The Berkeley Beacon

Debates need diversity, not dichotomy

Eric Twardzik / Beacon Staff

It’s a shame that voters won’t see Johnson beside Obama and Romney. If present, Johnson could add a bead of sweat under the other candidates’ collars as he brings up some inconvenient truths.

At Emerson, the third place should be a charm

Hayden Wright / Beacon Staff

Self-imposed quiet study does not facilitate the exchange of ideas; it isolates students further. From long solo hauls on different MBTA lines to energetic group project meetings, many of us spend our time cocooned inside our own heads or hypersocially chasing professional ambitions.

Students need to prove their political convictions

Editorial Board / Beacon Staff

With the stakes so high and the outcome so uncertain, Emerson students that claim to be interested in politics — whether they are the “Hope and Change” poster-hanging plurality, or the proudly cryptozoological Republicans — can’t sit on the sidelines.

One Nation, Under God, Divisible, with Liberty and Justice for Some

Trelawny Vermont-Davis / Beacon Staff

Prior to Reagan, the GOP was the party that believed in a free market, small government, and state’s rights. In 2012, the Republican Party still holds its fundamental fiscal beliefs but pushes its social stances just as strongly

The Case for Civic Engagment

Katie Prisco-Buxbaum / Beacon Staff

Although service takes time and effort, it is imperative that every Emerson student in the political communication major gets the experience that a civic engagement requirement supplies.

Open SGA seats show lack of student engagement

Editorial Board / Beacon Staff

It’s incumbent upon members of the student body to step up.

Keep busy but don't run on empty

Caroline Praderio / Columnist

In November 1857, American writer-philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote in a letter to his friend, “It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”

Provide your meal a piece of mind

Eric Twardzik / Beacon Staff

While Americans look for a cure in fad diets, suspect health products, and other quick-fix cures that saturate the health market, the remedy may lie with the most natural and simple of solutions: mindful eating.

Letter to the Editor from SGA President Tau Zaman

Tau Zaman

I was impressed with the discerning lens by which last issue’s editorial analyzed the College’s handling of the asbestos problem—I suspected something was amiss when the mass email sent out to the student body neatly resolved with a nothing-to-fear, nothing-to-see-here reassurance.

A record of failure at the dining hall

Editorial Board / Beacon Staff

Unless you’re a competitive coin tosser, 50 percent success is not a promising record. According to the student handbook, Aramark—the company contracted by Business Services to operate dining facilities—would have been asked to pursue academic excellence elsewhere if it were an Emerson student. The dining service has passed inspections a mere half of the time that most of us have attended Emerson.

Bringing clarity to communication and the arts

Tau Zaman

It’s a multifaceted goal: it means that SGA can better communicate with the student body, but more importantly it means that Emerson needs to do a better job of connecting with its students. The student body pays for 90% of the college’s revenue, yet the degree of influence our opinion exerts in Emerson’s decision-making process is disproportionately miniscule.

Don’t let your passion become a pit

Carly Loman / Beacon Staff

Work is not always going to be fun. But the reason we decided to pursue our passions instead of just getting a job that pays is supposed to be because we’ll enjoy it more. Don’t let your craft become just another job, because being a professional artist usually means less pay and more effort. If you don’t love it, there’s no point.