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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

Three students on navigating a college social life during a pandemic

Three students on navigating a college social life during a pandemic

October 6, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly transformed our college's culture and the way we interact with others. After classes resumed in the fall, students...

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

Emerson reports no new positives, Massachusetts cases drop

By Charlie McKenna / October 5, 2020

Emerson reported no new positive COVID-19 test results Monday out of 578 total tests administered on Oct. 2, leaving the college’s cumulative positive...

Governor Charlie Baker takes questions from the media at Mill City BBQ and Brew in Lowell, MA, September 23, 2020.

Massachusetts reports 626 new coronavirus cases

By Charlie McKenna / October 4, 2020

Massachusetts reported 626 new coronavirus cases Sunday, along with three deaths. The positive rate released Sunday was 3.2 percent. Cases rose from...

Gov. Charlie Baker speaks to the media after receiving a flu shot at a CVS in Roslindale on September 17, 2020 in Boston, MA.

Massachusetts reports 600 new coronavirus cases

By Charlie McKenna / October 3, 2020

Massachusetts reported 600 new coronavirus cases Saturday, along with 17 deaths. Saturday’s positivity rate was 3.4 percent. Cases fell sharply from...

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

Emerson reports no new positives, testing number discrepancies

By Charlie McKenna / October 1, 2020

Emerson reported no new positive COVID-19 tests results Thursday out of 809 total tests, leaving the college’s cumulative positive tests since Aug. 6...

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

In distanced classes, professors repackage theatre and film curriculum

By Dana Gerber, Former News Editor / 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...

Gary Sowder writes about love and sex.

‘On the DL’: The sexual politics of sleeping with closeted guys

By Gary Sowder, Former Columnist / October 1, 2020

My mom lives in Westchester County, New York, a place that is most known for being the home of the Clintons', and the last place Robert Durst’s wife...

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...

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

Emerson reports no new positives, 235 new tests

By Charlie McKenna / September 30, 2020

Emerson reported no new positive COVID-19 tests results Wednesday out of 235 total tests, leaving the college’s cumulative positive tests since Aug....

"Far fetched as my expectations were, none of us pictured freshman year this way, with me logging onto Zoom to attend classes, professors' office hours, and student organizations’ meetings."

We were never getting the college experience we expected

By Shannon Garrido, Editor-in-chief / September 23, 2020

For those of you who spent too much of your childhood obsessing over Legally Blonde and Beverly Hills, 90210, like me, you probably had an inflated image...

A faculty assembly meeting in January.

Faculty addresses concerns over spring semester schedule, testing regulation

By Dana Gerber, Former News Editor / 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...

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

Dining Center to temporarily close following three positive COVID-19 tests among food vendors

By Andrew Brinker and Charlie McKenna / September 22, 2020

The Dining Center was temporarily closed for service Wednesday morning after college officials announced three new positive COVID-19 tests among food vendors.  The...

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, Former News Editor / 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...

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

GRAPH: College reports 11 positive COVID-19 tests, inconsistent dashboard numbers

By Andrew Brinker, Tomas Gonzalez and Charlie McKenna / September 17, 2020

Emerson’s cumulative positive COVID-19 test results have risen steadily each week, as seen in the graph above. Each point on the graph represents...

Safety, job security top staff concerns for the fall

Safety, job security top staff concerns for the fall

By Ann E. Matica, Former Deputy News Editor / September 16, 2020

Emerson staff members are grappling with safety risks and the threat of job insecurity, as the college proceeds with a reopening plan that brought much...

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

A mix of excitement and anxiety as students return to an altered campus

By Beacon Staff / September 4, 2020

Five months and 11 days after Emerson prematurely shuttered its campuses due to the initial U.S. outbreak of COVID-19, the college officially reopened...

Emerson's Los Angeles campus.

ELA campus won’t reopen in the fall, classes to remain online

By Charlie McKenna / September 4, 2020

Emerson’s Los Angeles campus will not reopen for in-person classes in the fall semester in light of new COVID-19 guidance from LA county officials. The...

Emerson launches initiative to rebuild the community in upcoming academic year

Reopening is going to plan, administrators say

By Andrew Brinker, Former Senior Investigative Reporter / September 4, 2020

The first week of Emerson’s reopening put into practice a plan that attempts to continue in-person instruction while staving off COVID-19 outbreaks,...

Emerson reports three new positive tests since Monday

Emerson reports three new positive tests since Monday

By Charlie McKenna and Diana Bravo / September 3, 2020

Emerson reported three new positive COVID-19 test results between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, bringing the community’s positive tests to 10 out of 7,422 administered.  One...

For some spots, like Maria’s, college campuses reopening could boost their chances of turning a profit in a year otherwise marred by financial ruin.

Nearby restaurants ‘excited’ by return of college-aged patrons

By Taina Millsap, Shruti Rajkumar and Katie Redefer / September 2, 2020

Businesses neighboring the bustling Emerson campus usually overflow with students, tourists, and commuters in early September. But this year, several nearby...