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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

The Thursday Paper

Bobby MacLean and Alexandra Whisnant, who opened Zuzu's Petals in 2021.

Zuzu’s Petals is Cambridge’s sweetest escape, with no phones allowed

By Hannah Hughes, Staff Writer / February 12, 2025

In Cambridge, the smell of deep, rich chocolate fills the room on Hampshire Street, wafting through shelves of wine bottles, around walls full of polaroids,...

Joanne Chang, the founder of  local Flour Bakery and Cafe, visited the upcoming site of her business' tenth location in the Boston Common concession stand on Feb. 10, 2025. Chang said Flour plans to be serving the bakery's classic sticky buns and bakery treats by April, and said new soft serve will follow suit when it gets warmer. (Izzy Bryars/ Beacon Staff)

Flour Bakery bringing pastries, ice cream, and more to Boston Common this Spring

By Izzy Bryars, Staff Writer / February 12, 2025

Flour Bakery + Cafe’s 10th location will open in April inside the concession stand in the oldest park in the United States—the Boston Common—which...

Students gather on the 8th floor of the Walker Building on Feb. 11, 2025. (Ryan Yau/ Beacon Staff)

Department of Communication Studies brings the gift of Three Kings Day

By Ryan Yau, Editor-at-Large / February 12, 2025

Last Tuesday, students gathered on the eighth floor of Walker Building to take turns cutting a Rosca de Reyes—a Spanish ring-shaped cake—hoping to...

Søren Lind (left) and Larissa Sansour (middle) discuss “Entire Nations Are Built on Fairy Tales” with Dr. Leonie Bradbury (right). (Nick Peace/ Beacon Staff)

‘Entire Nations Are Built on Fairy Tales’: Emerson Contemporary’s newest exhibition gives a voice to Palestine

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / February 5, 2025

On Feb. 4, Emerson’s Media Art Gallery opened a new multi-media exhibition: “Entire Nations are Built on Fairy Tales.” The exhibition features two...

Senior Missionary Elder Butt and Assistant to the Bishop Stephen Patterson catch up over holiday fanfare in the Latter-day Saints' chapel gymnasium. (Bryan Liu/ For The Beacon)

Latter-day Saints celebrate Lunar New Year

By Bryan Liu, Managing Editor / February 5, 2025

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held a Lunar New Year party celebrating Chinese culture in their Cambridge chapel last Friday night.  Latter-day...

Playwright Kate Hamill and Director Shana Cooper hug during a workshop of "The Odyssey." (Bryan Liu/ For The Beacon)

After 2000 years, Odysseus finally makes it to Boston

By Bryan Liu, Managing Editor / February 5, 2025

Actor and Playwright Kate Hamill’s latest production, “The Odyssey,” will have its world premiere on Feb. 9 at the American Repertory Theater in...

The alley entrance to the Walker building casts a beacon of light on the campus.

‘My dream would be a refund’: Unfulfilled promises, under-enrollment, and an uncertain future for health and social change students

By Adri Pray and Merritt Hughes / February 5, 2025
A year and a half after its integration into Emerson’s curriculum, the future of the health and social change major remains in limbo as it confronts low enrollment and staffing shortages.
Super Bowl LIX: The unlikable rematch everybody’s going to watch anyways

Super Bowl LIX: The unlikable rematch everybody’s going to watch anyways

By Everest Leach / February 5, 2025

Mere minutes after a James Bradberry holding call gave them a crucial first down, the Kansas City Chiefs kicked a field goal that would serve as the game-winner...

Column: How political is the NFL?

Column: How political is the NFL?

By Meg Richards, Editor-in-Chief / February 5, 2025

“This is very much a political Super Bowl, and it all started with a tweet.”  This is how Professor Kevin Mercuri ‘91, an alum and executive-in-residence...

Screengrab of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page on the Emerson College Website.

How safe is diversity, equity, and inclusion at Emerson College?

By Iselin Bratz and Meg Richards / February 5, 2025

“Emotional terrorism.” “Censorship.” “Hyper-nationalism.” A period of tumult likened to “the late 1960s.” These are the words and phrases...

Max Kondziolka at a special screening of "The Brutalist" in L.A. (Courtesy of Max Kondziolka)

Max Kondziolka, ‘The Brutalist’ producer and archaeology student, seeks stories that break new ground

By Ryan Yau, Editor-at-Large / February 5, 2025

Max Kondziolka ‘16 has been working in international film production for almost a decade, and even co-founded a production company, Pierce Capital Entertainment....

Illustration Rachel Choi

‘Seguimos aqui’: Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS’ calls us to come home

By Josie Arteaga, Opinion Editor / February 5, 2025

Back home in Bolivia, I’m on aux. As my mom’s co-pilot, I’m preoccupied with curating our drive, and I take great pride in my song choices. It was...

Illustration Rachel Choi

The Brutalist’s biggest problem is perfectionism, not AI

By Charlie Desjardins, Dept. Opinion Editor / February 5, 2025

For better or worse, it’s been impossible to escape “The Brutalist.” Directed by wunderkind Brady Corbet, this mammoth 3.5-hour study of a Hungarian...

Dancers perform a “Lotus Dance”, which originates from 1600’s Vietnam. The Lotus flower in Vietnamese culture symbolizes purity, commitment and optimism for the future on Jan. 30, 2025. (Rian Nelson/ Beacon Staff)

Slithering into new beginnings: MFA hosts Lunar New Year celebrations

By Hannah Woods, Senior Kasteel Well Reporter / February 5, 2025

Vibrant colors of lion dancers and echoes of traditional music filled the halls of the Museum of Fine Arts on Jan. 30 for a special event to celebrate...

How the Kansas City Chiefs became the most hated team in the league

How the Kansas City Chiefs became the most hated team in the league

By Daniel O’Toole, Dept. Sports Editor / February 5, 2025

With the Super Bowl just three days away, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time this decade and play in their...

(Adam Nuñez/ Beacon Correspondent)

‘We are done letting this happen’: Protesters demand an end to encampment sweeps in Massachusetts

By Adam Nuñez, Staff Writer / February 5, 2025

In below freezing temperatures, around one hundred demonstrators marched along Commonwealth Avenue early on the morning of Feb. 5 demanding an end to the...

(Yogev Toby/ Projects Editor)

Bill Gates says DEI has ‘gone too far at times’ in Colonial Theater book talk

By Iselin Bratz and Yogev Toby / February 5, 2025

On the opening night of his new book tour, billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates spoke at the Emerson Colonial Theater about the first installment...

Volunteers conducting the Homeless Census in Boston on Jan. 30, 2025. (Hannah Brueske/ Beacon Staff)

Volunteers brave the cold to conduct 2025 Homeless Census

By Hannah Brueske, Dept. Projects Editor / February 5, 2025

Just after midnight on Jan. 30, 250 volunteers, equipped with backpacks filled with snacks, drinks, hand warmers, and flashlights, descended onto every...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Trump’s immigration policies towards non-white groups spike anxiety

By Ari Mei-Dan, Staff Photographer / February 5, 2025

Being an immigrant under President Donald Trump’s new term has sparked complicated emotions for me, ranging from anger to deep concern. As I begin to...