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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

Bailey Allen

Bailey Allen, Former news editor

Bailey Allen (she/her), a third-year journalism major from Newport Beach, CA, is The Beacon’s news editor. She previously served as deputy enterprise editor and, before that, a staff writer. She also works as a correspondent for The Boston Globe’s City/Express Desk. Bailey is pursuing a narrative nonfiction minor and loves to drink matcha.

Latest from Bailey Allen
Emerson community remembers marathon bombing 10 years later

Emerson community remembers marathon bombing 10 years later

By Bailey Allen / April 19, 2023

On April 15, 2013, 19-year-old journalism major Madeline Bilis ‘16 stood on Newbury Street with a classmate by her side and a camera, tripod, and microphone...

Tuition hike.

Student union members react to four percent tuition increase

By Bailey Allen / April 19, 2023

Emerson College is set to increase the undergraduate costs of attendance by four percent for the 2023-24 academic year, prompting negative reactions from...

The Office of Financial Aid in the Union Bank Building.

College to increase tuition by four percent for 2023-24 academic year

By Bailey Allen / April 14, 2023

Emerson College is set to increase the undergraduate costs of attendance by four percent for the 2023-24 academic year, according to a community-wide email...

Dr. Brent Smith. Photo credit: Twitter

Brent Smith appointed as School of Communication’s permanent dean

By Bailey Allen / April 12, 2023

Brent Smith will become the dean of Emerson’s School of Communication starting this summer, according to a community-wide announcement from Interim President...

The Daniels.

Emerson alumni ‘the Daniels’ sweep the Oscars in seven categories

By Bailey Allen / March 22, 2023

Emerson College alumni Daniel Scheinert ’09 and Daniel Kwan ’10 swept the 95th annual Academy Awards with their feature film “Everything Everywhere...

Students plan for spring break amid lessened COVID policies

Students plan for spring break amid lessened COVID policies

By Bailey Allen / March 9, 2023

As spring break approaches, Emerson students have adjusted to the rollback of COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in three years—with some planning...

College rescinds collective vandalism charges after student pressure

College rescinds collective vandalism charges after student pressure

By Bailey Allen and Sabrina Lam / March 1, 2023

The college has dropped its plan to collectively charge Little Building residents a $16,000 vandalism fee in the face of staunch opposition from its student...

Ash Wednesday at Emerson.

Christian students observe Ash Wednesday with non-denominational service

By Quinn O'Connor and Bailey Allen / February 23, 2023

The Emerson Christian Fellowship and the Center for Spiritual Life hosted an interdenominational Ash Wednesday service in the Reflection Room of 172 Tremont...

Contraceptive vending machine.

Wellness Center installs emergency birth control vending machine in Little Building

By Bailey Allen / February 15, 2023

Tucked in the corner of Emerson College’s Little Building mailroom is a brand-new vending machine. Not for snacks, though—it’s full of emergency...

The Emerson Wellness Center entrance located on the third floor of 216 Tremont Street.

Wellness Center introduces new mental health website, 24-hour hotline

By Bailey Allen / February 15, 2023

Emerson College’s Wellness Center introduced its new EmWell website, a mental health resource for students that includes a 24-hour support hotline, at...

Police responded to the Little Building on Friday morning after a student was found deceased, according to officials.

Police investigate campus tragedy in Little Building

By Bailey Allen and Camilo Fonseca / February 3, 2023

Police responded to Emerson's Little Building on Friday morning as part of a "death investigation." College officials confirmed that the deceased was a...

Jay M. Bernhardt spoke at the Cutler Majestic Theatre Wednesday morning.

[Photo] Emersonians welcome Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt as 13th president

By Bailey Allen / January 25, 2023

Jay M. Bernhardt spoke at the Cutler Majestic Theatre Wednesday morning.

Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt was selected to become Emerson College's 13 president.

Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt, UT Austin communication school dean, named 13th president of Emerson College

By Bailey Allen / January 12, 2023

Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt, current dean of The University of Texas at Austin's communication college, will become Emerson College's 13th president in June,...

The Center for Health and Wellness.

Wellness Center reports 176 COVID cases in September

By Bailey Allen / October 7, 2022

Emerson’s Wellness Center received 176 self-reports of positive COVID-19 tests during the month of September, but according to a Friday morning email...

Bagels and lox at Hillel’s break fast.

[Photo] COVID-19 positive students decry updated protocol

By Olivia LeDuc / October 5, 2022

Bagels and lox at Hillel’s break fast.

An Emerson College Police car.

Package explodes at Northeastern; ECPD monitoring situation

By Bailey Allen / September 14, 2022

Emerson College Police Department increased campus building security Tuesday night after a package delivered to a Northeastern University building exploded...

Boston Marathon runners rehydrate after finishing the race.

‘Boston is not a marathon to be trifled with’: 30,000 flocked to Monday’s race

By Bailey Allen and Adri Pray / April 21, 2022

Downtown Boston was transformed on Monday, as thousands of runners from across the world crossed the finish line of the 126th Boston Marathon—the first...

Emerson's COVID-19 testing center.

Spring semester hits 700-plus case count as Emerson updates COVID-19 protocol for summer session

By Adri Pray, Frankie Rowley and Bailey Allen / April 13, 2022

Emerson will instate relaxed COVID-19 policies during the summer term, according to a community-wide email from college officials sent Wednesday.  Citing...

The exterior of the COVID testing site.

Testing center to close at 4:30 p.m. starting Monday

By Bailey Allen / April 6, 2022

Starting Monday, April 11, Emerson’s testing center at Tufts Medical Center will open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday instead of the previous...

Emerson is now mask-optional in all campus spaces except classrooms.

‘Masks are going to be raincoats’: students report mixed feelings about new COVID policy

By Bailey Allen / March 23, 2022

As announced in the Feb. 18 campus-wide email correspondence, the college eased its indoor mask policy everywhere except classrooms, the Center for Health...

Dean of Communication school Raul Reis / Courtesy Raul Reis

Dean of School of Communication Raul Reis to leave college in June

By Bailey Allen / March 17, 2022

After a six-year tenure at Emerson, School of Communication Dean Raul Reis will depart the college in June, moving on to become dean of the Hussman School...

Students relaxing on Boston Common.

International students decide whether to return home for spring break amid ongoing restrictions

By Bailey Allen / March 12, 2022

As students prepare to leave campus for spring break, international students have an added layer of difficulty amid the ongoing pandemic. Due to COVID-19...

The sign outside of the Cutler Majestic Theater.

Emerson community weighs in with their thoughts on Ukraine

Sophomore visual and media arts major Yujun Liu gets texts from his friend in Ukraine, who updates him on the war he is experiencing firsthand. “He...

Emerson's COVID-19 testing center.

Emerson students react to post-spring break COVID-19 policies

By Bailey Allen / February 24, 2022

Students have mixed feelings about the upcoming masks-optional policy, non-Emerson visitor admittance, and other coming changes in campus COVID protocol. With...

Emerson to shift to mask-optional policy beginning March 21

Emerson to shift to mask-optional policy beginning March 21

By Charlie McKenna and Bailey Allen / February 18, 2022

Emerson will drop its mask mandate for non-classroom indoor spaces on March 21, shifting to a mask-optional policy as statewide COVID-19 cases continue...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

COVID outbreak at Kasteel Well forces students out of rooms

By Bailey Allen / February 17, 2022

Students at Emerson’s Kasteel Well have been moved out of their dorms to make space for quarantine and isolation housing as part of the satellite campus’...

Boylston Street was blanketed in snow on Saturday.

Boston ‘warm and welcoming’ amid record-breaking blizzard

By Bailey Allen / February 3, 2022

Emerson students witnessed a winter storm of a magnitude not seen in New England in years, dropping nearly two feet of snow over the weekend and enveloping...

Former Director of Production and Safety Leonard Manzo

Leonard Manzo out as VMA director of production and safety

By Bailey Allen / January 28, 2022

Leonard Manzo, longtime director of production and safety at Emerson, will no longer serve in the position as of Jan. 27, according to a Thursday evening...

Greencare KN95 masks (left), which college officials said they provided faculty, and the masks obtained by Beacon staffers (right)

College-supplied masks could possibly be ‘counterfeit,’ warns faculty union

By Bailey Allen / January 27, 2022

Emerson community members are raising concerns about the efficacy of the KN95 masks distributed by the college last week, citing a lack of proper authenticity...

A group of students walk down Boylston Street wearing masks.

KN95 masks to be made available to students

By Bailey Allen / January 18, 2022

A limited supply of KN95 masks will be available for pick up at the Campus Life Office and Information Desk beginning on Jan. 18, announced college officials...

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

Professor faces outcry over antisemitism allegations

By Bailey Allen and Abigail Lee / January 13, 2022

Mired in controversy, an Emerson professor is facing accusations of antisemitic behavior in the classroom last semester—while acknowledging that his...

Emerson is now mask-optional in all campus spaces except classrooms.

Emerson to limit in-person events for first week of spring semester

By Bailey Allen and Vivi Smilgius / January 2, 2022

To rebuild the “Emerson bubble,” the college will operate almost entirely virtually for the first week of its spring semester, according to a community-wide...

The exterior of the COVID testing site.

Omicron, now in Massachusetts, has global spreader potential, expert says

By Vivi Smilgius and Bailey Allen / December 9, 2021

Massachusetts reported its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant on Saturday, renewing concerns about the spread of the virus just days before the...

Boston, MA: December 8, 2021 – First-year students Ellie McCabe and Emma Paiva take a selfie on Boston Common in the snow Wednesday night.

First snow of season brings students end-of-semester joy

By Bailey Allen / December 9, 2021

Starting around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, a thin blanket of snow dusted Boston Common, prompting Emerson students to venture outside and experience the...

The exterior of the Kasteel Well castle

No change in sight for Kasteel Well following Omicron variant detection in Netherlands

By Bailey Allen / December 2, 2021

Weeks after a surge in COVID-19 cases forced the Netherlands into another lockdown, the appearance of Omicron—the latest mutation of the virus—threatens...

An ECPD patrol vehicle.

Armed robbery involving two Emerson students in Boston Public Garden reported to police

By Bailey Allen / December 1, 2021

Two Emerson students were robbed by one or more armed assailants in the Boston Public Garden Monday night, college police said.  The students were...

State of the College: Interim president reflects on Emerson's successes, struggles in 2021

State of the College: Interim president reflects on Emerson’s successes, struggles in 2021

By Bailey Allen / November 29, 2021

Interim President William Gilligan published his first State of the College report on Tuesday detailing the college’s accomplishments over the course...

Emerson's Kasteel Well campus in Well, Netherlands.

Emerson students at Kasteel Well unfazed by Netherlands lockdowns

By Bailey Allen / November 18, 2021

Amid a rise in COVID cases throughout the Netherlands, Emerson students studying abroad at Kasteel Well face a three-week partial lockdown, which has limited...

A polling place at City Hall on Election Day Nov. 3, 2020.

Student turnout soared in 2020 election, study finds

By Vivi Smilgius, Frankie Rowley and Bailey Allen / November 11, 2021

The 2020 presidential election saw record-high numbers of Emerson students casting their ballots at the polls or by mail, mimicking the nationwide trend...

The Emerson Staff Union is hoping to have some of their sacrificed benefits reinstated, especially for some of the at-risk staff members.

Staff Union calls for end to hiring freeze

By Bailey Allen and Vivi Smilgius / November 4, 2021

Members of Emerson’s staff union took to the streets this week amid contract negotiations with the college, demanding the college increase hiring...

Michelle Wu greets supporters after winning the mayoral election on Nov. 2.

Wu triumphs in mayor’s race; first woman, person of color to be elected to city’s top job

By Frankie Rowley and Bailey Allen / November 2, 2021

Michelle Wu secured victory in Boston’s mayoral election Tuesday night, defeating her opponent, at-large city councilor Annissa Essaibi George, by nearly...

Students sit in a computer lab.

‘Getting thrown right back in was a lot’: Students overwhelmed by return of in-person midterms

By Vivi Smilgius and Bailey Allen / October 31, 2021

This year, students are facing the first relatively-normal, in-person midterm exam period since the outbreak of the pandemic—a jarring, even stressful...

Director of Student Leadership Jason Meier

SEAL Director Jason Meier to leave college in November

By Bailey Allen / October 20, 2021

Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Jason Meier will leave Emerson in November to take up a position at Harvard College after nearly a decade...

American Indian activist Chali’Naru Dones speaking to a crowd of protesters in Boston on Indigenous People's Day, 2020.

Emerson lags behind in indigenous enrollment

By Bailey Allen / October 14, 2021

Boston celebrated its first official Indigenous People’s Day on Monday after a decree from Acting Mayor Kim Janey—yet at Emerson, the holiday was underscored...

Thousands rallied in Boston for abortion rights.

Emerson students rally together at Boston Women’s March

By Bailey Allen, Abigail Lee and Hannah Nguyen / October 9, 2021

Thousands of people––college students and Boston residents alike––rallied at Franklin Park Playstead in Dorchester on Oct. 2, protesting the Supreme...

'Animal Adventures' brings exotic animals to Little Building

‘Animal Adventures’ brings exotic animals to Little Building

By Bailey Allen and Qiuyang Chen / September 30, 2021

Kangaroos, porcupines, owls, foxes, and more exotic animals from "Animal Adventures," a Boston-based family zoo and animal rescue center, arrived in...

"Hempfest" in Boston Common

Marijuana festival hits Boston Common

By Mariyam Quaisar and Bailey Allen / September 25, 2021

Emerson students grabbed their stashes and lined Boston Common on Saturday, joining the crowds gathered for a fair of marijuana and cannabis-related paraphernalia. The...

Emerson community members memorializing the victims of 9/11.

‘Waking memories’: Emerson students reflect on 20 years since 9/11

By Bailey Allen / September 21, 2021

The 20th anniversary of 9/11 marks an important milestone in the commemoration of the attacks—coming at a time where most college-aged students were...

The Emerson Staff Union is hoping to have some of their sacrificed benefits reinstated, especially for some of the at-risk staff members.

Staff union petitions for overdue salary increases

By Bailey Allen / September 16, 2021

Almost a year after college administrators promised to give all staff the annual 3.9 percent salary increase agreed upon during the union's 2018 collective...

The exterior of Paramount Theater on Washington Street.

College ranks eighth in regional universities, rising from ninth last year

By Bailey Allen / September 16, 2021

Emerson tied for the eighth spot in this year’s Best Regional Universities list, released annually by U.S. News & World Report—the sixth year in...

Boston's City Hall

New Boston mayoral election class gives students opportunity to work with campaigns

By Bailey Allen / September 9, 2021

Ahead of Boston’s mayoral election on Nov. 2, Emerson is offering a new course, which is dedicated to the intricacies of this fall’s campaigning and...

Students cross the intersection of Boylston St. and Tremont St. in front of the Little Building.

Students return to a new campus with eased COVID-19 restrictions

As students moved onto campus for the fall term, they returned to a bustling campus with minimized social distancing restrictions—a far cry from the...

Professor Emerita Robbie McCauley

Robbie McCauley, performing arts professor emerita, dies at 78

By Bailey Allen, Deputy News Editor / May 28, 2021

Former performing arts professor Robbie McCauley, who taught at Emerson for 12 years, passed away last week in Silver Spring, Maryland, according to college...

A clinician fills a syringe with a COVID-19 vaccine from a vial.

State vaccine eligibility expands to cover all Emerson students

When the clock struck midnight on Monday, 1.7 million Massachusetts residents—including any Emerson students who didn’t yet qualify—became eligible...

Trash bins in the cafeteria.

Green efforts ongoing as Emerson searches for new sustainability manager

By Bailey Allen / April 16, 2021

As Emerson prepares to hire a new sustainability manager, the college is pushing forward in its effort to create a more environmentally friendly campus.  Cathy...

Center for Spiritual Life creates COVID-19 vigil for grieving community members

Center for Spiritual Life creates COVID-19 vigil for grieving community members

By Bailey Allen / April 15, 2021

In the lobby of 172 Tremont stands a small table adorned with electric candles and stickers with names of people and experiences lost over the past year—a...

The Dining Center with no indoor seating.

[Photo] College shifts meal plan options, curtails Board Buck usage

July 16, 2021

The Dining Center with no indoor seating.

Meal bags being taken to quarantined and isolated students in the Paramount residence hall.

Positive COVID-19 tests and tightened restrictions rock campus life

Emerson canceled all in-person student activities beginning at 5 p.m. for at least the next seven days on Wednesday, the result of an unprecedented spike...

Dean of the School of Communication Raul Reis

School of Communication unveils new Discovery Program for undeclared first-year students

By Bailey Allen / April 1, 2021

Emerson’s School of Communication is debuting a new Discovery Program for incoming first-year students who intend to study communications, but are unsure...

Students walking along Boylston Street.

Emerson students wary of making definite summer plans due to pandemic

By Bailey Allen / March 11, 2021

With the uncertainty of the pandemic still looming, three Emerson students said they were hesitant to cement summer plans out of fear they would be upended...

Skywell of the Little Building.

Little Building lightwell noises bother first-year students

By Bailey Allen / March 11, 2021

Little Building residents who live in a lightwell-facing room say their sleep, class, and work schedules are being disrupted by the recurrence of intrusive...

Miranda Nicusanti

First-year student starts dining center food review Instagram account

By Bailey Allen, Staff Writer / February 17, 2021

First-year student Miranda Nicusanti, a visual and media arts major from Orange County, CA, photographs the dining center meals for her Instagram food...