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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

Dr. Brent Smith. Photo credit: Twitter

Brent Smith appointed as School of Communication’s permanent dean

By Bailey Allen / April 12, 2023

Brent Smith will become the dean of Emerson’s School of Communication starting this summer, according to a community-wide announcement from Interim President...

Mark Leccese

Mark Leccese: Longtime professor, reporter, trumpet player retiring after 16 years at Emerson

By Ryan Forgosh / February 15, 2023

Mark Leccese has been a reporter, an editor, and everything in between. Now, after 16 years at Emerson, the longtime journalism professor is stepping away...

Writing, literature, and publishing professor Jerald Walker won the Annual Massachusetts Book Award for his nonfiction work.

WLP professor Jerald Walker’s ‘How to Make a Slave and other essays’ wins the Annual Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction

By Margarita Ivanova / December 9, 2021

Writing, literature and publishing professor Jerald Walker brought home the Massachusetts Book Award for nonfiction this year for his essay collection...

The book cover of “I Am My Beloveds.”

WLP professor Jon Papernick’s newest novel set to release January 2022

By Rachel Hackam / October 6, 2021

A new novel by writing, literature, and publishing professor Jon Papernick follows a married couple as they navigate their polyamorous relationship and...

"What do we have in Common" installation in the Boston Common.

‘What Do We Have In Common?’ Art Installation seeks to provoke thought

By Mariyam Quaisar / September 30, 2021

Friends of the Public Garden teamed up with NOW + THERE to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a public art piece titled “What Do We Have In Common?”...

Jefferson Fietek's Anoka County MN mugshot

‘I feel relief that he will not be able to harm anyone else;’ Victims of former performing arts professor speak out

By Frankie Rowley / September 2, 2021

For the victims of former Emerson professor, Jefferson Fietek, his arrest was a bittersweet moment. They expressed relief seeing their childhood abuser...

Jefferson Fietek was an assistant professor for performing arts at Emerson College starting in 2019.

Former Emerson professor pleads guilty to sexually abusing former students

By Frankie Rowley / August 21, 2021

Former assistant professor Jefferson Fietek pleaded guilty to three felony counts of criminal sexual conduct Thursday, and now faces thirty years in prison,...

Jabari Asim reads "We Can't Breathe," the book where his essay "Getting it Twisted" originally appeared. Tivara Tanudjaja / Beacon Correspondent

Professor’s essay on race in America featured in “Best American Essays”

By Domenic Conte / October 30, 2019

When Associate Professor Jabari Asim received a call from the editor of “Best American Essays” congratulating him on earning a spot in their 2019 edition,...

Alumus David Wade '95, winner of 23 Emmy awards, is back at Emerson as a professor. Shiyu Pan / Beacon Correspondent

Award winning journalist and alum returns to Emerson as professor

By Sydney Havens / September 25, 2019

When working for local TV station WBZ in 2013, David Wade ‘95 received a call in the middle of the night telling him to go straight to Watertown—the...

Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Students detail which icebreakers caught their attention

September 16, 2019

Professors are sometimes guilty of overusing icebreakers in the initial days of a new semester to get to know their classes. But icebreakers don’t always...

Courtesy of Jane Akiba

Community mourns the loss of renowned photographer David Akiba

By Anissa Gardizy / September 8, 2019

Jane Akiba clicked through pictures on her computer, her eyes sifting through the images of her children playing in fall leaves, sitting at the kitchen...

Beacon Archives

Op-ed: An Open Letter to Incoming (And Returning) Students

By Richard West / August 25, 2019

Richard West is an Emerson professor in the Department of Communication and the former President of both the National Communication Association and Eastern...

Emerson Professor urges students to stay informed with Venezuela's crisis

Emerson Professor urges students to stay informed with Venezuela’s crisis

By Belen Dumont / June 8, 2019

An Emerson College professor spoke at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday to educate Boston residents and political officials on the history of...

The Banjo Project is a digital museum sharing the history and significance of the banjo in American culture. Photo courtesy of The Banjo Project

Professors’ digital museum tells the unknown story of the banjo

By Cassandre Coyer / January 16, 2019

When Associate Professor Marc Fields finished his documentary “Give Me the Banjo” after a decade of researching and gathering content on the instrument’s...

Residing in close proximity with a handful of students rarely makes for a problem-free living environment, but the frustration that builds up in these living situations hinders us from living a healthy life and forming positive relationships.  / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Building a bridge of empathy between student and teacher

By Xinyan Fu / November 29, 2018

Before the fourth grade, math was my favorite subject. I enjoyed my math classes and always participated actively. However, this all changed when a new...