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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

Students walk in front of The Colonial Building residence hall on Boylston St.

Emerson reopens residence halls, campus eateries to Boston students

By Vivi Smilgius / January 14, 2022

The college will reopen its residence halls and campus eateries to Boston students in the coming weeks, announced Emerson Dean of Campus Life Jim Hoppe...

The Colonial Theatre

Colonial Theatre to reopen in September with new programming

By Camilo Fonseca, Assistant News Editor / July 8, 2021

The Emerson Colonial Theatre will open its doors to the public in September 2021 for the first time in seventeen months, the Ambassador Theatre Group announced...

Emerson's COVID-19 testing center at the corner of Kneeland Street and Harrison Ave.

Emerson to drop mask requirements, maintain weekly testing requirement in fall semester

By Charlie McKenna / July 7, 2021

Emerson will drop its mask requirement in the fall semester but still mandate weekly COVID-19 testing for all community members, regardless of their vaccination...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker

State outlines plan, timeline for lifting remaining COVID-19 restrictions

By Katie Lannan, State House News Service / April 27, 2021

More than a year into the COVID-19 restrictions that have reshaped much of public life, Massachusetts now has a target date for when its business and capacity...

Students walking on Boston Common.

Vaccine rollout progressing, health experts foresee a return to normal in the fall

By Camilo Fonseca / March 18, 2021

Public health experts say there appears to be a “light at the end of the tunnel” shining for college campuses after a year of restrictions, social...

Erik Muurisepp sits at his desk on the fourth floor of the Walker Building.

Q&A with Emerson COVID Lead Erik Muurisepp

By Dana Gerber / March 18, 2021

In April, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life Erik Muurisepp was handed a herculean task: leading the college’s implementation and communication...

Boston's Fenway Park empty

Baker announces Phase Four reopening by end of March

By Camilo Fonseca, Assistant News Editor / February 25, 2021

Massachusetts will enter the final step, Step Two, of Phase Three in its four-phase reopening plan next Monday, with plans to move into Phase Four as early...

4th Wall general manager Diky Melville serving two patrons behind a plexiglass divider.

Woken from hibernation, 4th Wall returns after brief hiatus

By Camilo Fonseca, Assistant News Editor / February 8, 2021

From behind a large plexiglass divider, bartender Emmanuel Parent looked around the 4th Wall Restaurant & Bar, gesturing to the sparsely-populated...

Marty Walsh speaks to reporters after casting a vote for Presidential Candidate Joe Biden at The Lower Mills branch of The Boston Public Library on November 3, 2020.

Boston to move into Phase Three, Step One of reopening Feb. 1

By Frankie Rowley / January 26, 2021

Boston will move to Phase Three, Step One of reopening on Feb. 1, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced Tuesday, allowing a slew of businesses to reopen after...

Emerson's testing site at Tufts Medical Center.

Epidemiologists say risk of college reopening diffused by regulations

By Dana Gerber / January 21, 2021

Emerson is marshaling thousands of students from their homes across the country for the second time this academic year, as the 7-day average of confirmed...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker

Case Surge Prompts Baker to Dial Back Reopening

By Katie Lannan, State House News Service / December 8, 2020

Capacity limits will be lowered across an array of businesses, some indoor recreation venues will again close, and rules around mask-wearing and dining...

President M. Lee Pelton.

Pelton examines pandemic, ‘flex’ learning, and the future in annual State of the College address

By Diana Bravo / November 23, 2020

Amid a spiraling pandemic that Emerson administrators once warned may financially devastate the college, President M. Lee Pelton released his annual State...

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

College expects rise in in-person spring enrollment

By Alec Klusza / November 1, 2020

Emerson administrators anticipate a “modest increase” in undergraduate enrollment in the college’s in-person classes this spring semester.  Out...

Emerson's Los Angeles campus.

Future of ELA spring semester still unclear amid dipping LA coronavirus cases

By Hailey Johnson / October 25, 2020

The fate of Emerson’s Los Angeles program for the spring semester remains in flux, as LA County officials have yet to approve the college’s plan to...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

Boston enters COVID ‘red zone,’ but Emerson keeps cases low

By Andrew Brinker / October 1, 2020

As COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts tick up again, most Boston-area universities, including Emerson, have managed to keep infection rates low. Boston...

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 launches initiative to rebuild the community in upcoming academic year

Reopening is going to plan, administrators say

By Andrew Brinker / 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,...

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...

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

Remote learning is different, but that’s not a bad thing

By The Editorial Board / August 17, 2020

As Emerson moves forward with its reopening plans for the fall semester, many students have raised concerns about the value of online classes. Is it comparable...

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

A weekly email is not enough

By Editorial Board / August 10, 2020

Throughout the summer, Emerson administration has sent students sporadic emails. In June came the announcement that campus would reopen in late August....