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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

Thoughts

The Office of Financial Aid in the Union Bank Building.

Yearly tuition increases should not become the norm

By Shannon Garrido and Lucia Thorne / March 31, 2021

On March 15, Emerson announced a “flexibility week” meant to tackle the steady decline of students’ mental health. That same week, it was announced...

No one should have to pay to work, especially college students who are already paying for their respective schools.

Internship for credit: gaining experience or getting scammed?

By Juliet Norman, Former Opinion Editor / March 31, 2021

During my first-year student orientation, I was excited to see that Emerson offered academic internship opportunities, including one located in Washington...

The unwavering patriarchy in India is deeply rooted in the history of the country, and it starts with the Indian family dynamic. The husband and father is the head of a household, making sons the desired offspring, while daughters can be seen as a burden..

There is no excuse for hate crimes against Asian Americans

By Mariyam Quaisar, Managing Editor / March 25, 2021

The recent murder of eight people, including six of Asian descent at three different locations—a massage parlor in Acworth, GA and two spas in Atlanta,...

Unless you are a business mogul or a Rockefeller, shrinking your carbon footprint will not create the same level of difference that a corporation would by changing their waste methods.

Private corporations must be held accountable for climate change, not the American public

By Juliet Norman, Former Opinion Editor / March 25, 2021

For as long as I can remember it has been ingrained in me that helping the planet is my individual responsibility. Posters in the hallways of my middle...

Here's some tips and tricks from The Beacon editorial board on getting vaccinated.

When will I get the vaccine?

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / March 19, 2021

Amid seven new variants of the already malicious novel coronavirus reaching the United States, my fellow Emerson students and I wonder: when will we get...

As someone who struggles with mental illnesses myself, I can say with complete conviction this hybrid learning model has been detrimental to my health.

Adapting to hybrid learning is a privilege

By Lucia Thorne / March 17, 2021

Trigger warning: This op-ed discusses topics related to mental illness. After a year of experimenting with new forms of learning in an attempt to simulate...

Unfortunately, collective grief comes alongside numbness. We, as a human collective, when overwhelmed with so much sorrow, seem to have an “off” switch.

Traversing grief in a pandemic

By Joshua Sokol, Staff Writer / March 17, 2021

While scrolling through Twitter—a passive and frequent pandemic pastime—I’ll see tweets along the lines of “We survived 2020; that’s something...

More than a year of our college experience has been lost forever, and the scary reality of graduating into a pandemic looms ahead.

A year of loss and disappointment: what the pandemic has taken from us

By Juliet Norman, Former Opinion Editor / March 17, 2021

I remember my last day of normalcy perfectly. I met my friend Natalie for morning coffee at The Thinking Cup, went back to my dorm to say a quick goodbye...

The Flag of the Dominican Republican

Pandemic highlights education inequities in the Dominican Republic

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / March 11, 2021

On Feb. 14, the Dominican Republic’s Minister of Education, Roberto Fulcar, affirmed that there is still no set date for the return of students to the...

Gov. Abbott’s rollback of mask mandates, as well as allowing businesses to open at full capacity, threatens to accelerate COVID spread even further.

Texas, please stop embarrassing me

By Camryn Ciancia / March 9, 2021

As proud as I am to be a Texan, attending school in Boston has forced me to reflect on the state that I love—and it’s become apparent just how flawed...

Although we already live in a digital age, the pandemic made us even more reliant on technology than ever before.

The need for digital knowledge is more important than ever

By Ana Sophia Garcia-Cubas Assemat / March 6, 2021

We’ve all heard the short explanation for how computers work: ones and zeroes. There is electricity involved, algorithms, and some processing units that...

I convinced myself that people could see my loneliness, radiating like an inverted aura that stigmatized me into something wretched and weak.

Confronting my loneliness was a double-edged sword

By Joshua Sokol, Staff Writer / March 1, 2021

I first moved to Boston in the fall of 2017 from Westminster, Massachusetts; a small, rural town. It was a move that filled me to the brim with anxiety...

The first amendment protects citizens against criminal and civil sanctions, but it doesn’t protect government officials against impeachment and conviction.

Trump should have been convicted. Here’s why.

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / February 24, 2021

Most of us can agree that the Senate’s vote on Feb. 13 to acquit Trump of inciting the Jan. 6 Capital attack was more than disappointing. Not just because...

I am aware that my work has lots of room for improvement, but I am proud of myself for starting after being discouraged in my youth.

Creating art is not limited to just artists

By Jialin Xu / February 23, 2021

When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a painter. But I became discouraged after my mom told me I didn’t have the talent to be a painter, and that...

The Pandemic made loungewear exclusive for elites

The Pandemic made loungewear exclusive for elites

By Camryn Ciancia, Correspondent / February 18, 2021

Since the pandemic began in March of last year, our time has been consumed by WiFi and computer screens due to the nature of remote living. Suddenly, people...

Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, and companies like McKinsey have benefited from it the most.

America’s opioid epidemic lies in the health care system

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / February 16, 2021

On Feb, 4, NPR released a segment of their morning edition broadcast, where they discussed the current legal state of consulting giant McKinsey and Company....

As much as the game itself may have been disappointing, how many events like this have truly felt right since the start of this pandemic?

Superbowl traditions this year just weren’t the same

By Ana Sophia Garcia-Cubas Assemat / February 13, 2021

The general sentiment of last Sunday’s Super Bowl seems to be ‘disappointment.’ Many viewers felt the game itself was boring for the standards of...

Why you should care about Trump's second impeachment

Why you should care about Trump’s second impeachment

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / February 10, 2021

It’s been one month since the House of Representatives introduced articles of impeachment against former President Donald J. Trump for incitement of...

Demonstrates carry a peace sign flag on Boston Common in reaction to Joe Biden's presidential victory on Saturday, November 7, 2020.

As a journalist, I still deserve to have an opinion

By Lucia Thorne / February 10, 2021

As journalists, we are taught that objectivity is the key to good reporting. We’re taught we must not allow our biases to seep into our reporting and...

Stand with Standing Rock- March on Washington, D. C. 
March 10, 2017

Climate justice must include Indigenous sovereignty

By Joshua Sokol, Staff Writer / February 10, 2021

When I think of the year 2016, it seems like eons have passed. In the past four years, time has moved awry, with one headline after another bringing waves...