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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

"After hearing Miami natives detail the northeastern winter, I began to wonder if I’d experience SAD when freezing temperatures hit." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Overcoming the winter blues

By Carlota Cano / September 29, 2019

Growing up in Miami, I practically lived in a bikini and flip flops, savoring warm temperatures and sunny days year-round. Now that I live in Boston, I’ve...

Gary Sowder - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

How I fell in love with the guy who choked me

By Gary Sowder / September 25, 2019

One night last semester I popped some melatonin, cranked the air conditioning, and loaded up my essential oil diffuser with a hefty amount of lavender,...

Beacon Archives

Students deserve transparent sexual assault statistics

By Editorial Board / September 25, 2019

On Wednesday, the college disseminated its annual Clery Report through a campus-wide email. The 57-page-long report details both the criminal offenses...

"I mostly stayed silent because I found myself unable to join discussions about how the case can affect 'our' society and 'our' legal system." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Patriotic language in class leaves international students behind

By Xinyan Fu / September 25, 2019

During the beginning of my first semester at Emerson, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and his alleged sexual misconduct were all over the news. As...

Diti Kohli - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Person of Color Column: My mission to say my name correctly

By Diti Kohli / September 24, 2019

My name is Diti.  It is short and sweet—four basic letters that, despite their simplicity, are curiously foreign to most Americans. I’m Indian,...

"Children with pursuits that aren’t conventionally 'academic' should not be discouraged from pursuing what they love." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Abandoning creative pursuits in the name of success

By Grace Griffin / September 24, 2019

I started playing the piano and taking painting and drawing classes outside of school at age nine. In eighth grade, I studied art history for the first...

"When we were newbies at college, we might have encountered mean upperclassmen giving us a hard time or looking down on us." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

You were a freshman once, too

By Frances Hui / September 20, 2019

On the first day of classes this year, after I sprinted from the Park Street Station to the Walker Building, I took the stairs to avoid the long line for...

Beacon Archives

Abolishing admission fees could hurt student organizations

By Editorial Board / September 18, 2019

Editor's Note: Editor-in-chief Chris Van Buskirk did not contribute to or edit this editorial due to a conflict of interest.  At the Student Government...

Kyle Labe - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Age of the Twink: Yes, I am a gay-mer

By Kyle Labe / September 18, 2019

When it comes to a “Super Mario” game, I’ll always choose Princess Peach as my avatar. If it’s “Resident Evil," I’ll go for Ada Wong. I prefer...

"Meeting people online brings with it a whole new world of anxiety-inducing expectations I do not enjoy." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Relationships: Virtual versus reality

By Althea Champion / September 18, 2019

In an age where technology cannot be avoided and social anxiety is at an all-time high, the once-taboo idea of forming relationships with people online...

Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Students detail which icebreakers caught their attention

September 16, 2019

Professors are sometimes guilty of overusing icebreakers in the initial days of a new semester to get to know their classes. But icebreakers don’t always...

Boston's City Hall Plaza

Don’t forget to vote local in the upcoming city council elections

By Editorial Board / September 11, 2019

The Boston City Council election this fall is quickly ramping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years with a total of 24 candidates running...

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

Person of Color Column: Conversations can change culture

By Melanie Curry / September 11, 2019

Last semester, I confronted a white friend about her unintentionally racist comments. In our conversation, I talked about one of the biggest problems with...

"Instead of solving problems and misunderstandings, people now tend to default to an extreme and biased opinion more than ever before." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Is social media creating connection or ruining it?

By Xinyan Fu / September 11, 2019

In the early 2010s, an Egyptian man named Khaled Said was tortured to death after being held in police custody. The photo of his death quickly went viral...

"The relationship I started mid-first year was great, and it still is. But I became enthralled with having someone new to spend all my time with." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Walking the tightrope of college relationships

By Sabine Waldeck / September 11, 2019

When I started my freshman year, not a month had gone by before I saw couples forming.  Typically they did not last very long, and lingered in the...

Grace Griffin - Graphic By Ally Rzesa / Berkeley Beacon Staff

Head Over Feels: Anthems of my recovery

By Grace Griffin / September 9, 2019

*Content Warning: This article discusses themes of violence, trauma, and sexual assault. The first time I heard a musical artist sing openly about sexual...

"While speaking to my family on the phone before the storm, I could hear that they were becoming anxious, which then rubbed off on me." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Coping with distance when disaster strikes at home

By Robbie Shinder / September 9, 2019

Being born and raised in South Florida, I was always taught to prepare for the unexpected—the bad driver on the road and even the pop-up thunderstorm....

Editor of The Beacon Chris Van Buskirk.

Letter from the Editor: Ushering in a new era for The Berkeley Beacon

By Chris Van Buskirk / September 4, 2019

As another school year begins, I want to take a moment to address some changes both in our paper and on campus.  Little Building finally opened and...

Beacon Archives

Maintaining student activism surrounding Title IX

By Editorial Board / September 4, 2019

Emerson College has a long, complicated—and, at times, bleak—history with incidents of sexual misconduct and Title IX, the federal civil rights law...

“It took me two years to understand that America is not the same as back home, and that there are more conflicts than I could ever imagine.” / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: The Disparity Between Looking and Feeling Like A Person of Color

By Ziqi Wang / September 4, 2019

I knew I wanted to go to college in America as early as middle school. In China, I went to an international school, and I spent my junior year of high...