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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

The Little Building on a rainy day.

Emerson will house BAC students in the Little Building for one year

By Hannah Nguyen, Editor in Chief / August 1, 2024

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include more details about the year-long partnership. Emerson College will provide housing for Boston...

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...

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...

Piano Row residence hall

‘It feels like a race’: students face housing and registration confusion

By Adri Pray / March 23, 2022

As the 2022-23 housing and course registration processes commence, some students report being stressed by both. Emerson’s Housing and Residential...

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

Wu sworn in as mayor, pushes widespread reform

By Abigail Lee, Beacon Correspondent / November 18, 2021

Michelle Wu was sworn in as mayor Tuesday, ushering in a new era for the city of Boston as the former city councilor became the city’s first woman and...

Residence hall visitation restored, community lounges and kitchens reopening for fall

Residence hall visitation restored, community lounges and kitchens reopening for fall

By Frankie Rowley / May 11, 2021

Emerson will loosen guest policies in on-campus housing for the fall semester, reversing pandemic-era restrictions as vaccinations in the state continue...

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 Office of Housing and Residential Education released a plan Thursday for altered on-campus living for the fall semester.

Fall semester will see significant alterations to on-campus living

By Charlie McKenna and Diana Bravo / June 11, 2020

Residential life on campus during the fall 2020 semester will look significantly different than it has in past years as part of the college’s reopening...

Manager of Custodial Services Nestor Carranza said Emerson hired five additional temporary employees from night cleaning companies.

Custodial staff face increase in items left behind by departing students

By Ann E. Matica / April 1, 2020

In the scramble to vacate campus two weeks ago as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in Massachusetts, students left behind more items in residential building...

The ongoing construction on Boylston St., intended to expand the sidewalk into the parking lane and add benches and planters, has been delayed until at least the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

OHRE looks for creative solutions after COVID-19 hinders housing selection process

By Belen Dumont / March 30, 2020

The Housing Operations team released an updated 2020-2021 housing selection process timeline in an email Friday afternoon after the initially scheduled...

The 73-year-old Marlboro College was sold to Democracy Builders. Jakob Menendez / Beacon Staff

Emerson College will not cover housing cost difference for Marlboro students

By Jacob Seitz, Senior Marlboro Correspondent / January 8, 2020

Emerson College will not cover the $5,555 difference in housing costs for Marlboro College students who live on the Boston campus next fall, according...

Kyle Eber, President of Emerson Mystic, with his cat Tetra.

Emotional support animals on-campus double as mental health diagnoses increase nationally

By Carlee Bronkema / October 23, 2019

Junior Grayson Pitt said his emotional support animal, Credence, prompts him to take care of himself and begin other tasks for the day—his gecko’s...

"when you have a chronic disability, the structure of our society fails you often and makes your life harder than it should be." / Illustration by Christine Park

Students with disabilities need clearer housing processes

By Shruti Rajkumar / October 16, 2019

Prior to entering my sophomore year of college, I anticipated that the housing process would be as simple as the one my freshman year. But of course,...

The college hired Housing Operations Coordinator Christopher Muchata to work hand-in-hand with the Associate Director of Housing Operations Kendra Stokes. Montse Landeros / Beacon Staff

Housing fills two new positions after spring crash

By Daniela Lobo-Rivera / October 8, 2019

The Office of Housing and Residential Education hired a housing operations coordinator and area coordinator—two new positions—to help improve the...

student affairs

Housing portal crashes on first day of suite selection

By Jacob Seitz / April 18, 2019

Students piled into the Office of Housing and Residence Life after a website malfunction caused the college to freeze the housing application on April...

This college’s housing system completely disregards the money my family actively pays to Emerson and the fact that the college does not offer me enough financial aid to continue living on campus. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Residency requirement blocks avenue for students to save money

By Megan Ellis / March 13, 2019

I represent the inaugural class of students the college will require to live on campus for three years. Soon to be facing a future of financial insecurity...

Beacon Archives

Beacon Breakdown: How tuition value compares at Emerson’s three campuses

By Abigail Hadfield / February 10, 2019

Emerson students at the Boston, Los Angeles, and Kasteel Well campuses all pay the same tuition and room and board rates despite differences in semester length...

Colonial Resident Director Michael Barcelo with his 9-year-old Plott hound mix, Benson.

Who let the dogs out? Your Residence Directors

By Ziqi Wang / November 28, 2018

Benson sits in the lobby of the Colonial residence hall with his tail wagging as he eagerly waits for students to enter and say hello. He isn't an average...

Despite calls from students to decrease costs, Emerson will increase tuition and room and board rates by two percent for the 2020-21 academic year.

Lottery gives freshmen chance to opt out of campus housing

By Parker Purifoy / March 14, 2018

Some freshmen will enter a lottery for permission to move off-campus while some upperclassmen will apply to do the opposite this spring. Freshmen...

New housing software to smooth out application process

By Parker Purifoy / March 1, 2018

The Office of Housing and Residence Life will be switching to a new software platform for the spring 2018 application cycle. Assistant Director of Housing...