most people at UCLA, I take it, don’t get around to campus much, besides going from class to class,” Marynak said. “I feel like half the people in North Campus don’t even know that you can just walk out onto the Boelter rooftop and have a view all the way to the ocean.”

For Mulligan, urban exploration embodied the aspects of UCLA culture he appreciated the most in hindsight.

“It’s about seeking that discomfort and seeking that thing that’s going to push you a little bit further,” Mulligan said. “Personally, I think climbing buildings embodies the whole spirit of UCLA. They talk about ‘Exploring new things … being a problem solver.’ They’re all integrated into urban exploration. Just don’t get caught.”

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Susan Monaghan
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