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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

Op-Ed

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Emerald Fennell and Jacob Elordi are moving to the moors

By Helen Armstrong, Beacon Contributor / October 9, 2024
From her roles in “The Crown” and “Barbie,” Emerald Fennell has been moving into the directorial world of filmmaking.
Illustration by Rachel Choi

Being a lover girl: The college experience versus a relationship

By Kayla Caruso, Beacon Contributor / October 9, 2024
When I first started dating my boyfriend this past summer, the looming question of what to do when I moved to a college an hour away plagued my mind.
Illustration Rachel Choi

Incoming freshmen carry the targeted violence of last spring with us, and it recontextualizes our futures at Emerson

By Laila Ahmed, Guest Author / October 3, 2024
Late on a Thursday night in September and via phone call, two long-distance friends and I recounted the details of videos that made us cry that past week. 
Illustration Rachel Choi

The return of the cigarette aesthetic

By MacKenzie Zwillman, Guest Author / October 3, 2024
Recreational drugs have become extremely widespread in recent years. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, smoking embodied coolness and glamour of the early rock ‘n’ roll era; it was a symbol of social status.
Illustration Kellyn Taylor

Wait. I thought you said you were body positive?

By Azalea Case, Guest Author / October 3, 2024

Losing weight was one of the hardest things to ever happen to me.  When I was 17, my body changed; I grew taller, my hair got longer, and I lost 20...

Illustration Helen Armstrong

Plastic surgery from the perspective of someone who had reconstructive surgery

By McKenzie Cooper, Guest Author / October 3, 2024
Pain is all I felt after I got elbowed in the face during a wrestling match. My nose had broken pretty bad, but in hindsight, breaking my nose was lightwork compared to the surgery I had two years later.
A poster saying "We Stand with Caleb, Matt, Palestine, Lebanon" lies on the ground before a makeshift memorial in the Boston Garden at a vigil held by the Muslim Justice League on September 25, 2024. The vigil honored the lives of Matt Nelson, who died after self-immolated in front of Boston's Israeli consulate, and Caleb Cannon, who is in serious condition after being shot during a pro-Palestine protest in Newton. (Rian Nelson / Beacon Staff)

Media portrayal matters: A journalist’s role in reporting right now

By Merritt Hughes, Opinion Co-Editor / September 25, 2024
Journalists have always had a lot of influence when it comes to current events. Especially in this digital age of online journalism—aka X, previously Twitter—how a reporter frames a story is vital. 
Illustration Kellyn Taylor

‘What I Eat In a Day’ videos are promoting disordered habits to a vulnerable audience

By Emma Siebold, Beacon Correspondent / September 25, 2024
A friend asked me why I wasn’t responding to the dozens of Instagram reels she was sending me through our DMs.
Illustration Rachel Choi

The surrealist reality of American politics

By Pilialoha Gaudiello, Beacon Contributor / September 25, 2024
Maybe I did just fall out of a coconut tree. Because I don’t know what’s going on. 
People walking past Emerson College buildings on Boylston Street. (Arthur Mansavage/ Beacon Staff, File)

Why I left Emerson

By Tess Wilensky, Guest Author / September 25, 2024
I left the college for a multitude of reasons, but the main one was the way the Emerson community handled the past year. Not the administration, the Emerson community. 
Illustration Rachel Choi

We are Emerson: Grappling with attending this college

By Merritt Hughes, Opinion Co-Editor / September 18, 2024
I want to be proud of the school I attend, but that feels impossible right now. I am not happy to be so intertwined with Emerson.
Illustration Rachel Choi

Can Harris govern from ground zero?

By J. L. McCormick, Guest Author / September 16, 2024
I am tired of listening to our political candidates talk about healing our nation, bringing the country back together again, and being a president for all Americans “regardless of political party.”
A student-painted banner hangs above 2B alley pro-Palestine encampments on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Nick Peace)

As a student journalist, Emerson’s policies set a dangerous precedent

By Rumsha Siddiqui, Managing Editor / September 1, 2024

I was thrilled when I got accepted into Emerson’s journalism program in 2022. Now, entering my third year, I am filled with dread. Emerson’s Instagram...

Emerson College LLC; The death of higher education

Emerson College LLC; The death of higher education

By Maddie Barron, Magazine Editor & Assistant Opinion Editor / August 28, 2024
The Emerson College we once knew is dead. It was dying long before April 25, but that morning was the coup de grâce. The atmosphere of the college is now almost unrecognizable. 
The alarming implications of Emerson’s latest demonstration policies

The alarming implications of Emerson’s latest demonstration policies

By Kylie Morgan, Guest Author / August 26, 2024
I remember packing for Emerson this time last year, still riding the wave of excitement from my acceptance letter. Now, I pack with a pit in my stomach, preparing to face a place that bears little resemblance to the promises I pocketed on my campus tour.
Protecting free speech and promoting dialogue are what make us Emersonians

Protecting free speech and promoting dialogue are what make us Emersonians

It has been an uneasy summer for staff and faculty at Emerson, rocked early on by a presidential communication that threatened us with layoffs.
Can we meme our way to the presidency?

Can we meme our way to the presidency?

By Meg Richards, Beacon Correspondent / July 25, 2024

I found out Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race from a meme. I was at the movie theater with my best friend, Camille, watching “Maxxxine”...

A student-painted banner hangs above 2B alley pro-Palestine encampments on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Nick Peace)

Rupture requires repair: Where do we go from here?

By Anna Feder, Guest Author / May 13, 2024

I was there when the Emerson College encampment started. After months of being ignored by the administration, the students finally found a way to be...

A class picture in a school yard in the 1990's in Israel.

Two stories about growing up in Israel

By Illona Yosefov, Guest Author / May 8, 2024

Content warning: this article contains bloody imagery. I was in grade school when Yigal Amir, a Zionist who objected to the Oslo Accords, assassinated...

Op-Ed: On shared governance

Op-Ed: On shared governance

By Gian Lombardo, Guest Author / May 1, 2024

May Day marks the last day I will enter the classroom as a full-time teacher at Emerson. The part of teaching I will miss most is standing in front of...