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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

"People make New Year’s resolutions because they yearn for new beginnings."

Turning our New Year’s resolutions into realities

By Jocelyn Yang / December 8, 2019

Counting down to 2020, I've started drafting the list of my New Year's resolutions: read more books, go to the gym every day, get more sleep. But these...

Letter: Abigail Semple on the importance of The Beacon

Letter: Abigail Semple on the importance of The Beacon

By Abigail Semple / December 7, 2019

Abigail Semple is the executive treasurer for Emerson College's Student Government Association. Although it has been a long and rocky semester, we, as...

Jade Lopez - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Person of Color Column: Language does not define my identity

By Jade Lopez / December 4, 2019

When someone hears my last name, they often tell me something along the lines of “I didn’t know you were Hispanic.”  Growing up in a predominantly...

Executive Vice President Will Palauskas updated SGA's website on Oct. 30 to include the previously missing meeting minutes.

Vacancies on the SGA ballot should not be the norm

By Editorial Board / December 4, 2019

As Emerson continues to expand its academics and its campus, the Student Government Association functions as a vital pipeline among students, the administration,...

Dasha German - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Love Column: The door’s open, come on in

By Dasha German / December 4, 2019

Last February, my girlfriend approached me at a party and gave me a fist bump because she was going to go make out with one of my best friends, and I...

"Mistakes are far less important than the actions you take to move forward."

Mistakes and missteps: Accepting the art of failure

By Ally Rzesa / December 3, 2019

I have had plenty of leadership and followership positions, and I have royally messed up all of them. If I could intern in making mistakes, I would reject...

President Pelton met with community members in a round table session after Town Meeting. Jacob Seitz / Beacon Staff

Respect the Marlboro community by maintaining communication

By Editorial Board / November 20, 2019

This Wednesday, President M. Lee Pelton set foot in Marlboro College for the first time since announcing the Marlboro-Emerson merger. Emerson plans to...

Juliet Norman - Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Strapped for Cash: Sacrificing a college experience to pay my tuition

By Juliet Norman / November 20, 2019

Last week, my digital journalism professor stopped me after class and asked to talk to me.  I instantly was seized with worry—was I in trouble? Had...

Cannabis Column: The high cost of criminal cannabis charges

Cannabis Column: The high cost of criminal cannabis charges

By Grace Griffin / November 19, 2019

One night in early 2018, a friend and I sat on a bench in the Boston Common and smoked cannabis. A Boston police officer approached us; “There’s no...

"Natural treatments are not as unconventional as people think" / Illustration by Christine Park

Moving away from society’s dependence on contemporary medicine

By Carlota Cano / November 18, 2019

On average, 47 million prescriptions are unnecessarily written up by doctors and emergency departments per year across the United States. But there’s...

"I’ve learned that my decision to stay somewhat local—in, might I add, one of the best college cities in the U.S.—does not make me immature or overly dependent." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Home sweet home: Why going to college nearby can be beneficial

By Jess Ferguson / November 18, 2019

Throughout the college application process, I felt pressured to attend school somewhere far away from my home in southeastern Massachusetts. Everyone...

Melanie Curry - Graphic By Ally Rzesa for The Berkeley Beacon.

Love Column: As Bieber said, ‘We’re just friends, what are you saying?’

By Melanie Curry / November 13, 2019

Last semester, I “dated” a guy I’ll call Eric. I use the word “dated” loosely because we were never an official couple. We would sleep together,...

An Asset Transfer Agreement, signed by Emerson and Marlboro, revealed that Emerson expects to receive just over $20 million from the merger.

The Marlboro College merger should be met with respect, not ridicule

By Editorial Board / November 13, 2019

In a town hall last Wednesday, President M. Lee Pelton announced that Emerson College plans to merge with Marlboro College, a small liberal arts institution...

Katie Redefer - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Boomers 1, Gen Z 0

By Katie Redefer / November 13, 2019

As an elementary school student, I was that kid who got yelled at by the teacher for reading in the back of the classroom. With my nose tucked into The...

"The only secret to not getting duped into sales is to think of the product’s practicality before purchasing." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

How holiday sales capitalize on our impulses

By Jocelyn Yang / November 12, 2019

A new tidal wave of holiday sales is coming. Stores like Hollister, Zappos, and Macy’s email me every day to advertise discounts and remind me of...

"In the age of rapid globalization, breaking news happening on the other side of the world could have an impact on people who are living in America." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Integrate news from around the world into your news diet

By Jiachen Liu / November 12, 2019

I learned about the protests in Chile while having dinner with a friend who works as a telescope researcher in Chilean labs for the University of California,...

Gary Sowder - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

It’s okay to have bad sex (and tell all your friends about it)

By Gary Sowder / November 10, 2019

“Alright,” I said, hurling my tacos into a garbage can. “I’m going to go have sex with him.”  “What?” my friend Nicole asked.  It...

Megan Ellis - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Little Shirt, Big Pants: The dichotomy between self-image and style

By Megan Ellis / November 10, 2019

*Content Warning: This article discuses themes of disordered eating and body image. In high school, I used to cry in the mornings as I got dressed for...

Monika Davis - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Motion Picture This: ‘The King’ puts Timothée Chalamet’s star power to the test

By Monika Davis / November 9, 2019

Proclaimed “white boy of the month” Timothée Chalamet has dominated the last two years in cinema. After breaking into the scene with indie classics...

"Some students, including myself, cannot spare five dollars to a school that already does not meet our financial needs." / Illustration by Christine Park

Students shouldn’t be responsible for fueling the endowment fund

By Melanie Curry / November 8, 2019

Last week, Student Government Association Executive Treasurer Abigail Semple wrote in a letter to the editor, “At Emerson College, we have a problem.” She...