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Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Kasteel Well

A canal in Amsterdam (Chase Henfey/ Beacon Correspondent)

Kasteel Well students travel to Amsterdam for their first academic excursion of the semester

By Chase Henfey, Beacon Correspondent / October 1, 2024
Emerson’s Kasteel Well program has many unique aspects, including an excursion to Amsterdam, which occurs during the second weekend of the semester. 
An Instagram post announcing the return of Black Swan for the Spring 2024 semester.

Meet Black Swan, Kasteel Well’s magazine by students, for students

By Jordan Pagkalinawan / March 21, 2024

As Kasteel Well students approach the final weeks of their semester, they’ve likely already collected plenty of souvenirs and trinkets across Europe....

Sophomore marketing communications student Sam Switall stands in front of Il Paradiso, a canvas painting in the Grand Council Hall at the Doge’s Palace, a landmark building that was once the Doge's residence and the center of the Venetian government, in Venice, Italy. (Photo courtesy of Samantha Switall)

Photos: Kasteel Well students explore Europe on travel break

By Jordan Pagkalinawan / March 19, 2024
Twice a semester, Emerson students at Kasteel Well go on academic excursions to various countries.
Kasteel Well students prepare to participate in the Carnival festivities.

Kasteel Well students connect with community in Carnival celebration

By Jordan Pagkalinawan / February 22, 2024

While Americans geared up for Super Bowl 58, Emerson students studying abroad at Kasteel Well prepared for a different celebration—participating in the...

Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

By Maeve Lawler / April 12, 2023

Are you a future Kasteel Well dweller? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably wondering how to prepare for your semester abroad. What do I pack?...

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

By Maeve Lawler / March 22, 2023

As of March 9, Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus no longer requires twice-a-week COVID-19 testing, according to an email sent to Kasteel Well students from...

Kasteel Well’s assistant director of student affairs embraces life’s challenges and community building

Kasteel Well’s assistant director of student affairs embraces life’s challenges and community building

By Maeve Lawler / February 18, 2023

Each semester, a new group of students participating in the Kasteel Well program are welcomed by a medieval castle tucked in the countryside of Well, Limburg....

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus.

Kasteel Well community feels mixed emotions about the Ukraine-Russia war

By Mariyam Quaisar / March 3, 2022

A mere 1,200 miles away from the fighting in Ukraine, students and faculty at Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus are anxiously watching history unfold as...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

COVID outbreak at Kasteel Well forces students out of rooms

By Bailey Allen / February 17, 2022

Students at Emerson’s Kasteel Well have been moved out of their dorms to make space for quarantine and isolation housing as part of the satellite campus’...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

No change in sight for Kasteel Well following Omicron variant detection in Netherlands

By Bailey Allen / December 2, 2021

Weeks after a surge in COVID-19 cases forced the Netherlands into another lockdown, the appearance of Omicron—the latest mutation of the virus—threatens...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Emerson students at Kasteel Well unfazed by Netherlands lockdowns

By Bailey Allen / November 18, 2021

Amid a rise in COVID cases throughout the Netherlands, Emerson students studying abroad at Kasteel Well face a three-week partial lockdown, which has limited...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

Kasteel Well students reflect on departing the castle

By Shawna Konieczny / March 29, 2021

On March 2, 2020, the 76 students studying at Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus gathered in a cramped dining hall awaiting an update on spring break, expecting...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

With no students at the castle, the town of Well remains shuttered

By Camilo Fonseca / February 18, 2021

Nearly 3,500 miles away from Boston, a towering castle is quiet. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the dorms at Kasteel Well have sat empty for nearly...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Kasteel Well fall program canceled in a swift change from previous plan

By Diti Kohli / August 4, 2020

The fall Kasteel Well study abroad program has been canceled after the college was unable to secure permission for U.S. citizens to enter the Netherlands,...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

Extended EU travel ban could throw Kasteel Well study abroad program into uncertainty

By Andrew Brinker / June 25, 2020

European Union officials plan to extend a ban on travellers from the United States as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to silently accelerate in the country,...

Students enrolled in the college's Kasteel Well study abroad program for the fall semester will be under strict travel restrictions and enforced social distancing measures.

Kasteel Well study abroad program to move forward with limited travel for fall semester

By Dana Gerber / June 16, 2020

Emerson’s Kasteel Well study abroad program in the Netherlands will proceed in the fall semester with significant alterations in light of the ongoing...

Kasteel Well students to receive refund for canceled Milan excursion

Kasteel Well students to receive refund for canceled Milan excursion

By Lara Hill / April 3, 2020

The college plans to issue a refund for costs associated with the Milan academic excursion that officials canceled due to concerns with the spread of COVID-19...

College considering housing refunds for Kasteel Well students leaving campus

College considering housing refunds for Kasteel Well students leaving campus

By Lara Hill / March 12, 2020

The college is currently “leaning in the direction” of providing housing refunds to Kasteel Well students planning to return home for the remainder...

President M. Lee Pelton speaking to students who were forced to evacuate the Netherlands during the Spring 2020 semester after COVID-19 spread rapidly around the world. Pelton expressed support for the "Defund the Police" initiative Tuesday, saying that the police are overly militarized and the system needs overhauled, in a virtual panel with Commonwealth Magazine.

Kasteel Well students return amid Coronavirus concerns

By Katie Redefer, Kasteel Well Editor / March 7, 2020

Kasteel Well students trudged bleary-eyed through the rain at 4:00 a.m Central European Time on Friday to board a bus to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, beginning...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

Kasteel students to return on Friday as Coronavirus spreads in Europe

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise News Editor / March 4, 2020

The college plans to send students studying at the college's Kasteel Well campus back to Boston on Friday after college officials announced earlier this...