Fall 2021 issue 4

Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com

Thursday, September 23, 2021 • Volume 75, Issue 4

@berkeleybeacon // @beaconupdate

VMA Professor remembered for compassion Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

Pete Chvany’s three-decade tenure at Emerson was more than just an academic career—according to his son Alec Chvany ‘95, it was just the “third act” of a long life.

Chvany, a former professor and soccer coach, passed away at the age of 81 on Sept. 7, at his home in Somerville, Mass. An army veteran who graduated from Harvard University, he briefly taught at Boston University and Worcester State University before joining Emerson as a visual and media arts professor in 1988—a decision that would shape the rest of his life. “[Pete] made his most meaningful contributions to the world after he was 50,” Alec Chvany shared in a Facebook post. “He had to find that path, I remember him struggling to find it. It wasn’t inevitable.”

In his next three decades at the college, Chvany would become a full-time professor, the faculty advisor for several different organizations—Emerson Independent Video, Frames Per Second, and the EVVY Awards—a post-production manager for Digital Production Labs, all the while managing to coach Emerson’s men’s soccer team. During his time with the team, he was privileged to coach his two sons, Alec and Steve ‘93.

“He was a coach, teacher, mentor, a friend to hundreds of Emersonians,” said Interim President Bill Gilligan in a Sept. 15 email. “That’s really what he was, and of all the people who I worked with over my time in the administration, there’s nobody who had a more loyal following past graduation than Pete. That’s quite a legacy.”

Alec Chvany noted that his father’s shift to teaching was the start of a new chapter.

Professor, Pg. 3

Marijuana festival hits Boston Common Mariyam Quaisar & Bailey Allen Beacon Staff

Emerson students grabbed their stashes and lined Boston Common on Saturday, joining the crowds gathered for a fair of marijuana and cannabis-related paraphernalia.

The Boston Freedom Rally has been hosted by the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition since 1989. The fair, formerly known as “Hempfest,” had been hosted continuously until last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of in-person activities. This year, however, the organization ensured that the event would be held on Boston Common once again, allowing Boston citizens to come out in accordance with local guidelines.

“There were a lot of stoned people and a lot of people were lighting up a bong, just having fun,” said sophomore business of creative enterprises major Sabrina Carr. “The vibe was really nice. Everyone was really happy and chill and there wasn’t anything crazy or dangerous.”

Dotted with dozens of stands selling various items—marijuana, food, artwork, and more— Boston Common was transformed into a festival ground, fitted with a stage and a lineup of acts such as C-MILLZY and Brooke Andrade.

“I didn’t think it would be my kind of scene,” Carr said. “I expected there to be a lot of selling of different edibles and bongs—which was going on—but I didn’t expect there to be community activities like food trucks and t-shirts and crystals.”

Vendors at the rally cared more about the community and conversing with attendees than making money off of their products, said Devin Turcotte, also a sophomore business of creative enterprises major.

“Normally when you go to festivals like that, it’s just people trying to sell stuff to you,” Turcotte said. “But everybody was genuinely just open to talking, even if you weren’t buying anything,” Turcotte said.

Despite the abundance of marijuana products being sold, sophomore visual and media arts major Eli Fresco said that most vendors were adamant about not selling to underaged attendees.

Festival, Pg. 2

The Patamount marquee. Qiuyang Chen / Beacon Correspondent

First-year students face mandatory move out of Paramount Camilo Fonseca Beacon Staff

Four weeks into the fall semester, some students housed in the Paramount Center are being asked to move to new residences in the Little Building—despite the desires of many to stay right where they are.

Administrators notified students in the “Paramount Pod”—a small group of first-year and transfer students housed in the Washington Street residence hall—that they should expect to be moved to permanent lodging within the

next several weeks. Students will be relocated to the Little Building as spaces are made available, concentrating firsttime students in a single building closer to the nucleus of Emerson’s campus.

“Our hope is to complete all transitions within the next few months, housing all of our first-year Emersonians in one community,” read a Sept.

10 email from Housing and Residential Education.

The college chose to house the group of students in the Paramount as a temporary measure, according to Director of Housing & Residential Education Christie Anglade. The decision was made in response to the

size of the incoming class of 2025.

Emerson registered an unexpectedly strong enrollment of 1,060 first-year undergraduates, compared to 940 the previous year.

Anglade said students were notified of the housing situation over the summer, before moving in. However, many students felt that the college hadn’t adequately communicated the implications of the “Paramount Pod” to them— so when the Sep. 10 email reached the inbox of first-year interdisciplinary studies major Leila Minkara, it came as a complete surprise.

Men’s soccer triumphant in Charles River Cup

Emerson won the Charles River Cup. Emily McNally / Beacon Correspondent

Tyler Foy Beacon Staff The men’s soccer team won the annual battle for the Charles River Cup on Tuesday, defeating Lesley University four goals to none at Rotch Field—the seventh time the team has won the trophy.

Entering Tuesday’s game, the Lions were looking to rebound from a tough loss to Springfield in their first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference game this weekend. Head coach, Daniel Toulson, said the final score was not a reflection of that game and his team wanted to show a better level of play in the hotly anticipated

matchup against Lesley.

“That was the focus, not being too down on ourselves and just again focusing on the process,” Toulson said in a postgame interview. “We spoke a lot about having high standards and setting our standards regardless of the opposition we’re playing.”

Lesley University had lost their last six matches entering the contest and the Lions wanted to continue carrying a positive atmosphere into the Charles River Cup. “We just wanted to go out there, play as hard as we could, and just forget last week,” co-captain defender Darius Boamah said after the game.

Soccer, Pg. 8

Paramount, Pg. 3

INSIDE THIS EDITION

Emerson taps interim Provost Pg. 2 Students disappointed by board bucks change Pg. 3 Editorial: Loosen off-campus housing policy Pg. 4 Pro-life republicans are hypocrites Pg. 5 Alum releases debut single Pg. 7 Baseball team raises funds for Food Pantry Pg. 8

39

positive COVID-19 tests

.20% positivity rate

19,000+ tests completed

News

The Berkeley Beacon

September 23, 2021

2

Graduate dean tapped for provost job Camilo Fonseca Beacon Staff

Jan Roberts-Breslin, dean of graduate and professional studies, will take up the role of provost and vice president of academic affairs on an interim basis beginning in November, according to a Wednesday afternoon email from Interim President William Gilligan.

The appointment comes two weeks after the college announced the departure of the current chief academic officer, Michaele Whelan, who is slated to assume the presidency at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. Roberts-Breslin will fill Whelan’s role effective Nov. 13—a day after Whelan’s departure—until the college names a permanent provost.

“She is well positioned to continue the important work ahead of us this academic year, as planned for by Dr. Whelan and her talented team of deans, chairs, and academic affairs staff,” Gilligan wrote.

As one of Emerson’s twelve vice presidents, Roberts-Breslin will oversee the college’s academic and research programs, while managing faculty searches, promotions, and preparing for the college’s upcoming accreditation.

Per the email, she will also con-

Ansin Building of Emerson College. Hongyu Liu / Beacon Staff

Jan Roberts -Breslin will serve as the interim provost. Courtesy Emerson College tribute to Emerson’s Community Equity Action Plan, implemented by former president M. Lee Pelton to examine the college’s struc-

tures of oppression.

The email did not state how long Roberts-Breslin is expected to fill Whelan’s position, nor

whether she will continue in her role as dean of graduate and professional studies.

Roberts-Breslin could not be immediately reached for comment on Wednesday.

“It is expected that a search for the permanent position will be launched in accordance with the Faculty Handbook when a new President of Emerson College takes office,” wrote Gilligan.

Roberts-Breslin, who graduated from Temple University with a master’s in film, lectured at Seton Hall University before joining Emerson in 1990 as a professor in the visual and media arts department. She took the role of graduate studies dean on a provisional basis in 2014, after her predecessor abruptly retired—one of many interim administrators at the time.

Her appointment was made permanent in 2017—signalling her potential to be permanently con-

firmed as provost in the future.

As dean of graduate and professional studies, Roberts-Breslin also served as faculty assembly chair and founded Emerson’s MFA in Film and Media Art program.

Her work includes award-winning experimental video, as well as authorship of a prominent film studies textbook.

In a phone statement to The Beacon, Whelan spoke warmly of her successor and said that Roberts-Breslin was more than capable of the role.

“Jan has shown tremendous leadership and diplomacy,” Whelan said. “She has the trust of faculty and staff—particularly in academic affairs—so I think she will be a wonderful choice as my interim successor.”

camilo_fonseca@emerson.edu

Marijuana festival hits Boston Common Cont. from Pg. 1 “The first stand I walked up to was like, ‘You need to be 21 for any flower,’” he said.

For edibles, though, Fresco noted that the age was only 18.

The fun-loving atmosphere of the rally was paired with a diverse group of attendees, from a large variety of backgrounds and demographics.

“I saw a wide range of people,” Fresco said. “There were college kids, there were people with backwards hats with skateboards, there were older people, and there were super rich people. It was funny seeing the stoners from all walks of life in one place.”

Turcotte said events like Hempfest are helpful in promoting the cause of destigmatizing marijuana, which organizers said was a goal of Saturday’s event.

“If I walked in there and saw how calm and relaxed it was, and I normally wasn’t a smoker, I would rethink everything I thought badly

Mariyam Quaisar / Beacon Staff

Emerson College Police / Beacon Archives

Incident Journal:

Medical aid provided to two students, marijuana-like substance confiscated from MAX Cafe Hempfest on Boston Common. Mariyam Quaisar / Beacon Staff about it,” she said.

Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, though the drug is still illegal for individuals under 21. Outside the commonwealth, only 11 other states allow it for adult recreational use. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, more people were arrested for marijuana than all violent crimes in 2019—and Black people were seen to be 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites in 2018.

“No one should be incarcerated for possession of weed, and it’s been a huge problem—especially with race,” Carr said. “There was someone giving statistics about how many people have been incarcerated for possession of marijuana, and it was mindblowing the amount of people

of color that were incarcerated, versus the amount of white people.”

Many, such as Fresco, call for marijuana to become decriminalized—comparing it to the legal status that alcohol currently enjoys.

“It should be decriminalized,” Fresco said. “It’s not as harmful as alcohol and alcohol has been legal for a while. I think it’s a weird cultural thing and a way to fill up prisons.”

For Turcotte, the Freedom Rally was a learning experience.

“I am going to be starting the process soon to get my medical card,” she said. “It was really helpful and insightful being able to talk to so many people and learn so much more.” contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

The Emerson College Police Department provides the Incident Journal to The Beacon every week. Beacon staff edit the Incident Journal for style and clarity but not for content.

Monday, Sept. 13 ECPD reported to the Max Café and confiscated a small bag of a green herb-like substance consistent with marijuana, found in the cafe by a staff member.

Saturday, Sept.18 ECPD provided medical assistance to a resident student in need at the Little Building.

The individual received help from ECPD but did seek further medical attention at the end of the incident.

Saturday, Sept.18 ECPD responded to a call from the Piano Row Residence Hall, following a report of a student in need of medical assistance. The student received help from ECPD and did not seek further medical attention at the end of the incident. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon

September 23, 2021

3

Students dismayed at dining policy changes

Garbonzo Mediterranean Fresh. Qiuyang Chen / Beacon Correspondent

Blaze Pizza. Alec Klusza / Beacon Archives

Vivi Smilgius

Beacon Correspondent After a year of specialty sandwiches and made-to-order pizzas, Emerson students are once again relying on the dining center and other on-campus locales to feed themselves—and many aren’t happy about it.

The Beacon reported in August that the college would drastically curtail its Board Bucks policy for the 2021-22 academic year—though college officials did not release an official announcement until Sept. 21.

Board Bucks are a type of currency included in students’ meal plans.

The unpublicized shift eventually drew widespread backlash, as students realized their Board Bucks could no longer be used at off-campus locations, like Tatte Bakery & Cafe, El Jefe’s Taqueria, and Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh. Weeks

after the policy shift kicked in, many students are still dissatisfied with the change.

Sophomore Erik Melendez criticized the lack of transparency in the college’s announcement—saying that he didn’t find out until he tried to use Board Bucks at Blaze Pizza and was declined.

“There wasn’t enough accessibility to that information,” he said.

“When I went on the website, I didn’t see any changes.”

Melendez, like many students, said he missed having the option to dine off-campus without paying for it out of his own pocket.

Jordan Mackenzie, who serves as Emerson’s customer experience coordinator, said the dining alliance partnership— the formal name for last year’s policy that allowed Board Bucks to be accepted at nearby restaurants— was a temporary “emergency response” to the density restrictions

The Paramount Theater. Montse Landeros / Beacon Archives

Paramount first-years frustrated with relocation Cont. from Pg. 1 “My roommate was actually the one who told me, once the [Sept. 10] email was first sent out,” Minkara said, in an interview with The Beacon. “We both looked at each other in shock, we were in disbelief. It was very much out of nowhere.”

Minkara, like many of her peers, had been under the impression that because they had spent their first few weeks in Paramount—with little communication from the college—that Emerson had decided against, or simply forgotten about, moving them. After all, they were already settled in, going to class and getting to know their suitemates and neighbors.

“I remember they mentioned it in one of our [Resident Assistant] meetings,” Minkara said. “[They said] it would be ridiculous for us to have to move in the middle of the year—so it was very unexpected to get the email that it would be mandatory for us to move.”

Tomas Macasaet was conflicted

when he heard the news. He said he understood why the college would want to move the pod students—but also felt that it would be far too much of a hassle at this point in the semester.

“You don’t really get as many social interactions [living in Paramount],” Macasaet said. “My roommate feels the same way—all of our friends are in the Little Building. Not only is it a five minute commute every day, but also, like, ‘Where are my friends?’”

Macasaet, however, said he had grown accustomed to the positives of living in Paramount—the suites, the bathrooms, even the quiet—and that he wasn’t looking forward to having his living space taken away so abruptly.

“I’m not going to be happy about it,” he said. “It’s just going to be a pain in the ass to move all of my things to the Little Building, especially before the winter break.”

Since the beginning of the relocation process on Sept. 14, the college has not yet moved any students without them specifically requesting a room change first, according to Anglade. However,

brought on by the pandemic.

“Last year, we created the dining alliance partnership in response to the urgent need of providing resources for students,” Mackenzie said. “This year, because of the many changes and considerations like going back to full capacity on campus, we have the resources in order to provide what once was standard.”

Indeed, the current system—where students received $150 in board bucks, accepted only at on-campus dining locations—is essentially the same as that of the 2019-20 academic year. But the shift has left some students struggling to meet dining center times, manage their finances, or simply find food they want to eat.

Melendez noted that on-campus locations serve lots of fried food— particularly later in the evening after the Dining Center closes, when the only real meal swipe option is the Max Grill—while healthier options students who do not request a room change will likely be assigned to a random roommate in the Little Building— or even to a vacant room.

“We would have to get acclimated with our new roommates,” Macasaet said. “It’s definitely going to take a toll, physically and mentally. I know that sounds pretty dramatic, but we’re going to have to balance time between getting to know our roommates while we have schoolwork. It could be a lot.”

For those students electing not to request a change, the Housing and Residential Services department plans to individually provide new room assignments “as soon as possible.” Macasaet, though, remains skeptical that the college will be able to move all of the Paramount Pod students into the Little Building.

“The reason there are [first-years] in the Paramount is that, apparently, there’s no space in the Little Building,” he said. “But it seems as though Emerson is like, ‘Oh, we’ll just move people around.’ That doesn’t help—unless you expect freshman dropouts.”

Anglade reiterated that all students of the Paramount Pod would be moved to the Little Building over the course of the semester—though she did not detail how or when the spaces would become available.

For students facing imminent removal, the college’s approach to the entire issue has been less-than-forthcoming.

“There’s been no transparency whatsoever,” Minkara said. “For a communications school, they’ve done a poor job in the sense that they haven’t been really following up with any of their plans.”

“We don’t necessarily know when we’re gonna be moved in,” she added.

“At least having some sort of timeline would have been a little nice—but we’ve been given nothing. A single email telling us, ‘Eventually, you’re going to have to move out. Prepare yourself.’” camilo_fonseca@emerson.edu

can only be bought with board bucks.

“I don’t always want to be eating fried food,” said Melendez, “[But in all] the stores, everything is way overpriced, like the fresh fruit smoothies and stuff.”

With the dining center being the only option for healthy food that doesn’t cost board bucks, students are left paying inflated prices for healthier options at Emerson’s other dining locations.

Other students, like sophomore Kinsey Ogden, are not happy about having to rely on the meal swipes for all of their food. Despite the wide range of cuisines served at the dining center, Ogden said she struggles to find substantial vegetarian options.

“I’m not always super excited about the options at the [Dining Center], so I’d get a panini at Tatte or a pizza at Blaze,” said Ogden. “But now, it’s more difficult to figure out when [the Dining Center] will have stuff I like.”

Junior Hannah Glaser echoed Ogden’s sentiment, saying she enjoyed having other options for food—especially since she tries to keep Kosher.

“A lot of times I would look at the menu at the dining hall, nothing was interesting,” she said. “There were not a lot of options, protein-wise. It

was always pork.”

Glaser also pointed out that, with the increased reliance on meal swipes and the college’s return to a near-full-capacity campus this year, the dining hall is often crowded. At mealtimes, open booths are sparse and bar spaces are shoulder-to-shoulder—a scenario Glaser would rather avoid, as positive COVID-19 tests continue to crop up on campus.

With campus facilities restricted to lower capacities and the dining hall operating on a grab-and-go basis, last year’s policy change was a solution that gave students options while managing crowds, according to Mackenzie.

Mackenzie said Emerson’s dining services staff do their best to listen and respond to feedback—adding that both the gelato and all-day breakfast stations in the dining hall came as a result of student survey responses.

“Dining services is committed to gathering or taking feedback, as much or as little as that’s offered,” she said. “If there’s something that students want from a specific retailer on campus, if we can implement that, that’s always a commitment of ours.” camilo_fonseca@emerson.edu

Chvany was cherished coach,professor, friend

Pete Chvany. Courtesy Cont. from Pg. 1 “He was about 49 when he started teaching part-time and coaching,” he wrote. “He was essentially done with parenting his own ‘kids’ as full dependents and would no longer be an independent film-maker himself. If Pete had an impact on your life by way of his time at Emerson, consider that teaching was a recalibration.”

He also was considered a prominent figure around campus. Gilligan credited Chvany with becoming a “staple of campus tours with prospective students and parents”—something that would be remembered by students like Kate Sedrowski ‘03.

“He was my first introduction to Emerson,” Sedrowski said in an interview. “I knew I was going [to Emerson] before my campus tour, but he kind of solidified that it was definitely the right place for me.”

Sedrowski recounted visiting the college’s television studios, where the studio manager told her to go meet Chvany at the production labs.

“From day one at Emerson, I learned that he was the person to know, and I couldn’t be more grateful that he was a part of my life.”

Along with leading campus tours, Chvany was deeply involved in Emerson athletics; he helped revive the Lions men’s soccer team and worked to create the women’s team. Chvany also worked

as an advisor to the EVVYs—touching students like Candice Thompson ‘09 with his generosity.

“One day when I was running around at some EVVY-related event, he stopped and stood across from me,” Thompson said. “He took the time to recognize and appreciate how hard I was working. It meant the world to me. I think of him every time I coil cable.”

Indeed, many students considered Chvany as something more than a coach, a professor, or any other hat he wore. For Sedrowski, he was her mentor—though she said he surpassed that title—and one of her biggest supporters.

“He encouraged me in so many ways that I could recognize at the time and then ways I didn’t even recognize until later,” she said. “He supported women, which for a white man of that era to have such support and encouragement for women in a generally pretty male-dominated industry was really special.”

Chvany was honored by the college in 2010 when a scholarship in his name was created to shed light on his “ability to nurture students, foster potential, and push for excellence,” according to Gilligan.

He leaves behind three sons, Alec, Stephen, and Peter, and lives on in the memories of the many he touched with his kindness and generosity. frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

Opinion

The Berkeley Beacon

while alternative.

There is a reason that 66 percent of college students in Boston live off-campus, and understandably so. However, Emerson houses 88.7 percent of their undergraduate students. To combat the steep financial costs, Emerson should let students move off campus at any point in their academic careers.

Yes, living on your college campus allows easier access to campus facilities, classes, and organizations; however, students are trying every possible option to find a way out of housing and the “benefits’’ that this housing policy provides.

As much as the administration would like to believe, feeling a sense of community doesn’t matter when you’re trying to find any way out of an insufferable amount of debt. Emerson needs to reevaluate their residency requirement policy based on the financial needs of their students, and they are clearly failing to do so.

moments, allow trauma to become a sole personality trait.

Don’t get me wrong, I know how this sounds. I encourage people to not feel ashamed of the baggage they carry, and I, too, carry my own. But when we blur the line between open, effective, and honest communication to out-of-pocket discourse on very serious issues, I become hesitant.

I was at a social gathering recently, and a young lady whom I have never met very clearly sober came up to me. Within minutes of our introduction, she tells me she has severe PTSD due to her being a victim of a school shooting. I did not ask nor was I prepared to hear that, but still she gave me

this heavy piece of information and access to a very vulnerable part of her. I wondered, “What if someone around me is also a victim of a school shooting?”

And then, in my horror, I thought, “What if they overhear?”

It is a given that people don’t always think before they speak.

However, if in the same breath that you advocate for mental illness you are also trauma dumping, then you are a part of the problem.

It has become a trend to talk about very serious, and in this case very traumatic, issues and make them a funny conversation starter. That does little to nothing for those who need, and want, to get better and learn how to cope with their trauma.

Mental health centers like Avalon Malibu tell us that venting and dumping both fulfill the goal of expressing our overwhelming anger or frustration, but accomplish it in different ways. Venting is the healthy outlet for relieving these feelings where the person who is venting doesn’t have a victim mindset. Even if they are a victim, their goal isn’t to assert blame onto anyone. When we vent, we acknowledge our role in the issue as well as other people’s perspectives. Most importantly, venting allows for the possibility of solving the problem.

Dumping, however, is much more toxic than venting. Normally, the person receiving the emotional dumping walks away feeling overwhelmed. Unlike venting, the person who is dumping has a victim mindset. They put

all the blame on others, show no accountability, and rarely consider other people’s perspectives.

Overall, trauma dumpers are not interested in solutions to resolving the issue, and, doing so does not respect time or boundaries.

You don’t know who can handle the information you are telling them, especially if they are people you do not know very well. However, what is even more concerning is that these behaviors and attitudes almost work as an excuse to not seek real help and simply make your trauma a distinct personality trait.

On top of that, I understand that those who suffer from their mental health do not always have the strength to get help. I believe that this should be blamed on institutions and, in many cases, parents who do little to treat the effects of serious traumatic events on their children. Doing so leads people to seek validation elsewhere, creating an environment of toxic oversharing instead of professional help or even effective methods of communication with peers.

Nevertheless, we cannot continue to foster these environments without at least considering their consequences.

I understand that trauma is a part of who we are, and for a lot of us, it’s an experience we live with daily. However, it is not a singular defining factor, and should not be treated as such.

© 2021 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

Editor-in-Chief Charlie McKenna

Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy)

Managing Editors Lucia Thorne (Content) Hongyu Liu (Multimedia) Campbell Parrish (Operations)

Advisor Jerry Lanson

Section Editors Camilo Fonseca (News) Mariyam Quaisar (Living Arts) Shannon Garrido (Opinion)

(617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Editorial: Emerson should let students move off-campus sooner Since fall of 2017, Emerson has mandated that all students entering the college live on campus for their fist six semesters, with very few exceptions granted.

Living on campus can be one of the most significant factors in draining a college student’s finances. With a nearly $20,000 a year price tag, many Emerson students have taken extreme measures to get out of the housing requirement, some even going as far as obtaining domestic partnerships.

Living on Emerson’s campus can, and has, become such a financial burden for so many, so why is it a requirement for students who are already paying so much in tuition? And, if it remains a requirement, why won’t the college make it affordable?

According to College Factual, the average price adjustment for Emerson’s room and board costs the past five years is 3.4 percent, compared to a nationwide average change of 2.4 percent. This is the average price adjustment since the six semester housing requirement went into effect. Based on this average, incoming first-years for the 2022 school year can expect to spend around $25,396 for room, board, and other costs.

According to the Washington Post, most universities claim to want students on campus so they can immerse themselves deeply in school activities. It could be argued that, in all seriousness, students shouldn’t have to pay thousands of dollars a year to feel encouraged to attend clubs and organizations on campus. Unfortunately, the risk is

4

overwhelming list of financial burdens that college students face.

Rent in Boston is admittedly expensive, averaging $2,450 a month for a one bedroom apartment—but students living off campus can split the costs with roommates. There are also more affordable options when you move further from the downtown Boston area into areas like East Boston and Allston.

On-campus students pay Emerson $9,822 per semester to live in a single room on-campus. That averages out to $2,806/a month for the three and a half months students live on campus. Now, consider the fact that a double room costs $9,572 per student — effectively making it $19,144 for three and a half months of dorm life, or $5,469 a month. That’s $2,734 per student. The average two bedroom apartment costs $2,800, or $1,400 per bedroom.

Sure, living on campus does come with some perks. It’s a great place to learn how to live on your own for the first time. You live in the same building or block as many of your friends, you’re close to your classes, and you’re in the middle of Boston with great access to the city’s culture. But the sense of community that living on campus can provide is not worth the price tag.

Living off campus has its downsides. Commuting to class is frustrating—especially with the litany of delays on the MBTA, and having to pay for groceries and utilities can add up. But, the additional freedoms coming with off campus living (having a kitchen chief among them) makes it a worth-

The Little Building. Alec Klusza / Beacon Archives

Editorial

September 23, 2021

not worth the “reward.”

The suggestion that students aren’t already inclined to join academic activities without the incentive supposedly provided by living on campus is ridiculous. Because if it were true then they are probably not smart enough to take out thousands of dollars in student loans to pay for it either.

Approximately 52 percent of Emerson students take out loans averaging at $12,481 a year, adding up to $49,924 over four years, according to College Factual. The average Emerson student’s level of debt is close to the average salary of students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree, which is about $46,600 a year.

If we could choose to live off campus, debt caused by room and board could be checked off of the already

The Berkeley Beacon Editorial Board is the voice of the student newspaper that looks to serve the Emerson College community with thoughtful insight into ongoings and occurrences affecting their everyday lives. The board’s positions are determined by its members. The board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editors, and opinion editors. The opinions expressed by the Editorial Board do not impact the paper’s coverage. You can respond to a position brought forward by The Beacon Editorial Board in the form of a Letter to The Editor by email: Letters@BerkeleyBeacon.

Stop trauma dumping on your friends and strangers Shannon Garrido Beacon Staff

There is something that I have noticed in my youth — a lack of consideration. Young adults are ready to jump at any opportunity to tell the world why we feel bad, without stopping to think about the effect it may have—a phenomenon known as “trauma dumping.”

As a child raised on the internet, I understand and adore the mental health movement. From it, I find comfort in knowing that at least among many of my peers, my mental health struggles are valid and seen.

The conversations around mental health in my growing years have changed so much since 2014 when it felt as though, for the first time, it was a more acceptable conversation on the internet. Since then, what was starting to become an open and honest environment surrounding mental health, is starting to look like an open door for people to dump their trauma on each other as a means of communication.

Although trauma dumping is a phenomenon most commonly seen on the internet, it can be defined as an instant in which someone is abruptly oversharing their traumatic experiences in a manner that may feel toxic and self-victimizing. It is a behavior that has become heavily normalized online, where we see people opening up about serious issues with the intention of raising awareness.

This quickly catapults into people making jokes about unhealthy eating habits or suicidal thoughts.

Constantly dumping your trauma can become triggering to those around you and it promotes unhealthy coping mechanisms.

There are so many days that I find myself scrolling through TikTok finding video after video where young adults, and sometimes younger kids, use popular sounds and trends to vocalize their trauma while negative and unhelp-

Pixabay License ful comments flood the comments sections. As of Apr. 15, 2021, 25 percent of users on the app were around the age of 10 to 19. These users are some of the main contributors to the normalization of trauma dumping.

A research paper by Nursing Open suggests that the ages of 1218 and 19-24 are the most impressionable, a fact that helps explain the trauma dumping phenomenon.

When young adults see creators, or even friends, open up and share their problems and negative feelings on social media they take it as an opportunity to have free reign to add onto that with their own. Too often this causes people to feel invalidated because it gives the idea that their problems aren’t as significant as others.

As inappropriate as trauma dumping is on the internet, it’s much more harmful in real day to day conversations.

I feel people are too comfortable confiding in strangers, and even their closest friends on their issues. They use them as conversation starters, and, in many

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shannon_garrido@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

September 23, 2021

5

A year without Jenna Marbles Kaitlyn Fehr Beacon Staff It’s Virgo season, beech, and Jenna Marbles is nowhere to be found.

Over a year has passed since Jenna Marbles left YouTube, and as we pass her 35th birthday on Sept. 15, the internet misses its favorite Virgo.

YouTube as a whole has seen the departure of many of its original creators in the past couple years. The platform feels completely different now from how it felt when I was a kid—it seems like every major YouTuber from my childhood has been chased off the platform in disgrace. Honestly, Jenna Marbles is the only one I want back, but I don’t know that she will ever come back to YouTube.

Marbles, born as Jenna Mourey, posted her first video to YouTube in 2010. The two-minute video features her chihuahua Marbles—the dog she named her channel after. For the next decade of Jenna’s content, Marbles, and Jenna’s other dogs Kermit, Peach, and later Bunny, were a staple

on the channel.

Unlike today’s generation of YouTubers who join the platform specifically to become famous, Marbles joined the platform purely to use it as a video hosting site. In college, Marbles discovered iMovie, but quickly realized she had no way to export or share videos. YouTube gave her a way to share those videos with her friends. The authenticity of uploading videos for her friends never left her content.

Marbles rose to fame after posting her first viral video “How to trick people into thinking you’re good looking,” in 2010. The 240p video sits at over 70 million views today.

By today’s standards, the video is undeniably offensive. But in 2010, when controversial creators like Shane Dawson and Onision ruled the platform, Marbles joking about wearing “whore” makeup and wasting her master’s degree by working as a go-go dancer was hilarious.

Over time, Marbles’ content evolved away from the offensive

Former YouTuber Jenna Marbles / Courtesy

Sabine Waldeck Beacon Staff With abortion rights once again at risk, it seems “personal freedom” is only justified in the eyes of pro-life Republicans when it comes to their right to not wear a mask or opt-out of a life-saving vaccine, and not women’s abilities to decide their future.

As of Sept. 1, the state of Texas banned abortions after an embryonic heartbeat can be detected, which is usually six weeks into a pregnancy. Besides the absurdity and appalling nature of the law taking effect, the mere hypocrisy is overwhelming.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, so did the whining from anti-maskers. In order to control the spread of the virus people were asked to wear masks to protect one another. This was too large an ask for a bulk of Republicans, not wanting to be “uncomfortable” under a layer of fabric.

Those who refused to wear a mask turned into those who refused to get vaccinated. The justification for both was the right to choose what they do with their bodies.

This argument sounds familiar.

There have been 665,000 COVID-19 related deaths to date.

The best way to prevent these deaths is to either wear a mask or get vaccinated, preferably both.

Due to the lack of either precaution

and edgy 2000s humor into ridiculous videos that only she could have thought of. Videos like “Camouflaging Myself Into A Chair,” “I Turned My Hair Into A Hot Wheels Track,” and “Corn on the Cob But Instead of the Corn Bone It’s A Hotdog” were so clearly videos that she just wanted to make because she couldn’t get the idea out of her head.

Marbles’ videos regularly amassed millions of views, and she had a dedicated fanbase that loved her, her partner Julien Solomita, and their pack of dogs. As a long-time fan of Marbles, she really helped me get through some of my worst struggles with mental illness. Her videos always made me laugh even when nothing else could.

And then on June 25, 2020, Jenna Marbles uploaded her last video to YouTube. Titled “A Message,” Marbles details her problematic past, and addresses people who called her out for her previous wrongdoings.

In the 11-minute video, Marbles addresses many offensive things from her past, including blackface, racism, and slut-shaming. As a white woman, I can’t sit here and forgive Marbles for any of it, but I can talk about what made her apology different from others.

Marbles was not the first to use the term “accountability” in a YouTube apology, but she may have been the first one to actually mean it. Marbles explained how she left the offensive videos up for so long in order to show how much she’s grown as a person, but she now understands that leaving them up does more harm than good.

Marbles also recognized that impact matters more than intent, and that if she could not remain on YouTube without causing harm, she would have to leave the platform.

Throughout the video, Marbles explains why she did some of the things she did, but she never tries to make excuses. She owns up to the fact that “there’s things in [her] past [she’s] not proud of.”

Marbles also apologized for issues she hasn’t even been called out on yet, wanting to get everything out in the open.

At the end of the video, Marbles announces that she’s leaving the channel, citing that she doesn’t want

to put content out there that could hurt anyone and that she just needs to take a step back. Marbles ends by saying she doesn’t know when or if she’s ever coming back.

Marbles’ apology stood out from other apology videos on the platform because it was clear that she felt genuinely sorry, and she acknowledged that you can’t really stop hurting people while continuing to profit off the successes of your past mistakes.

But when Shane Dawson, who was called out for his offensive content in the past, followed Marbles’ lead and posted an apology video days later, he made the mistake that Marbles avoided. Marbles owned up to her past mistakes, called them out individually and showed the clips, and removed herself from the internet to take accountability. Dawson apologized as an umbrella term, acted like he and his previous self were two completely different people, and continued to post on social media.

As someone who watched Marbles for the better part of a decade, it was clear to see that she had changed over the years. She no longer posted offensive content and had already apologized for it time and time again.

Her new content was wholesome and gave people an escape from their dayto-day life.

Over a year later, Marbles has now ended her podcast, deleted her Instagram, deleted her Twitter, and has posted no new videos to YouTube.

The only updates we get on Marbles are through her partner Solomita, who announced in April that the couple was engaged.

Marbles’ continued absence from the internet sets her apart from other “canceled” YouTubers like Dawson, James Charles, Jake Paul, and David Dobrik because she actually left the platform. Every other YouTuber has eventually come back, or is currently promising to upload again soon.

Coming back to their respective platforms after lackluster apologies leaves viewers feeling that they didn’t really mean anything they said.

Tana Mongeau is yet another example of apologizing and continuing to do the same things. Mongeau has apologized multiple times over for her past racism, but continues to have more racist scandals as she continues

The Hypocrisy of Choice in Texas

Courtesy being taken with enough regularity in the state, it is obvious that the politicians in Texas care more about the lives of the unborn than their neighbors.

If wearing a mask could save a life it is safe to assume that those who use the title pro-life would be on board. The reason this has not been the case is that pro-life is an undercover term for anti-choice. It has never been about saving lives, or there would have been more effort into advocating for COVID prevention.

The anti-mask/anti-vax fight was never about how people should have control over their bodies. If it was then they would

never have signed a law that tells someone what they cannot do with their body—that would be against what they believe in.

“My Body My Choice” is usually chanted by people wearing pink cat hats at women’s marches and pro-choice rallies. Now, the phrase has been re-used, creating a paradox of the once empowering statement.

Anti-vaxxers have been using “my body my choice” as a means to justify not getting the COVID-19 vaccine—once again showing a group of people stealing something created by and for women and claiming it as their own.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot, who signed the abortion law into effect, recently banned government mandates of the vaccine, standing firmly on a person’s right to choose if they want to receive the vaccine or not. The irony is palpable.

Due to the increase in Republicans speaking out about having “autonomy” over their bodies, it is not outrageous to assume that maybe they finally understand the sentiment behind “my body my choice.”

Yet, that type of logical thinking is a fantasy.

If it is not clear by now, lawmakers in Texas care about being

to exist online.

Marbles’ apology and exit from the internet still stands over a year later as the most credible attempt at accountability any YouTuber has taken.

I see it all the time on TikTok and Twitter, but people to this day still hope and pray that Jenna will come back. All of us feel the hole left by her absence; by the lack of new uploads every Wednesday-slash-Thursday.

I’ve begun to fill the hole with YouTubers like Strange Aeons, Micarah Tewers, and BrandiTV. They all make the kind of content that Marbles did, where it’s clear they’re posting what they genuinely enjoy doing. Watching Strange Aeons long-ify a Furby is one of the only things to make me laugh as hard as Marbles’ videos did.

Sometimes, on days when I’m really sad and other creators won’t fill the hole, I’ll sit in my bed and scroll through Jenna Marbles’ YouTube page. I click on videos at random and reminisce like I’m visiting an old friend—parasocial relationship be damned. The reuploads of “A Message,” lurk on the side, reminding me that the era of YouTube I grew up with is dead.

Maybe Marbles’ is right in saying that her returning to YouTube would cause more harm, and maybe she’s not. The truth is that we’ll probably never know.

Honestly, Marbles returning to YouTube like nothing ever happened would undermine her apology. In “A Message,” Marbles talks at length about how she can’t keep posting on a channel that has ever hurt people. If she returns to the channel, it’ll look like she doesn’t care about hurting people anymore.

On the day of her birthday, Jenna Marbles trended on Twitter with the caption, “Fans wish former YouTuber Jenna Marbles a happy birthday.”

Clearly, fans miss her presence on the internet.

Wherever Jenna Marbles is, whatever she’s doing, all I can hope is that she’s having a good time and enjoying being a “35-year-old-lady.”

She deserves it after everything she’s done for all of us. kaitlyn_fehr@emerson.edu

able to control what goes in and out of their bodies, and the bodies of the women.

Somehow, Republicans have convinced themselves that when they have to wear a mask it infringes more on their freedoms than when they tell women what they are and are not allowed to do with their unborn child.

The self-proclaimed pro-lifers want to be the saviors of unborn children. They want to protect fetuses at all costs. This determination for saving lives has been missing during the pandemic.

Their fight is and always has been selfish and stubborn. It is about comfort, and not wanting to sacrifice theirs for the wellbeing of others. It is about not understanding and doing nothing to educate themselves. It is about blindly following the man to their left and agreeing he should have the right to choose, while the woman to their right should not.

The Texas abortion ban was put in place by the same people who argued that the constitution protects them from wearing a mask.

To those politicians, I say outlawing abortions after six weeks is what it looks like to have your freedoms taken away. This is what it looks like to have your constitutional rights violated. sabine_waldeck@emerson.edu

Living Arts

Amanda Richards ‘10 and Denise Steinberg ‘82 worked on the “Fantasy Island Reboot.” Karissa Schaefer / Beacon Staff

Emerson alums help create ‘Fantasy Island’ reboot Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Two Emerson alumni—who graduated the college nearly 30 years apart—found themselves collaborating in Sony’s casting department to bring Fox’s reboot of the 1970s show “Fantasy Island” to life.

While working at a talent agency, Amanda Richards ‘10 saw Dawn Steinberg ‘82 in a promotional video for Emerson’s Los Angeles campus. Knowing she dreamt of working in casting, Richards emailed Steinberg for advice. A month later, Richards became Steinberg’s assistant.

“It’s just so important for anyone at Emerson to realize we have such a strong alumni network, never be afraid to just ask,” Richards said.

Now, at Sony the duo worked to cast the show, which Steinberg described as ranging from fun to camp. She emphasized the impressive job writers are doing at creating fully three-dimensional characters.

Dubbed the “queen of cast-

ing” by her colleagues, Steinberg paved her career at Emerson as a mass communications major. She has now shifted into domestic and international casting as the Executive Vice President of Talent and Casting for Sony Pictures Television. Richards graduated as a double major in marketing and theater and performance, and became Steinberg’s assistant in 2013. She is now the Executive Director of Sony Pictures Television Studios and Casting.

Since Emerson doesn’t have a casting major, Steinberg took up a producing role, which is usually given to theater students, for a spring show because of her love for theater.

“I was a mass comm major, but I also had a love for theater,” Steinberg said. “I was the very first mass comm major to produce the spring drama festival. They had never done that.”

Like the original “Fantasy Island,” the reboot takes place at a luxury resort where guests with deep desires watch all their dreams come true. The show is one of Sony’s several intellectu-

al properties, meaning they have ownership of the title.

With the copious amounts of reboots recently—like “Gossip Girl,” “Cobra Kai”, and “iCarly”—Steinberg knew a popular title alone wouldn’t get enough attention.

Since decades have passed since the show originally aired, “Fantasy Island” needed to evolve with modern day norms. Richards said Sony doesn’t make a reboot just to mean nothing, but rather because they’re enthusiastic about the project.

“We need to have producers or writers that have a different take on something or they’re bringing relevance to it or making it timely for today,” Richards said.

Showrunners Liz Craft and Sarah Fain approached Sony with an interesting take on “Fantasy Island.” The creators wanted to keep a similar concept, but revive it in a unique way, doing so by writing about societal issues.

“You may look at the first episode about a woman wanting to eat, but at the heart of it, it’s a woman with body issues,” said

The Berkeley Beacon

Steinberg. “One of our lead characters came to the island because she was dying of cancer. That also brings up other medical issues in women.”

Richards said a particularly interesting episode involved a character wanting to be in a storybook because they didn’t want to live in reality.

“It’s a really interesting look inside people who aren’t really living in reality, they’re looking at a fantasy already,” Richards said.

“It kinda speaks to anyone who’s an artist or a storyteller.”

Steinberg related this concept to the pandemic, with people wanting to get away as uncertainty and fear flooded the world.

“Wanting to get out of the space that you’re in and live in a fantasy, was a really ingenious thing,” Steinberg said.

Though fond of the original, Sony focused on new and better ideas when producing the reboot.

“In today’s day and age, one of the big things for all of us was having two women at the forefront, as opposed to the two men who initially were the stars of the show,” Steinberg said.

The show stars Roselyn Sanchez as Elena Roarke and Kiara Barnes as Ruby Akuda. Elena is the grand niece of Mr. Roarke, the owner of the island in the original show. Kiara acts as her assistant, emulating the role of Tattoo, the original assistant.

“How do you improve something and make it different?”

Steinberg said. “It really stemmed from the producers having a take, to Sony liking the take, to going out and selling it to landing in the hands of casting people. We have to work with them to make it special, so that’s what we did.”

Both Steinberg and Richards praised the writers for carefully constructing three-dimensional characters in the eight episode series. “Fantasy Island” is currently on Hulu and Fox Now. For students interested in going into casting, Richards recommends Googling the Casting Society of America, which has a training program. Steinberg emphasized keeping up with the entertainment world—watching shows or movies, going to a theater, tracking an actor’s performances—to start a career in casting.

September 23, 2021

6

“Help people cast student films,” Steinberg said. “If you have a friend who’s written a script and they’re going to cast it, be like ‘Oh, I know this person.’

Help them do that.”

Steinberg and Richards said they are fond of meeting fellow Emersonians due to shared qualities like odd senses of humor, passion, and talent.

“We always joked that it was the place we were all meant to end up,” Steinberg said. “Emersonians have a tendency to just go ‘Oh, you need somebody to do that, I’ll do it.’ There’s no entitlement because we’re used to working on everything, I find that to be a key gift among Emersonians that they’re all just willing to get the job done.”

Richards said Emersonians’ hard work translates from the classroom to Hollywood as they balance their career-driven goals with having fun.

“We know that if you hire an Emersonian, it’s gonna be someone that cares and that’s a huge part of getting something done because there’s so many times that people don’t work out because they don’t care, and Emersonians care,” Richards said.

Emerson not only specializes in teaching the arts, but also effectively teaches young adults how to communicate properly. Steinberg and Richards both agree there’s a noticeable difference in how Emerson alums interact compared to other employees in the industry.

Richards first noticed this while working with Steinberg.

“Nothing was ever a chore, things were simple and even if we were in a challenging moment, [Steinberg] kept things communicative and made sure that things got done in a short way,” Richards said. “We use [skills we learned at Emerson] everyday and I see it in us because we can communicate in ways that other people can’t.”

Steinberg said Emerson enabled her to develop the ability to work with all sorts of different people.

“Because [Emerson] was such a huge melting pot, you learn how to work with people even if you aren’t gonna be their best friends,” Steinberg said. karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu

‘Get On Your Knees’ will have you standing on your feet Campbell Parish Beacon Staff After 18 months of not attending in-person performances, I’m glad that Jaqueline Novak was the one who welcomed me back for my first in-person show.

“Get On Your Knees,” Novak’s one-woman show was a hilarious and lively story about her relationship with blowjobs. Yup, you heard that right. As an audience member, I had the opportunity to grow up alongside her as she goes deeper into the world of a good blowjob. The show was funny yet personal, as if I was openly chatting with a friend.

During the shows at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts from Sept.

7-19, Novak reveals components of her unique blowjob experiences. The material itself is humorous in a clever, thought-out way, and Novak is a gifted storyteller who will leave you giggling to yourself about a good ol’ penis joke.

Courtesy Jacqueline Novak Novak’s show was an electrifying tale about what it’s like to be a woman and the stereotypes we all inherently grow up with.

We aren’t always aware of these pressures and stereotypes,

but Novak exposes them and pulls them apart.

I felt that with each blow job or penis joke, her humor became more and more sophisticated, and there is nothing more comical than making fun of dicks and cocks in the same eloquent language in which you would speak with your parents.

After only seeing comedy specials on Netflix from the comfort of my bed, it was refreshing to see an in-person performance with an audience. There is something so unique about live comedy. It has the power to unite a group of people, which is what Novak succeeded in.

Each joke layered to add a new wave of chuckles and giggles from the audience. This show reminded me of what I missed most about in-person performances—the people. Hearing the laughs around me and watching Novak’s face lighting up with each giggle, it warmed my heart.

Listening to Novak was like listening to your older sister recount

Courtesy Jacqueline Novak her first blow job experience. Novak is the big sister we all need, and her show was a refreshing breath of relatability and humor.

I wouldn’t have wanted any other performer to greet me on stage after so long since viewing my last in-person performance. Novak

closed the show with “it’s lonely at the top,” as she is the selfcrowned blow-job queen.

All I have to say is that’s queen shit. campbell_parish@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

September 23, 2021

7

Alum begins music career with release of new single ‘Here’ Sophia Pargas Beacon Correspondent Trent Cole ‘18 has loved music for as long as he can remember. It’s that passion that drove him to release his debut pop single “Here” last week, a song about coming to terms with and moving on from heartbreak.

“It’s so cheesy, but I was singing and humming before I could talk,” Cole said in an interview. “Music has been a huge love of mine my whole life, and I always really wanted to be involved with it in any way I could be.”

Cole spent much of his youth finding new ways to incorporate music into his everyday life, which led him to become a musical theater major at Emerson. At college, he narrowed his love for the field down even further and began his journey as a songwriter.

“I did [musical theater] throughout my whole childhood,” Cole said. “Right around my sophomore year, I realized that I loved acting and loved singing but didn’t necessarily love them together. After that, I started devoting a lot of my time to learning and loving pop music. I started getting inspired by different things and writing songs of my own.”

Even despite his newfound interest in writing and creating music, it took graduating for Cole to realize that he had the capability to do what he truly loved.

“I eventually realized how much I wanted to dive headfirst into pursuing music,” Cole said. “It was a dream of mine for my whole life, but something I never really thought I could succeed in and actually do. I always just had it on the back burner, but I eventually decid-

Trent Cole ‘18’s single “Here” was released last week. Courtesy Trent Cole ed I just needed to go for it. From there, I started seriously writing and seriously putting myself out there as an artist.”

While he had harbored a dream of creating music for many years, Cole never found the right opportunity to begin doing so, always having to prioritize other things such as auditions and work. The pandemic acted as a catalyst for Cole’s music career, giving him the time and space necessary to explore songwriting in a way he couldn’t before.

“Since the very beginning of the pandemic, I began focusing a lot on music, songwriting, and getting my work produced and out into the

world,” Cole said. “The cool thing about it was that it gave me a lot of time to play around with song ideas, grow as a songwriter, and work on my voice. It’s given me almost two years where the main thing I’ve been able to pursue is my music.”

With the forced isolation of the pandemic Cole was able to work on his songwriting unobstructed, a process he said was guided by his creativity and imagination.

“One morning, I just had a chord progression come into my head and I ran to the piano and the lyrics kind of just fell out; it was like I had just vomited it up,” Cole said.

“For me, these are the most incred-

ible songwriting moments, when they just flow so easily that it’s almost like magic.”

For Cole, “Here” is in many ways a representation of who he was during the pandemic and his road to becoming a better version of himself. The song came naturally as part of his healing process during a difficult time.

“When I wrote the song in summer 2020, I had just come home from a mental health treatment facility and was in a very vulnerable place in my life,” Cole said.

“Writing the song was an extremely cathartic, healing moment for me. This song was kind of the light at the end of the tunnel; it was this feeling that I could take my sadness and process that into art which I could share with the world and help them overcome their own pains.”

With the help of his close friend and experienced musician Andrew Schartmann, the song shifted from an idea to reality. Schartmann aided Cole in developing the harmonic sound, which would become the foundation of the song.

“The most fulfilling part was taking something that already had a very strong creative spark and helping someone with clear artistic talent hone their idea,” Schartmann said. “The whole process is ok like trying to discover the end product, but it’s already there waiting to be found. You just have to chip away at yourself there, and that process is very gratifying.”

Over the course of a year, Cole worked vigorously to write, record, and produce the song until he developed a finished product that was ready to be shared with the world.

“That moment when it really sounds like a song, like a finished track, is so magical,” Cole said.

“Every moment is special in its own right—from writing it, to recording it, and all the tiny moments in between. That first glimpse though, when it really starts to sound like something real, that was the most fulfilling moment for me.”

After completing his debut sin-

gle, Cole could finally sigh a breath of relief and enjoy the piece of art he brought to life.

“The number one thing I’m excited about is just it being out, as simple as that is,” Cole said. “I wanted to release it in the new year, and then I wanted to release it in the spring, and then the summer, and now it’s practically fall and it’s just coming out. I’m just so excited for it to be out because I’ve been so stuck on this project that it’s been hard to move onto other ones.”

Now that the song is out to stream on all platforms, Cole hopes it will serve as the first step of many to garnering a fan base for his EP, which is currently in the works.

“I would love to watch my music and those who listen to it continue to grow,” Cole said. “It would be amazing if the song went viral tomorrow, but there’s no longevity in that. If I could just see myself steadily grow and gather a richer support base and make more connections and get more music out there, I’d be really excited to see that happen.”

With the release of the song, Cole hopes that “Here” will reach those who need it the most, and will resonate with the message of finding hope within the darkness.

“There’s a theme of these are my faults and these are things that I’ve struggled with and things that I’m heartbroken about, but that’s not the focus,” Cole said. “At the end of the day, I think the song has a really uplifting message, and I hope it soothes people’s hearts in the way it has mine.”

Cole urged anyone who might be resisting pursuing their dreams to take the plunge.

“If there’s a passion burning inside you, you have to let it free,” Cole said. “I’ve wanted to pursue music my whole life, and it wasn’t until I said ‘screw it’ and just went for it that I finally felt like that passion had done what it needed to.” sophia_pargas@emerson.edu

Alumnae band ‘Bulletin’ ready to release their debut album Dionna Santucci Beacon Correspondent Boston-based rock band Bulletin, formed by two Emerson alums in 2015, is set to release their debut album, “Hiding to Nothing,” on Oct. 1.

The idea for Bulletin came about when John Young ‘08, was working as a tour guide for a sight-seeing trolley company on Long Wharf in 2015. There, he met Berklee College of Music graduate, Matt Powell, who he bonded with instantly.

“Each of us had musical backgrounds, but we’d never collaborated,” Young, a visual media arts major, said. “I was looking for a rehearsal space and Matt invited me into his. We started working on some of the new songs he was writing and both agreed that we should get some other musician friends of ours involved.”

The band expanded quickly. Jon Hoffman ‘06, a writing, literature, and publishing, and new media production double major, joined the band after hearing about it from Young and Powell.

“I immediately signed up to start playing once I heard the initial demos,” Hoffman said. “I was already a fan of Matt’s other projects and John had been my go-to drummer to jam with for about 4 years or so at that point.”

“I experienced an electric chemistry between us,” he continued. “We just hit it off.”

Bulletin consists of four members — Hoffman, Young, Powell, and Dave Khostinat. Khostinat joined the band not long after Bulletin came to be.

Powell acts as a multi-instrumentalist along with Khoshtinat, a former member of the punk band, SuperVolcano, who Powell splits lead vocals with. Young plays drums for the band and Hoffman plays guitar.

Powell and Khoshtinat also serve as

Bulletin’s primary songwriters.

“Matt and Dave are fantastic songwriters and it’s always exciting to get in the same room with these guys and start jamming and writing,” Hoffman said.

It’s that same excitement that the band hopes will shine through on “Hiding to Nothing,” Bulletin’s first project since their 2017 EP “Not From Here But I Call This Home.” The band’s members said the album is a coalescence of their lives— their day jobs, their families, the passion each member has for music, and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s really a reflection of the times we’ve been going through since writing the songs together during pre-COVID times and during the whole process of recording, mixing, mastering, and promoting during a pandemic,” Hoffman said.

“Lyrically and musically, it shows the bittersweet message of trying to balance the artistic desire that we have with what we must do during the week to keep the lights on, the fire lit, and pay the bills.”

Young explained that the album is about “being worked to the bone.”

“Hiding to Nothing,” which took about three years to complete, consists of 10 songs. The first single off of the album, “Head on the Ground,’’ is available for streaming now.

“Head on the Ground” showcases how much Bulletin has grown since their 2017 EP. By having the same attitudes of the grunge era without the abrasiveness, it emulates the post-grunge sound of the mid-to-late ‘90s. The single brings the likes of Foo Fighters and The Smashing Pumpkins to mind. It features steady and tight guitar riffs, Young’s punchy drum beats, and low, rhythmic vocals courtesy of Powell and Khoshtinat.

The band submitted the single to Emerson’s radio station, WERS, for their evening program titled Wicked Local Wednesdays, where the station devotes

Courtesy Jon Hoffman a block of programming to Boston-area artists.

Reminiscent of Boston’s ‘80s music scene, the EP features unrestrained vocals that bring the deep-seated lyrics to life.

“Some people have described the EP as being [more raw] and in your face alternative rock and punk: buzzy, distorted, warm, and guitars up front,” Hoffman said. “In a lot of ways, the writing and playing have matured since then and I think [the album] is going to appeal to universal tastes.”

Young said the main difference between “Hiding to Nothing” and the EP is the lyricism.

“Matt’s songwriting has matured a lot,” Young said. “When we started, Matt had never been the principal songwriter in a band; he grew a lot in a few years.”

Hoffman credits the raw, unapologetic, and pure nature of the ‘80s and ‘90s rock scene as the inspiration for the sound “Hiding to Nothing.”

“I don’t want to completely speak for the other members, but I can say that I’ve been inspired a lot by early 90s rock/ shoegaze, folk, and even classic rock,” Hoffman said.

While Bulletin is officially labeled under the punk/noise-rock genre, Young likes to think of Bulletin as a band that blends different genres of music together.

“I suppose we could be described as an independent...alternative rock band, but genre-bending sounded sexier,” Young said. “A few of us have heavier, metal/hardcore backgrounds. We appreciate and enjoy music across multiple genres...we have our own sound, which I’m really happy about.”

“Hiding to Nothing” brings the diverse tastes of each of the band’s members into the mix.

“I think we all have a wide array of musical influences, and it really shows in this release,” Hoffman said.

When they aren’t busy working on

music for Bulletin, Hoffman and Young carry on with their day to day lives in the workforce or with their families.

Hoffman works as a Senior Web Designer in Boston, and completed his Master of Business Administration at Clark University. Young is busy with his family as he balances music and raising children amidst a pandemic.

The music profession nowadays can often make artists feel burnt out, as everything is hyper focused on the number of streams a song gets or follower counts. However, Bulletin reminds audiences that a passion for music is all you need to pursue an interest in the field.

“The music industry can be pretty unforgiving, especially in the Boston scene, but I don’t think any of us would trade it for the world,” Hoffman said.

dionna_santucci@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

Sports

Lions win Cup for 7th time

Cont. from Pg. 1

score. In the 48th minute, firstyear forward, Theodore Bushara, tapped in the first goal of his collegiate career assisted by senior defender, Ryan Anderson.

The Lions now led the Lynx by three goals to none with the majority of the second half to play.

Toulson said the quick scoring burst can be attributed to a change of tactics in the attacking third of the field.

“It’s

Emerson beat Lesley 4-0 in the Charles River Cup. Emily McNally / Beacon Correspondent

The Lions set the tempo following kickoff when they were able to get a shot on goal within the first few minutes of the game.

The shot, a header off of first-year midfielder, Gregory Kopanezos just missed over the goal.

The high pressing would continue in the first half as the Lions outshot the Lynx 11 shots to two. The Lesley goalkeeper kept the game at a draw, until the Lynx gave up a penalty kick to the Lions in the 18th minute. Junior

forward, Phil Han, took to the penalty box and found the back of the left side of the net, giving the Lions the lead.

“I just was trying to slot it to one of the corners and make sure we go up one-zero,” Han said in a post-game interview.

The Lions would remain one goal up on the opposition going into halftime despite commanding possession and creating chances.

Their small lead only grew after the whistle blew to start the sec-

ond half.

In the game’s 47th minute, Han fired a shot on goal that deflected off of Lesley’s goalkeeper. When the ball landed back at his feet, Han didn’t miss, sinking his second goal of the day.

“I shot it from far,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I followed through with my shot just in case it popped back out to me.”

Just when the Lions gained a two-goal advantage, they wasted no time adding another goal to the

awesome, you always want to lift the trophy.”

Darius Boamah “The conversation at halftime was that we need to move from side to side and find moments to break lines and that’s how our goals resulted,” Toulson said.

In his first game wearing the captain’s armband this season, Boamah, scored a header off a corner taken by first-year midfielder, Ivan Bruce, in the 69th minute putting the Lions up by four.

September 23, 2021

8

“I thought it was pretty good,” Boamah said of his performance.

“Some things obviously I could clean up but I thought overall it was a good performance. I’m glad that I got to score with the armband on too.”

The final whistle blew and it was finally time for the team to lift the Charles River Cup. The team brought the trophy to the center circle, faced the fans in attendance, and lifted the trophy twice.

“It’s crazy,” Boamah said about lifting the trophy. “It’s awesome, you always want to lift the trophy.”

The Lions prepared for the cup just like any other game despite the fact that more was on the line than a normal matchup.

“It’s got nothing to do with the external factors like there’s a cup on the sideline,” Toulson said.

“We still want our process to be the same, we still want to bring good energy, and want guys to be good teammates.”

The Lions will look to build on their dominant performance as they head into their weekend matchup at home against NEWMAC competitor Babson College at 1 pm.

“It’s a good feeling,” Toulson said. “A lot of guys got to play, some guys who needed a rest got a rest so that’s positive. Then we’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll start looking at Babson and figure out ways that we can be super competitive.” tyler_foy@emerson.edu

Baseball team partners with Emerson College Food Pantry Tyler Foy Beacon Staff The Emerson baseball team held a food drive at Tuesday’s men’s soccer game as part of a year-long partnership with the college’s food pantry.

The Emerson College Food Pantry is a part of the Office of Student Success and provides students with supplies such as hygiene products and shelf-stored foods. Baseball head coach Nick Vennochi said the team has eyed a partnership for over a year.

“It’s something we have been meaning to do for a long time,” he said at the food drive. “I think that because of COVID we just didn’t link up with Chris Grant and student success. He did a speech at

one of our student affairs meetings and it was something we wanted to support.”

Senior infielder Calvin Jacey said doing events such as the food drive helps build the foundation of the team.

“It goes back to being good people and that’s something our coach Vennochi says a lot,” Jacey said at the food drive. “The fundamental [part] of our culture is just be good people and to be charitable because once you’re a good person, that kind of emulates the rest of the program.”

The new partnership allows the team to give back to the Emerson community. rior community service efforts focused more on issues in the city.

“Community service is a huge

Emerson baseball partnered with Emerson College Food Bank.

Emily McNally / Beacon Correspondent

Emerson baseball partnered with Emerson College Food Bank.

Emily McNally / Beacon Correspondent

part of being an athlete and caring for your community,” Vennochi said. “This seemed like a good way to help the Emerson community, sometimes we will work at the homeless shelters or do other food drives, but with this one, we could help Emerson and do it right at home.”

The initiative brings a sense of unity and camaraderie to the program, first-year catcher Robert Posio said.

“It brings us closer together as a team if we’re all doing one com-

mon goal,” Posio said at the food drive. “It just creates a good team mindset that we can accomplish anything.”

The food drive and partnership with the Emerson College Food Pantry is reflective of the players on the team, Jacey said.

“We’re always trying to find ways to give back to the community,” he said. “It’s always about the bigger picture we’re trying to help the community, we’re not just a baseball team. We want to be people that are a positive influence on

the community.”

Vennochi said the partnership with the pantry is just the beginning for his team.

“I’m hoping we can do it at every home game,” he said. “Maybe tell every parent and make it bigger. We are just getting our feet wet tonight and maybe other schools will get in on it after seeing us tonight.” tyler_foy@emerson.edu