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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

Opinion

As a student with a history of suicidal thoughts, I posed a liability to the school. But when these issues arise, the college should handle them with more flexibility and compassion.

Emerson made me fight for the mental health care I needed. But I shouldn’t have had to

By Cat Bixler / September 29, 2020

*Content Warning: This article heavily references suicide and depression.  The American Psychiatric Association defines mental illness as a medical...

"I’m devastated by her passing, terrified for who will replace her, and doubtful that they will uphold Ginsburg’s views and legacy."

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight for women’s rights lives on

By Sabine Waldeck, Deputy Opinion Editor / September 28, 2020

When I first heard the news of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, I was in disbelief. I was aware that Ginsburg had been battling pancreatic...

"Far fetched as my expectations were, none of us pictured freshman year this way, with me logging onto Zoom to attend classes, professors' office hours, and student organizations’ meetings."

We were never getting the college experience we expected

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / September 23, 2020

For those of you who spent too much of your childhood obsessing over Legally Blonde and Beverly Hills, 90210, like me, you probably had an inflated image...

Mail-in voting is still not accessible for everyone

Mail-in voting is still not accessible for everyone

By Jacob Seitz, Former Staff Writer / September 19, 2020

This election season, a vast majority of the American population is likely going to vote by mail. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended just about everything...

"When anyone casts their ballot in a normal year, they are fulfilling their civic responsibility as an American citizen. But this November, for the first time in a long time, there is a pandemic plaguing the U.S. during a presidential election." Illustration by Laura King

Mail-in voting is easy. Here’s why you should do it.

By Robbie Shinder / September 15, 2020

What does it mean to vote? When anyone casts their ballot in a normal year, they are fulfilling their civic responsibility as an American citizen. But...

The Max is laid out in a one-way format, utilizing the traditional back exit as an entrance to accommodate for social distancing in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.

My love letter to The Max that is no more

By Robby Gessel / September 10, 2020

Obviously, a lot has changed on campus because of the pandemic. But what bothers me the most is not the online classes, nor is it the frequent testing,...

Letter: OneEmerson?

Letter: OneEmerson?

By Diego Torres / September 6, 2020

When I see OneEmerson plastered on walls and headlining emails, all I do is think. I think of the students who live through police brutality and racial...

Letter: Ruthanne Madsen, VP of Enrollment, responds to Gina Martin article

Letter: Ruthanne Madsen, VP of Enrollment, responds to Gina Martin article

By Ruthanne Madsen / September 4, 2020

The Office of Financial Aid at Emerson College is devoted to providing access to education for all students with financial need. Unfortunately, inaccurate...

Letter: POWER responds to Gina Martin article

Letter: POWER responds to Gina Martin article

By Emily Cardona, Shruti Rajkumar, Noah Adaikkalam, Jehan Ayesha-Wirasto, Amali Dunmore, Nina Khosla, Max Boone, Eryn McCallum, Lia Kim, Sydney Logan, Jilly Towson, Brittany Adames, Rocío Perez, Sonali Anand, Evonne Johnson, and Marissa Cardenas / September 3, 2020

As members of Protesting Oppression With Educational Reform (POWER), a group working to advocate for BIPOC students, we have a vested interest...

If the college chooses to have people attending classes in Boston and acknowledges its responsibility to provide testing, it must also bear the burden of the danger this puts our homeless and low-income community members in.

Don’t ignore our “invisible” community as classes resume this fall

By Billy Brodeur / September 2, 2020

Billy Brodeur is a senior studying comedic arts. On a walk to Paramount my sophomore year, I turned a corner and saw my friend Paul slumped on the ground....

"I don’t think I’ll ever not love fantasy, but I’m excited for my literary taste to grow with me and read about different experiences."

In quarantine, I revisited my taste in books—and it changed for the better

By Taina Millsap, Former Staff Writer / September 2, 2020

Throughout my entire childhood, I always loved books. I forced my grandma to take me to the bookstore after my Friday classes every week, so that I could...

The cloud ahead of us is grim, but to spite the dark mass, I find it necessary to reach for the silver linings that are both large and small, inconsequential and momentous.

Time to look at the silver lining

By Althea Champion, Former Staff / September 1, 2020

In a room full of pessimists, I am the first to say that the world is going to hell. Nowadays, I cannot believe I am alone in that assertion, especially...

Emerson has reported 5,093 total tests have been conducted as of Sunday, with five positives, according to the college's website.

Let off-campus students test somewhere else

By Editorial Board / August 31, 2020

Testing all Emerson students weekly is both a noble goal and a requirement this year. It’s been widely proven that the most effective way to pin down...

Usually, my teammates and I are able to shake off a defeat and bounce back in our next game. But the loss of our fall season to COVID-19 was like no other. It meant there was no “next time.”

There’s a new opponent this year: COVID-19

By Jillian Kay / August 24, 2020

Jillian Kay is a middle blocker for the Emerson women’s volleyball team. Kay is a rising sophomore studying broadcast journalism. When COVID-19 cases...

Students crossing the bustling Boylston/Tremont intersection.

We really, really shouldn’t throw parties

By The Editorial Board / August 24, 2020

By now, you may have heard a joke or two leading up to this semester—something like “off to school for a few good weeks” or “don’t make your...

Students cross the intersection of Boylston St. and Tremont St.

Remote learning is different, but that’s not a bad thing

By The Editorial Board / August 17, 2020

As Emerson moves forward with its reopening plans for the fall semester, many students have raised concerns about the value of online classes. Is it comparable...

The entrance to Emerson's Walker Building on Boylston St. (Jakob Menendez/ Beacon Archives, File Photo)

A weekly email is not enough

By Editorial Board / August 10, 2020

Throughout the summer, Emerson administration has sent students sporadic emails. In June came the announcement that campus would reopen in late August....

I, along with many people who study, work, or live in between these two countries, am balancing on a wobbly cultural bridge. And it also seems the once-strong international journalism community I used to aspire to be a part of is eroding.

Caught in the middle of the U.S. and China conflict as a journalist

By Jocelyn Yang, Opinion Editor / August 4, 2020

When I first landed in the U.S. during high school, the customs officer asked me what I wanted to pursue as a career. When I told him journalism, his immediate...

Letter: What will we do with our fear?

Letter: What will we do with our fear?

By Kim McLarin, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director / July 30, 2020

Kim McLarin is a writing, literature, and publishing associate professor and a graduate program director. Dear Emerson Community, These are frightening...

We’re putting faculty and staff in danger

We’re putting faculty and staff in danger

By Editorial Board / July 28, 2020

In a world toppled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Emerson administration gave students a choice: return to an altered campus and participate in a mix of in-person...