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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

Maeve Lawler

Maeve Lawler, Kasteel Well Bureau Chief

Maeve Lawler (she/her) is a second-year Journalism major at Emerson College from Scituate, MA, who previously served as a correspondent and the Deputy Enterprise News Editor. With minors in Political Science and Publishing, she aims to integrate these interests into the stories she writes. Lawler is passionate about news reporting and has contributed to Jamaica Plain News and The Somerville Times.

Latest from Maeve Lawler
Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

Coming to Kasteel Well? Don’t pack the kitchen sink.

By Maeve Lawler / April 12, 2023

Are you a future Kasteel Well dweller? If the answer is yes, then you’re probably wondering how to prepare for your semester abroad. What do I pack?...

A brief history of Kasteel Well

A brief history of Kasteel Well

By Maeve Lawler, Staff Writer / April 5, 2023

Kasteel Well, a Dutch national monument, is a moated castle nestled in the countryside of Well, Netherlands. Each day, students cross a wide wooden bridge...

America is overdue in its transition to a working-to-live approach

America is overdue in its transition to a working-to-live approach

By Maeve Lawler / March 22, 2023

Upon arriving at Kasteel Well, it didn’t take long before I realized a key difference in how Americans approach work-life balance in comparison to Europeans.  While...

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

Kasteel Well campus ends weekly testing protocol, shift to symptomatic testing only

By Maeve Lawler / March 22, 2023

As of March 9, Emerson’s Kasteel Well campus no longer requires twice-a-week COVID-19 testing, according to an email sent to Kasteel Well students from...

Kasteel Well’s assistant director of student affairs embraces life’s challenges and community building

Kasteel Well’s assistant director of student affairs embraces life’s challenges and community building

By Maeve Lawler / February 18, 2023

Each semester, a new group of students participating in the Kasteel Well program are welcomed by a medieval castle tucked in the countryside of Well, Limburg....

Map of Green Line Extension

Green Line Extension’s long-awaited Medford Branch opens

By Maeve Lawler / December 12, 2022

The Medford Branch, part of the MBTA’s Green Line Extension, opened to passengers on Monday at 4:52 a.m. Hundreds of Boston commuters, many being Tufts...

MBTA CharlieCard

Cybersecurity expert finds CharlieCards hackable by Android phones

By Maeve Lawler / December 12, 2022

CharlieCards, used to pay for MBTA subway and bus rides, can be hacked using an Android phone, according to a Boston-based cybersecurity expert Bobby Rauch.  The...

MBTA Subway Map

FTA requests new corrective action plans from MBTA

By Maeve Lawler / December 12, 2022

The Federal Transit Administration asked the MBTA on Tuesday to revise 12 of its 20 proposed plans to increase the safety and functioning of the T.  The...

Meet David Stewart: Emerson’s new media studies affiliate professor

Meet David Stewart: Emerson’s new media studies affiliate professor

By Maeve Lawler / December 7, 2022

David Stewart will join Emerson’s Visual Media Arts department as an affiliate professor of film and media studies in the Spring 2023 semester. He will...

Illustration by Rachel Choi

Re-building an Eco Corps—the first step to larger sustainability progress on campus

By Maeve Lawler / November 30, 2022

This semester, Emerson re-established a cross-campus sustainability program, Eco Corps, following the hiring of four eco ambassadors in September and the...

Green Line Train

MBTA Green Line Extension Medford branch to open Dec. 12

By Maeve Lawler / November 17, 2022

Since construction began in 2018, the Medford branch of the Green Line will open on Dec. 12, announced MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak at Thursday’s...

Route 89 Bus Interior

Bus Network Redesign hosts public meeting, discusses changes to proposal

By Maeve Lawler / November 16, 2022

The MBTA hosted a virtual public meeting on Monday to discuss revisions to the Bus Network Redesign project after receiving over 20,000 comments on the...

An Emerson College Police car.

Incident Journal: ECPD responds to theft, vandalism

By Maeve Lawler / November 9, 2022

Monday, Oct. 24 ECPD responded to a hit-and-run car crash involving an Emerson student at the crosswalk of Tremont and Avery Streets. ECPD assisted...

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak speaking with members of the media at an event on August 14, 2019.

MBTA general manager Steve Poftak to step down on Jan. 3

By Maeve Lawler / November 4, 2022

MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced Tuesday he will step down on Jan. 3, 2023. He led the agency for four years during some of its most difficult...

Student-run non-profit promotes sustainability and community

Student-run non-profit promotes sustainability and community

By Maeve Lawler / November 2, 2022

Four students in the entrepreneurial studies minor launched Bee the Message, a campus-based non-profit that sells beeswax wraps, donating all profits to...

Illustration of protesters holding signs with reproductive rights slogans.

Emerson students, faculty reflect on post-Roe America

By Maeve Lawler / November 2, 2022

On June 24—the day Roe v. Wade was overturned—Sophia Drummond, an Emerson student from Arkansas, saw a trigger ban go into effect in her home state.  “It...

MBTA Bus to Dudley Station

MBTA revises proposed bus route map upon public feedback

By Maeve Lawler / October 30, 2022

After receiving feedback from Boston bus riders, the MBTA updated its bus route map on Thursday.  The changes reflect over 20,000 public comments the...

Local support for migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod continues

Local support for migrants at Joint Base Cape Cod continues

By Maeve Lawler / October 19, 2022

The wave of community-based support in response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ relocation of nearly 50 migrants from San Antonio, TX, to Martha’s...

Senators Warren and Markey demand MBTA safety improvements

Senators Warren and Markey demand MBTA safety improvements

By Maeve Lawler / October 16, 2022

Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey held a hearing in Boston on Friday with MBTA officials to address riders’ ongoing safety...

An Emerson College Police car.

Incident Journal: ECPD responds to non-Emerson community member, secured contraband

By Maeve Lawler / October 9, 2022

The Emerson College Police Department provides the Incident Journal to The Beacon every week. Beacon staff edit the Incident Journal for style and clarity...

The entrance to Emerson's Walker Building on Boylston St.

New iVisitor system used for guest registration in academic buildings

By Maeve Lawler / October 5, 2022

Emerson announced students can register guests for academic buildings using the new iVisitor Guest Registration system—a process different from the guest...

Orange Line Chinatown station

Commuters disappointed with delays a week into the Orange Line’s reopening

By Maeve Lawler and Olivia LeDuc / September 29, 2022

In the week following the Orange Line's reopening after its 30-day shutdown, many Emerson students and Orange Line riders across Boston feel burdened by...

Green Line D branch shuts down, first of three closures

Green Line D branch shuts down, first of three closures

By Maeve Lawler / September 26, 2022

The MBTA Green Line D branch closed on Sept. 24, commencing the first of three nine-day closures to allow for upgrades and maintenance. The temporary...

SGA members in a meeting.

SGA announces non-tuition academic credit for internships

By Maeve Lawler / September 25, 2022

Emerson students can now gain a singular non-tuition academic credit for an internship—a joint initiative between the Student Government Association...

Emerson's downtown Boston campus.

New fund to support international students’ financial need

By Maeve Lawler / September 21, 2022

The Office of Student Success will offer an International Student Assistance Fund for the first time this semester, according to a campus-wide email sent...

Orange Line train entering Chinatown station

Orange Line re-opens after month-long shutdown

By Maeve Lawler and Olivia LeDuc / September 19, 2022

The Orange Line resumed its regular service on Monday after a 30-day closure. The first trains left the Oak Grove and Forest Hills Station at 5:16 a.m.,...

Bluebike station on Beacon Street

Boston Bluebike riders enjoy free passes, some eager for transportation improvements

By Maeve Lawler and Chloe Els / September 19, 2022

Boston Bluebike riders reacted positively to free bike passes while voicing improvements they would like to see made in the city’s transportation.  The...

Emerson rises to number seven in best regional universities

Emerson rises to number seven in best regional universities

By Maeve Lawler / September 17, 2022

Emerson is tied at number seven in best regional universities North rankings for 2022-2023, according to the U.S. News & World Report, moving up one...

Attendees gather to watch performers / Photo: Chloe Els

Asian American Day Festival returns to Boston Common

By Maeve Lawler and Chloe Els / September 14, 2022

The Boston Common buzzed with vendors and visitors attending the 12th Asian American Day Festival on Saturday afternoon. After a two-year pause due to...

Courtesy: Creative Commons

Mayor Wu and Boston Transportation Department announce bike network expansion

By Maeve Lawler / September 9, 2022

On Tuesday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Transportation Department announced a 9.4-mile expansion of Boston’s bike lanes, most set to be built...

President Pranit Chand and Vice President Neiko Pittman

SGA leadership pledges sustainability, accessibility, accountability

By Maeve Lawler / September 7, 2022

Emerson’s Student Government Association onboards a new president and vice president following its spring semester election cycle. Pranit Chand, a senior...

Emerson announces new organizational structure for offices of communication, marketing, and web and digital services

Emerson announces new organizational structure for offices of communication, marketing, and web and digital services

By Maeve Lawler / June 17, 2022

The Office of Communications, Office of Marketing, and Office of Web and Digital Services will form a stand-alone division starting July 1, per Interim...

Illustrated image of DS Oswald by DS Oswald.

Introducing Pub Club’s two winning manuscript authors for this semester: Haley Souders and DS Oswald

By Maeve Lawler / April 6, 2022

Junior Haley Souders and senior DS Oswald are this semester’s manuscript winners for Wilde Press, an imprint of Pub Club that publishes two 50-80 page...

Emerson's media gallery. Photo by Maddie Khaw.

Emerson Contemporary awarded grant to improve campus art galleries

By Maeve Lawler and Maddie Khaw / March 23, 2022

Emerson received a $114,000 grant from a Massachusetts-based foundation last year, intended to help improve the art galleries of Emerson Contemporary. The...

Photo: Lucia Thorne

10 ways to spend your Spring break (without excessive travel)

By Maeve Lawler / March 2, 2022

As Spring Break fast approaches, whether you are returning home, staying on campus, or taking a trip, this week is a time to replenish and have fun. With...

Emerson College's new campus sustainability manager, Jennifer Lamy. (Courtesy Jennifer Lamy)

Emerson welcomes Jennifer Lamy as new campus sustainability manager

By Maeve Lawler / February 16, 2022

Emerson has hired a new campus sustainability manager to direct the college’s climate policy, filling a vacancy that has lasted nearly two years.  Jennifer...

Spark Casting logo

Casting company created by two alumnae

By Maeve Lawler / January 12, 2022

Hailey Giles and Stefanie Seifer met through mutual friends at a Super Bowl party and began talking—more than a decade after both graduated from Emerson....

One of the pieces in Eben Haines' "Facades."

ICA’s two new exhibits evoke a plethora of emotions as they comment on various societal issues

By Maeve Lawler / December 1, 2021

Two exhibitions currently on display at the Institute of Contemporary Art provide viewers with a unique and bleeding edge experience, as they call current...

Elly Bryant and Olivienne Redding at their volunteer shift holding “kindness flower” made in the art studio for guests.

Emerson students embrace St. Francis House volunteer work

By Maeve Lawler / October 7, 2021

Three Emerson students participated in the college’s orientation volunteer event at St. Francis House, the largest day shelter for those experiencing...