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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

Dana Gerber

Dana Gerber, News Editor

Dana Gerber  graduated in 2022. She previously served as the News Editor at The Beacon, writing and overseeing coverage spanning all areas of interest on the Emerson Campus, including breaking news and long-form deep-dive articles. She hails from Rockville, Maryland, and is a contributing writer at Bethesda Magazine, a local publication. She has also written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, Mic.com, and Boston Magazine. When she is not busy burying herself in a Google Doc, Gerber can be found pursuing freelance writing opportunities, rock climbing, or finding the best Boston thrift stores.

Latest from Dana Gerber
President M. Lee Pelton responds to community unrest following COVID-19 pandemic.

“Leaders need to know when to leave”: Pelton departs Emerson presidency for Boston Foundation

By Dana Gerber / June 1, 2021

President M. Lee Pelton’s fondest memories from his decade at the helm of Emerson are those marked by beginnings.  “The thing that even now moves...

Boston's City Hall Plaza

They couldn’t get out of on-campus housing. So they got domestic partnerships

By Dana Gerber / May 26, 2021

In attempts to secure an exemption to escape on-campus housing and its nearly $20,000 annual price tag, some students are taking an unorthodox leap—getting...

William Gilligan, former IT head, tapped as interim president

William Gilligan, former IT head, tapped as interim president

By Dana Gerber, News Editor / May 21, 2021

William Gilligan, Emerson's former vice president for information technology, will emerge from retirement to helm the college as interim president...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker

Massachusetts reports 337 new coronavirus cases, large laboratory reporting lag

By Dana Gerber / May 14, 2021

Massachusetts reported 337 new coronavirus cases Friday, down by nearly half from the 616 new infections reported Thursday. The death toll rose by 18.  The...

The entrance to a vaccination clinic in downtown Boston.

Vaccines now available for students at Tufts Medical Center

By Dana Gerber / April 29, 2021

Students can now receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Tufts Medical Center, just over a month after the formal partnership with the hospital fell through, Emerson...

Who are the core leaders behind EmersonTogether?

Emerson revokes room to room visit ban following positive test slowdown

By Dana Gerber / April 22, 2021

Emerson lifted its ban on students visiting other rooms in their assigned residence hall Thursday, just over a week until the academic year comes to a...

HI Boston Hostel.

Students turn to off-campus lodging for small social gatherings

By Dana Gerber / April 22, 2021

First-year Harry Robinson and his high school girlfriend of two years, who goes to Boston University, had grown used to seeing each other whenever they...

An in-person class taking place at Emerson.

Emerson changes course, pivots to fully in-person fall semester

By Dana Gerber / April 21, 2021

In a shift from previous plans, Emerson will transition to a fully in-person academic semester on all campuses this fall for students, who will now be...

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...

The new awnings installed in the 2B alley.

Emerson lifts most restrictions as COVID fears ease

Emerson will lift most of the restrictions implemented on April 7 to slow down the unprecedented spread of COVID-19 amongst the community since late March...

Students waiting in front of the Lion's Den.

Variant could be driving increased virus spread, administrator says

By Charlie McKenna and Dana Gerber / April 13, 2021

Emerson administrators believe the surge in positive COVID-19 tests on campus—52 reported since March 31—may be the result of a variant of the virus...

The Access Advocacy Project Instagram graphic.

Student Disability Union debuts Advocacy Project intended to increase college-wide accessibility

By Dana Gerber and Charlie McKenna / April 7, 2021

Access: Student Disability Union unveiled The Access Advocacy Project on Tuesday, an initiative that includes a list of action steps they are calling on...

An ECPD patrol vehicle.

ECPD faces backlash for social media posts on autism

By Dana Gerber / April 7, 2021

Content Warning: This article discusses harmful and ableist stereotypes against autistic people, violence against autistic people and disabled people,...

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...

About 70 staff union members lined the hallway elbow-to-elbow on the lower level of the Max Mutchnick Campus Center while college administrators entered room L-151 for a contract negotiation with the union’s bargaining committee in April. Chris Van Buskirk / Beacon Archive.

No benefit restoration in sight despite strong financial outlook

By Dana Gerber / April 5, 2021

Emerson’s financial state remains stable as the end of the 2021 fiscal year draws near, but college officials remain uncertain when they can reinstitute...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker

Massachusetts reports 2,263 new coronavirus cases

By Dana Gerber / April 3, 2021

Massachusetts reported 2,263 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a rise from the 2,160 new infections reported Tuesday. The death toll rose by 36.  Saturday’s...

The Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym

Emerson reports highest COVID spike to date, reportedly traced to athletic teams

By Charlie McKenna and Dana Gerber / April 3, 2021

Emerson reported 15 new positive COVID-19 tests on Saturday split over two days of testing—just two days after an email from the college warned of increased...

A sign of the COVID testing site of Emerson College and Tufts University.

Students reevaluate vaccine plans following Tufts partnership dissolution

By Dana Gerber and Frankie Rowley / March 25, 2021

Students were forced to rethink how they would receive a COVID-19 vaccination after Emerson notified students last week that its previously announced vaccine...

People walking by the Agganis Arena.

New petition pushes for in-person commencement

By Dana Gerber and Frankie Rowley / March 25, 2021

Hundreds of graduating seniors are petitioning the college to reconsider its decision to cancel in-person commencement, originally set to take place in...

People walking through the intersection of Boylston and Tremont street.

Students outraged over tuition hike

By Dana Gerber, Alec Klusza and Charlie McKenna / March 25, 2021

After college officials announced last week that tuition, room, and board rates would be rising two percent for the second year in a row, students expressed...

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

Massachusetts reports 1,678 new coronavirus cases

By Dana Gerber / March 21, 2021

Massachusetts reported 1,678 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a slight decline from the 1,880 new infections reported Saturday. The death toll rose by 33.  Cases...

Emerson's testing site at Tufts Medical Center.

Emerson, Tufts Medical Center vaccine partnership falls through

By Dana Gerber / March 18, 2021

In a reversal from previous rollout plans, Emerson will not be able to depend fully on Tufts Medical Center for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to students,...

11 undergraduate students of 11 different majors at the college.

Major changes: A year of pandemic learning

Of Emerson’s 3,490 currently enrolled undergraduate students, no two have the same learning experience. Some visual and media arts students handle cameras...

Students relaxing on Boston Common.

The struggle to socialize in a year of separation

By Dana Gerber and Alec Klusza / March 18, 2021

In the first semester of his sophomore year, junior visual and media arts major Devin Elias went to parties every other weekend and met with friends to...

Erik Muurisepp sits at his desk on the fourth floor of the Walker Building.

Q&A with Emerson COVID Lead Erik Muurisepp

By Dana Gerber / March 18, 2021

In April, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life Erik Muurisepp was handed a herculean task: leading the college’s implementation and communication...

Emerson's testing site is located at a Tufts Medical Center facility on the corner of Harrison Ave. and Kneeland St.

Emerson reports 2 new positive COVID-19 tests, semester total nearing 100

By Dana Gerber / March 16, 2021

Emerson reported two new positive COVID-19 tests on Monday out of the 1,261 tests administered Monday, leaving the college’s cumulative positive tests...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker. speaking at a COVID-19 update inside the Massachusetts State House.

Massachusetts reports 1,413 new coronavirus cases

By Dana Gerber / March 10, 2021

Massachusetts reported 1,413 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, a significant rise from the 1,006 new infections reported Tuesday. The death toll rose by...

An intimate look inside the lives of student sex workers

An intimate look inside the lives of student sex workers

By Ann E. Matica and Dana Gerber / February 26, 2021

Trigger warning: this article contains mentions of sexual violence, mental illness, and drug abuse On the fifth floor of the Colonial residence hall,...

Paramount Building in snow.

Lack of communication leaves students in campus quarantine housing in the dark

By Dana Gerber / February 25, 2021

Several students who spent time in Emerson’s quarantine housing during the spring semester have reported inconsistent protocol communication, faulty...

Students working in a control room for a visual and media arts course.

Emerson announces continuation of hybrid learning through Fall 2021

By Dana Gerber / February 22, 2021

Emerson will continue its “flex learning” program through the Fall 2021 semester, President M. Lee Pelton announced in a Monday morning email.  Fall...

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

Massachusetts reports 1,679 new coronavirus cases

By Dana Gerber / February 19, 2021

Massachusetts reported 1,679 new coronavirus cases Friday, a drop from the 1,803 new infections reported Wednesday. The death toll rose by 36.  On...

A "Thin Blue Line" flag was displayed on a computer in the Emerson College Police Department office in August 2018. (NOTE: This photo was provided to The Beacon by a community member with the face of the dispatcher covered)

ECPD issues apology for ‘Thin Blue Line’ flag following #ESOCWeekofAction

By Dana Gerber / February 13, 2021

The Emerson College Police Department issued a public apology Wednesday for intermittently displaying a “Thin Blue Line” flag—a common symbol of...

Quarantined students describe abysmal food conditions, allergen violations

Quarantined students describe abysmal food conditions, allergen violations

By Dana Gerber / February 11, 2021

Five students in quarantine and isolation housing in the Paramount residence hall, cut off from many of the college’s services and completely dependent...

As vaccine rollout trudges along, the Emerson community gets in line

As vaccine rollout trudges along, the Emerson community gets in line

By Dana Gerber / February 11, 2021

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to plod along in the state and nation, some members of the Emerson community have gotten one or both of the doses...

A meeting of professor Nancy Allen's Plagues and Pandemics course in the fall semester.

Students re-enter the classroom amid rising positive COVID-19 tests

By Dana Gerber / February 2, 2021

For the first time since November, students are returning to classrooms after beginning the spring semester with two weeks of online courses. The transition...

The glow of the green neon sign outside The Tam on Tremont Street.

A limited menu buoys The Tam through the pandemic

By Dana Gerber / January 31, 2021

The Tam, a venerable Tremont Street dive bar, is best-known amongst Emerson students for its potent drinks. But this summer, it was a menu of turkey sandwiches,...

President M. Lee Pelton.

Emerson taps Storbeck Search to find President Lee Pelton’s replacement

By Dana Gerber and Frankie Rowley / January 22, 2021

Emerson tapped Storbeck Search, an executive search firm that specializes in leadership hiring for education and nonprofits, to assist the board of trustees...

Emerson's testing site at Tufts Medical Center.

Epidemiologists say risk of college reopening diffused by regulations

By Dana Gerber / January 21, 2021

Emerson is marshaling thousands of students from their homes across the country for the second time this academic year, as the 7-day average of confirmed...

Emerson community relieved by Biden inauguration

Emerson community relieved by Biden inauguration

By Dana Gerber, Ann E. Matica, Alec Klusza and Frankie Rowley / January 21, 2021

After 1,462 days of one of the most contentious presidential administrations to date, the sun broke out in Washington D.C. on Wednesday as Joseph R. Biden...

Pedestrians walking by the 4th Wall restaurant & bar.

4th Wall Restaurant & Bar closes indefinitely

By Dana Gerber / January 16, 2021

After two-and-a-half years lighting up Tremont Street with its iconic neon red sign, the 4th Wall Restaurant & Bar will go dark for an indefinite hibernation...

A Georgia lawn with signs for Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both running in Georgia's two runoff Senate races.

Georgian students strive to flip the Senate

By Dana Gerber / January 5, 2021

Over 1,000 miles from the Boston campus, some of Emerson’s 47 Georgian students are vying to send two Democratic hopefuls to the Senate on Tuesday, which...

The college's choice to extend the fall semester grading period was met with mixed reactions from professors

Extra grading time draws mixed reaction from professors

By Dana Gerber, Deputy Enterprise Editor / December 6, 2020

The college extended the grading period for professors by 10 days following the end of the semester on Dec. 9 in an effort to accommodate the extenuating...

President Lee Pelton announced the Marlboro-Emerson merger at a town hall meeting in fall 2019. Jakob Menendez / Beacon Staff

President Lee Pelton to resign in June, lead Boston Foundation

Emerson President M. Lee Pelton will leave his position in June to take over as chief executive officer and president of local philanthropic leader The...

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

Hybrid class scheduling restrictions disrupt students’ graduation timelines

By Dana Gerber / November 26, 2020

A college policy that prohibits students from mixing flex—a hybrid of in-person and online courses—and online-only courses is disrupting some students’...

The Center for Health and Wellness.

Emerson to restrict access to community members without flu shots in January

By Dana Gerber / November 16, 2020

Emerson students will be barred from campus at the beginning of the semester if they do not provide the college with documentation of a flu shot, per a...

The college's choice to extend the fall semester grading period was met with mixed reactions from professors

Admin will not offer pass/fail option for fall classes

By Dana Gerber / November 12, 2020

Emerson administrators do not plan to institute a pass/fail option for classes this semester as they did in the spring to accommodate students struggling...

President-elect Joe Biden visits the cemetery where his son Beau, his wife Neilia, and daughter Naomi are buried.

Biden’s win is defined by his personal losses

By Dana Gerber / November 9, 2020

On Election Day, before Joe Biden’s final stops on the campaign trail, he paid a stop to Greenville, Delaware. He attended Mass at Saint Joseph on the...

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

Professors breathe sigh of relief upon Biden’s win

By Dana Gerber, Deputy Enterprise Editor / November 7, 2020

Political science professor Mneesha Gellman was hiking in the woods with her family Saturday morning, trying to distract herself from the ongoing election,...

Hundreds of people celebrated into the afternoon on the corner of Boylston Street and Charles Street on Nov. 7.

After Biden’s presidential win, joy floods the streets

By Andrew Brinker and Dana Gerber / November 7, 2020

  America awoke in quiet, palpable tension Saturday morning, awaiting the conclusion of a presidential contest that has gripped the nation...

The election results play to a deserted Dining Center

As Trump’s chances narrow, optimistic student body awaits final election results

By Charlie McKenna and Dana Gerber / November 4, 2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed victories in several key battleground states Wednesday, laying clear his path to the presidency while narrowing...

A polling place at the Chinatown YMCA was open on Nov. 3.

As polls close, wary students anxious for results

By Ann E. Matica and Dana Gerber / November 3, 2020

Students at Emerson’s Boston campus were apprehensive and anxious Tuesday as the country awaits results from this year’s highly anticipated presidential...

Students protest Donald Trump's election in 2016.

Professors recall ‘grim’ days on campus after 2016 election

By Charlie McKenna and Dana Gerber / November 3, 2020

Mark Leccese never opened his briefcase for class on Nov. 9, 2016. That day—just after Donald Trump’s election to the U.S. presidency in 2016—a...

Emerson Polling Director Spencer Kimball

Latest Emerson polls show Biden leading in key battleground states

By Dana Gerber and Elena Naze / November 2, 2020

With in-person voting set to open tomorrow, Emerson Polling’s final state and national polls of the general election show Democratic candidate Joe Biden...

Emerson's testing center at a Tufts Medical Center bookstore on the corner of Kneeland St. and Harrison St.

College to mandate weekly testing for faculty, staff in spring

By Charlie McKenna, Dana Gerber and Karli Wallace / October 29, 2020

Emerson will mandate weekly testing for faculty and staff working on campus during the spring semester after allowing those working on campus this fall...

A meeting of professor Nancy Allen's Plagues and Pandemics course in the fall semester.

Learning about a pandemic while living one is ‘far too real’

By Dana Gerber / October 29, 2020

For 60 students this semester, the raging pandemic is more than a force disrupting daily lives and the world economy—it’s homework.  Those students...

Cameron Arendt (left) with his brother, Ryan.

For vulnerable families, return home escalates virus anxieties

By Dana Gerber and Lily Schutt / October 29, 2020

Every year, Nicole Watkins’ grandmother brings a special sweet potato casserole dish and a cranberry mix to Thanksgiving dinner in her Irvine, California...

The Office of Financial Aid in the Union Bank Building.

Emerson CARES act funds, an essential pandemic-era lifeline for students, running out

By Dana Gerber / October 27, 2020

Emerson has run through almost 90 percent of the $1.3 million in federal assistance it received for emergency student grant funds, which has helped 784...

Paramount residence halls are designated as a quarantine and isolation space in the fall for ill and exposed students.

Emerson to offer on-campus housing to some students over winter break

By Dana Gerber / October 17, 2020

Emerson will offer limited housing to some on-campus students during the final two weeks of the fall semester and through winter break. Fewer than 80...

The college's choice to extend the fall semester grading period was met with mixed reactions from professors

Despite full-time faculty boycott, directed study enrollment on par with previous years

By Dana Gerber / October 15, 2020

Enrollment in directed study courses remains steady this semester despite several faculty members’ ongoing boycott of the classes. There are still...

A Visual and Media Arts class under COVID-19 safety restrictions.

Saturday classes creating roadblocks for students, professors

By Dana Gerber / October 12, 2020

Every weekend, Tim Schwab, a junior, takes the commuter rail home to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts to work as a shift supervisor at Papa Gino’s pizzeria....

My birthday present this year? Stories.

My birthday present this year? Stories.

By Dana Gerber / October 1, 2020

Almost nothing about my 21st birthday will be how I imagined. It won’t take place in a crowded bar. My friends won’t buy me frozen margaritas and toast...

Students working on a set in a visual and media arts course.

In distanced classes, professors repackage theatre and film curriculum

By Dana Gerber / October 1, 2020

In junior Ava Petrecca’s BFA Acting Studio 1 class, she’s learning the Alexander Technique: a focus on posture and body movement that aims to increase...

Alpha Phi Omega's recruitment efforts have been greatly impacted by COVID-19.

Student organizations reimagine operations under new restrictions

By Dana Gerber and Ann E. Matica / September 30, 2020

Emerson’s student organizations are facing a herculean task this semester: to reimagine their clubs, most of which depend on in-person interaction, so...

The Boston Public Garden.

Boston Police report attempted sexual assault in Public Garden

By Dana Gerber / September 28, 2020

A woman reported an alleged assault with attempt to rape in the Public Garden early Monday morning, Boston Police said. The woman said a man put his...

A faculty assembly meeting in January.

Faculty addresses concerns over spring semester schedule, testing regulation

By Dana Gerber / September 23, 2020

Professors criticized the administration’s proposed calendar for the spring semester, as well as its COVID-19 data reporting process, during a Faculty...

Dylan Scott was quarantined in Paramount for two weeks after being exposed to COVID-19.

Two weeks in Emerson’s Paramount quarantine space

By Dana Gerber / September 22, 2020

Every day for two weeks, Dylan Scott woke up in an empty four-person suite in the Paramount residence hall to the view of sun cast on a brick wall, breakfast...

Students crossing the bustling Boylston/Tremont intersection.

Total enrollment peaks, undergraduate enrollment lags behind

By Dana Gerber / September 2, 2020

Emerson reported an all-time high in total enrollment for the 2020–21 academic year with 5,411 undergraduate and graduate students attending hybrid or...

The view of Tremont St. from Emerson's Walker Building.

‘I just can’t logically go back.’ Students ponder gap semesters amid pandemic

By Dana Gerber / July 27, 2020

Last semester, visual and media arts major and rising senior Isa Moon served as president of The Girlie Project comedy troupe as she prepared for her final...

Students enrolled in the college's Kasteel Well study abroad program for the fall semester will be under strict travel restrictions and enforced social distancing measures.

Kasteel Well study abroad program to move forward with limited travel for fall semester

By Dana Gerber / June 16, 2020

Emerson’s Kasteel Well study abroad program in the Netherlands will proceed in the fall semester with significant alterations in light of the ongoing...

The Office for Civil Rights currently has one open investigation into the college after a parent of a former student alleged that the college discriminated against their son.

Feds investigate college twice since 2017 for disability discrimination

By Dana Gerber / May 28, 2020

The federal Office for Civil Rights has investigated the college twice for disability discrimination since 2017 with one case closed in April and the other...

Cut Short

Cut Short

The Beacon Magazine interviewed 16 different seniors to get their perspective on how the coronavirus pandemic upended their final year on campus. All of...

Issel Solano-Sanchez

Issel Solano-Sanchez

By Dana Gerber / May 10, 2020

The first person I called was my mom. Both my parents are immigrants, so I feel like sometimes things can go over her head because I don’t even think...

Destiny Pineda

Destiny Pineda

By Dana Gerber / May 10, 2020

I was visiting an Emerson Channel show my friends were working on, and we were helping to strike the set and clean everything up. Once we left the building...

Kate Foultz

Kate Foultz

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise News Editor / May 10, 2020

There’s this infinity of little small moments that make up all your time at Emerson. I was looking forward to another Tam Thursday, things like that....

Cassie Cormier

Cassie Cormier

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise News Editor / May 10, 2020

Classes had already stopped, but before people had been told that they had to leave campus, I was working on Good Morning Emerson, and we were like, “We’re...

Zach Swasta

Zach Swasta

By Dana Gerber / May 10, 2020

When I got the email that said campus was closing, I was in the library. I tend to linger sometimes there when I know I should probably head home, and...

Emerson College Polling Director Spencer Kimball.

Emerson Polling survey on COVID-19 to help decide fate of fall semester

By Dana Gerber / May 3, 2020

Emerson Polling plans to launch a survey on Monday to gather data on community concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help guide decisions...

Emerson candidates have campaigned entirely online for the first time in known SGA history.

[Photo] SGA candidates look to overcome digital campaign hurdles amid pandemic life

By Charlie McKenna / April 26, 2020

Emerson candidates have campaigned entirely online for the first time in known SGA history.

A Zoom class meeting in Spring 2020.

Remote classes bring innovation, frustration

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise Editor / April 15, 2020

Theatre education professor Bethany Nelson had no idea how she would adapt her class material when the college transitioned to online learning, because...

The Boston Common.

One man injured after shots fired on Boston Common

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise News Editor / April 7, 2020

One person was rushed to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries following a shooting on Boston Common Tuesday afternoon, police said.  The...

 

EVVY Awards delay nomination announcements

By Dana Gerber / April 6, 2020

The 39th EVVY Awards delayed nomination announcements until April 15 due to complications arising from the COVID-19 health crisis, according to EVVYs...

Presidential Working Group delays report on college’s sexual misconduct policies

Presidential Working Group delays report on college’s sexual misconduct policies

By Dana Gerber / April 3, 2020

The Presidential Working Group has delayed its timeline for releasing a final report on the college’s Sexual Misconduct policies until fall 2020, due...

Emerson launches initiative to rebuild the community in upcoming academic year

Two students test positive for COVID-19 as Massachusetts cases surge

By Dana Gerber and Belen Dumont / March 31, 2020

Two Emerson students have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently recovering in isolation at home, according to a campus-wide email sent Tuesday...

A view of Emerson's Dining Center from the Boylston Place alley.

A desolate Boston campus is the new reality for remaining students

By Dana Gerber, Assistant Enterprise News Editor / March 29, 2020

One month ago, sophomore Maximo Lawlor served as president at Phi Alpha Tau meetings, wrote for Raiz Magazine, and co-captained the tennis team. Now, he...