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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

Illustration Rachel Choi

Incoming freshmen carry the targeted violence of last spring with us, and it recontextualizes our futures at Emerson

By Laila Ahmed, Guest Author / October 3, 2024
Late on a Thursday night in September and via phone call, two long-distance friends and I recounted the details of videos that made us cry that past week. 
Photo Merritt Hughes

Being a lesbian is easier in Boston

By Merritt Hughes, Co-Opinion Editor / April 17, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice.  I had a...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Listen up seniors, cause this is it

By Mariyam Quaisar, Editor / April 17, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice.  My four...

Why college students should buy plants

Why college students should buy plants

By Merritt Hughes, Co-Opinion Editor / April 1, 2024
College can be a rough transition period for a lot of new freshmen—myself included—especially if you are a plane ride away from home.
Illustration Rachel Choi

Not another high school movie with college-aged actors!

By Maggie Kaprielian, Beacon Correspondent / March 20, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice.  In 2019,...

Illustration Molly Boyke

Is Fizz fizzing out?

By Ledia Hysenbegasi, Beacon Correspondent / February 27, 2024

Opinion editors are not responsible for agreeing or disagreeing with their writers but rather elevate each individual’s specific voice. Last fall,...

Photo by Ryli Stoker.

The criminalization of unhoused and impoverished populations in “college towns”

By Ryli Stoker, Beacon Correspondent / September 20, 2023

A lot of Emerson students act like they have never seen unhoused people before.   The first time I picked up on this was in a dorm with a small group...

The College Board doesn’t care about you

The College Board doesn’t care about you

By Adri Pray, Content Managing Editor / February 15, 2023

It’s time to stop pretending like there’s anything “advanced” about Advanced Placement classes. Let’s leave the College Board in the past where...

Non-union staff to see 5% raise going into new year

Non-union staff to see 5% raise going into new year

By Adri Pray / November 8, 2022

College officials pledged a cumulative 5% base salary increase effective Jan. 1, 2023 for non-union staff members in an email sent to eligible employees...

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...

The environment, your sanity, and student budgets

The environment, your sanity, and student budgets

By Charlie Brian Ambler / September 17, 2021

For the average student, being an environmentalist comes with a hefty price tag. Eating organic foods and exclusively supporting eco-friendly brands are...

Starting college during the pandemic takes a toll on mental health

Starting college during the pandemic takes a toll on mental health

By Shannon Garrido / January 24, 2021

Moving onto campus for the first time as a freshman is daunting. Stepping out of your comfort zone while meeting new people from different backgrounds...

Twenty three hours inside the college’s quarantine residence

Twenty three hours inside the college’s quarantine residence

By Domenic Conte / October 22, 2020

I’d give the Paramount Hotel three stars following my brief stay in the college’s on-campus quarantine residence hall.  After showing symptoms...

Students crossing the bustling Boylston/Tremont intersection.

We really, really shouldn’t throw parties

By The Editorial Board / August 24, 2020

By now, you may have heard a joke or two leading up to this semester—something like “off to school for a few good weeks” or “don’t make your...

The college gathered all Kasteel Well students in the dining hall Monday evening to announce the cancellation of the program.

Kasteel Well students to return to Boston after outbreak of Coronavirus

By Lara Hill and Katie Redefer / March 2, 2020

WELL, NETHERLANDS—The college will send Kasteel Well students back to the Boston campus later this week due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases,...

Accepting being single as a hopeless romantic

Accepting being single as a hopeless romantic

By Reilley Djou / February 19, 2020

As a college student studying in a new city, finding relationships isn’t as easy as it seems. There are nightclubs, parties, and dating apps, but in...

"I’ve learned that my decision to stay somewhat local—in, might I add, one of the best college cities in the U.S.—does not make me immature or overly dependent." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Home sweet home: Why going to college nearby can be beneficial

By Jess Ferguson / November 18, 2019

Throughout the college application process, I felt pressured to attend school somewhere far away from my home in southeastern Massachusetts. Everyone...

Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Hold university administrations accountable this application season

By Editorial Board / October 23, 2019

In March, the Federal Bureau of Investigations exposed over a dozen celebrities who bought their children's acceptance into the country’s most prestigious...

"Acne has trickled its way back into my life, and I do not feel it stopping any time soon." / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Coping with acne insecurities in college

By Jess Ferguson / October 13, 2019

Part of me thought that when I first came to college, acne would be a thing of the past. Though I have struggled with it for years, I always assumed it...

Beacon Archives

Students deserve transparent sexual assault statistics

By Editorial Board / September 25, 2019

On Wednesday, the college disseminated its annual Clery Report through a campus-wide email. The 57-page-long report details both the criminal offenses...