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Beginning December 18, 2024, Beacon staff will be away from the newsroom for the Emerson College winter break. Daily news coverage will resume on January 13, 2025.
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 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...

Emerson encampment: A look at connection and chaos

A letter to Howie Carr

By Ella Mordarski, Guest Author / April 29, 2024

Dear Howie Carr,  The horrifying screams echoing up from the alley will forever be ingrained in my mind.  On April 25, 2024, I watched from...

Courtesy of Bradley Bird

To my fellow adults in the classrooms

By Bradley Bird, Guest Author / April 27, 2024

Dear fellow Emerson faculty,  Like many of us, I have much I'd like to say in regards to the genocide in Gaza, the college's handling of that issue,...

These Jews say there's nothing scary about anti-Zionism

Op-Ed: These Jews say there’s nothing scary about anti-Zionism

By Jews Against Zionism, Guest Author / April 26, 2024

“You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:20,...

Emerson Hillel is here to stay

Op-Ed: Hillel is here to stay

By Ari Willis, Guest Author / April 18, 2024

This past Monday, April 15, I embarked on a long journey from my Paramount dorm to Piano Row for what was meant to be a relaxing trip to The...

Emerson's downtown Boston campus.

Op-Ed: The weapons of the weak

By Tulasi Srinivas, Guest Author / April 10, 2024

The arrests that happened a few weeks ago at the Presidential Inauguration were a failure of leadership of monumental proportions: it was not just...

Op-Ed: All burn, no heart

Op-Ed: All burn, no heart

By Cal Mazumder / April 3, 2024

On the verge of a good night’s rest after nearly a week of stressing over legal proceedings, academic discipline, and classes, I saw Jay Bernhardt’s...