The Berkeley Beacon

14/11/2022

Renovations to the Boston Common’s entrances and borders, upgraded amenities for visitors, and improved recreational areas like the tennis courts and Frog Pond are underway.

Organizers are working with a $28 million budget—the highest amount of funding ever devoted to the Common by the city—hope to “establish the best strategy,” for the park, according to the Boston Common Master Plan website.

Beacon correspondent Sasha Zirin spoke to Boston residents regarding their perspective on the expansion.

Find the link to that story in our bio. 📸 Rachel Choi

24/10/2022

In a letter to the editor, Emerson Staff Union requests a meeting with the Board of Trustees to address the college’s ongoing staffing crisis.

To read the letter, click the link in our bio.

12/09/2022

The class of 2026 welcomes an air of excitement. With no masks, no zoom classes, and no COVID-19 restrictions, the future of Emerson seems optimistic.

The college introduced roughly 1,000 first-year and 185 transfer students representing 31 countries and 39 states (and the District of Columbia). Whilst expressing fear and anxiety about starting their college career, this years freshman also share enthusiasm and inspiration for what their futures hold.

Theater and performance major Ariel Coleman said she felt more inspired at Emerson than at other schools.

“I just felt like I really connected with the other creatives that I met here,” Coleman said. “[Emerson is] the perfect place to be immersed [in] everything creative.”

Many students that involved themselves at orientation found that the experience eased potential move-in anxieties.

“[Orientation] gave me a lot of opportunities to meet new people, and it just showed me what Emerson is about,” VMA major Adeline Melillo said.

While many students had a positive first impression of the college, some found the new experience overwhelming.

“I honestly love [Emerson],” VMA major Nicole Vota said. “There are some things I’m not 100% used to, like the food and being away from home, but I’m slowly getting used to everything.”

(Click the link in our bio to keep reading this story)

04/09/2022

The Sept. 2022 issue of The Beacon Magazine is now available to read online and hits campus newsstands the week of Sep. 5. The theme for this issue is ‘Uncovering Emerson’ in order to express the staff’s desire to shed light on institutional and systemic problems that may not be obvious in day-to-day campus life.

In this edition, Adri Pray writes about six staff members who have left the college in recent years due to poor treatment from management as well as a host of other systemic barriers. Vivi Smilgius reports on the post-Emerson experience and the financial instability many alumni face before finding eventual success. Abigail Lee writes about a burgeoning wave of student efforts to challenge the financial inaccessibility of the college and empower students to organize for a bigger say in administrative decisions. Finally, staff writer Karen Umscheid gives her top 10 tips to a successful first fall semester at Emerson, from navigating org fair to planning your course schedule.

Read more at the link in our bio.

25/08/2022

The Biden Administration announced Wednesday it plans to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for qualifying Americans, but all borrowers should expect student loan repayment to kick in Jan. 1, 2023.

President Biden announced on Wednesday a plan to relieve $10,000 in student loan debt for low-to-middle income borrowers and extended the pause on student loan payments to Dec. 31, 2022. The announcement comes amid growing concerns of the effect debt relief will have on inflation, a concern the Pres...

19/05/2022

Protesters gather at the State House amid Supreme Court leaks. 📸

05/04/2022

26/02/2022

Down by three points in the last seconds of regulation play, Emerson sophomore guard Trevor Arico sank a shot from beyond the arc, sending the Lions to overtime. Emerson finished the game 85-77, advancing to the conference finals.

The men’s basketball team finished third in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference with a record of 10-4 which placed them in the semifinal game against the second-seeded Babson College.

Historically, this matchup hasn’t been kind to the Lions as Babson won both games— an 80-73 finish and an 87-79 overtime finish— during the regular season. Arico said Emerson was motivated to return the favor.

“It’s very hard to beat a team three times in one season, especially when they’re very competitive each game so I think the big message going in is, ‘it’s our turn now,’” he said in a post-game interview.

Several key players for the Lions weren’t available due to injury including senior guard Nate Martin and junior guard Max Davis, so other players had to fill the gaps.

The Beavers sank a three to open up the scoring for the day, but senior guard Zach Waterhouse responded with seven points to capture the Lions’ first lead of the game. The lead changed five more times before Babson scored the third three-pointer in seven minutes to go up top 16-14.

The Lions stayed close, but Babson found separation in the last seven minutes of the first half, scoring seven unanswered points. Emerson senior center Jarred Houston scored six in the dying minutes of the first half, but Babson led 36-30 heading into the break.

(Click the link in our bio to read the full story)

25/02/2022

Demonstrators voiced their support for Ukraine on Thursday in the face of the Russian invasion—even as many of their family and friends remain in the country.

A throng of people donned in blue and yellow gathered at the steps of the Massachusetts State House on Thursday, protesting the invasion of Ukraine launched by Russia just hours earlier. The crowd waved blue-gold Ukrainian flags and held signs reading “United with Ukraine” and “U.S.A. Supports...

07/02/2022

Most Emerson students, sports fans or not, have spent their lives witnessing what is arguably one of the greatest careers in football history. Now, as the seven-time Super Bowl champion hangs up his helmet, the students who grew up in Tom Brady’s shadow are taking time to reflect and reminisce.

“He’s just an iconic figure in New England sports,” said Cooper Sherman, a junior sports communication major. “When you become a Patriots fan, Brady has to be a big part of that.”

Brady’s announcement, long-anticipated but still sensational, sparked a unique controversy when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback confirmed the reports of his retirement on Tuesday. Coming off an MVP caliber season leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, the sports world was thrown for a loop.

“The first reaction was shock,” Sherman said. “While you’d think the retirement had to happen sometime, it was a bit of a surprise. After this season, you would think maybe he’d want to go out in a better way.”

In his last game, Brady’s Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in dramatic fashion, after coming back from a 24 point deficit in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The next few days saw extensive media speculation about the possibility of his retirement—something that first-year sports communication major Nick Antonakas said was disrespectful to Brady’s legacy.

“It was kind of ridiculous that journalists were hopping on [the unconfirmed reports,]” he said. “I mean, obviously it’s their job, but he was planning to announce it. It’s just wishy-washy.”

Though many fans felt that the longtime Patriot could have continued to play—something suggested by his own comments—sophomore business of creative enterprises major Kyle Beebe said that he had already achieved everything he needed to in the NFL.

“He could have kept playing, but it’s completely up to him at this point,” Beebe said. “He doesn’t really owe anything to anyone because of all that he’s done for the sport.”

(Click the link in our bio to read the full story)

05/02/2022

A Green Line train suffering "power problems" apparently caught fire.

A fire broke out on a Green Line train on Saturday evening, resulting in the evacuation of Boylston Street station and bringing first responders to the scene. While passing Kenmore Station, operators of an inbound train to Government Center became aware of “power problems,” according to the MBTA...

04/02/2022

After a long year filled with jaw-dropping events and unforgettable memories, it’s now time to ring in 2022. In honor of New Year’s, the theme of our January edition of The Beacon Magazine is New year, new you. The cover, inspired by vision boards, reflects the visual goal setting and planning one might do to inspire change within themselves. We extend a very special thanks to the Iwasaki Library for donating their extra magazines to create the cover of this edition.

New year’s resolutions encourage people to be the bolder version of themselves; taking risks, trying new things, and discovering the person they want to become. Vivi Smilgius writes about how life is too short to waste time on self-doubt, making the new year the perfect time for self-reinvention.

On the other hand, while self-reinvention is desired by many this time of year, New Year’s resolutions statistically tend to fail: but why? Shannon Garrido analyzes the psychology behind New Year’s resolutions and whether or not they set one up for failure. Or are they an excuse for corporations to sell quick fixes and supplements?

New Year’s resolutions, specifically ones regarding health and weight loss, tend to be among the most popular goals. And with advertisements on dieting and working out flooding the media that we consume, Rachel Hackman writes about the dangers of diet culture and the toxicity around it.

After the wild year that was 2021, our cover story, written by Dionna Santucci, recaps all the moments that defined the past year, and the ones you may have forgotten.

I want to extend a special thanks to Lucia Thorne, Kayla Buck, Vivi Smilgius, Shannon Garrido, Rachel Hackman, Dionna Santucci, and Kaitlyn Fehr. This edition could not have been completed without all of your hard work and dedication.

I hope this edition inspires you to not procrastinate your goals for 2022, face your fears, take risks, and become the person you want to be.

As cheesy as it sounds, I wish you all the very best this year and I hope you enjoy this edition of The Beacon Magazine.

To fresh beginnings,