Is Imperial changing for the better?

I’ve been at Imperial for seven years, which is quite a long time – longer than most. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of change. Some of these changes are ones I never imagined happening, like the loss of Evelyn Gardens, which was my home as a fresher, but they’re mostly overwhelmingly positive.

Imperial can sometimes seem like a bit of a depressing place. For the vast majority of your time here, you’re stressed and overwrought, and, from what I’ve seen, it can seem like a really negative place to be a lot of the time. When people ask me why I’ve stayed here so long, and done three different degrees, I often compare it to Stockholm syndrome, and that I’ve eventually come to love my captors.

But I’ve really enjoyed my time at Imperial. Some years have been better than others, and I’ve hit many pitfalls along the way. I’ve experienced some truly unacceptable things, from blatant unapologetic sexism, to unfathomable lacks of empathy, but I’ve also seen Imperial change and grow and develop into something far greater than it was before.

When I did my undergraduate degree in physics, the vast majority of the lecture courses didn’t supply notes, so if you didn’t go to lectures, that was it. We didn’t have printed notes (available online), which is usually the case now, and we certainly didn’t have the lectures recorded for later viewing. Our tutorials were practically non-existent, and definitely didn’t constitute the increased compulsory contact hours that students have now. It gives me a warm happy feeling to see things like Panopto go from crazy ideas to being fully implemented and used. Tuition fees may be higher now, but people are definitely fighting to get more for their money, and it is working.

Universities have such rapid turnover, and it’s sometimes hard to feel like anything makes a difference when you come and go so quickly, never seeing anything go from the concept stage to fruition. The people currently protesting the future closure of Weeks Hall will probably have left by the time it comes to pass, in the same way that most people who ran the #AgainstActon campaign won’t be here to see Woodward open in October. But students do make a difference, and if you’ve stuck around as long as I have, you can start to see that all these little things do add up to a positive, albeit slow, change. Imperial isn’t perfect, not by a long stretch, but it’s full of well-meaning students who want to make it better, and that counts for a lot.

I used to really dislike Imperial, and being a part of Felix has definitely been a huge part of my unalienation. In a way, it’s opened my eyes to some of the darker sides of College and the Union, and the injustices that take place, but it’s exposed me to so many people who I would otherwise never have met, with nothing in common but a desire to voluntarily give up time to produce something purely for the entertainment of other Imperial students.

I wish I’d been brave enough to get involved with Felix years before I did, because now I realise that there was nothing to be afraid of. I used to think that it was an untouchable publication, and that I would have nothing of value to contribute to it. But now I realise that it’s not. It’s just a bunch of students, sitting in an office, using their free time to write articles, because they enjoy it.

As times change, Felix does too. When I arrived at Imperial, copies of Felix were distributed to the rooms of every fresher in halls, and right from the moment you arrived, you started reading it. It was an Imperial institution; in Friday afternoon lectures, everyone had a copy open, which is sadly no longer the case as print newspapers fall out of fashion.

If I look at the archived issues from my undergraduate years, I remember so many of the articles in the Comment section starting heated discussions (often had out in whispers during lectures), and none more than those of Angry Geek (or A. Geek, as he was originally known). I’m constantly surprised every time someone hasn’t heard of him these days, but of course, he hasn’t graced our pages with his impassioned words since 2012, which means that his legacy is beginning to be forgotten.

But Angry Geek meant a lot to me. He wrote from 2007-2012, which covered my entire time as an undergraduate. He is probably the reason that I’ve always read the Comment section so avidly, and why I jumped at the chance to edit and write this section. For the 1600th issue, we tried to contact him, on the off-chance he was still checking his old email account, to see if he wanted to write something. What came back was beyond my highest expectations, and I’m honoured to be able to print it.

Angry Geek rejuvenated the Comment section, directly inspiring articles that brought it back from non-existent to overflowing. Reading back through his old articles in the archives, I’m reminded that he wasn’t just an angry bastard, but someone who truly cared about expressing opinions, and that is a heritage that I want to uphold. I’m so touched that he still reads Felix, and that he’s proud of the section as it is today. I’m glad he’s still angry, and using his anger for good things. I hope there are still people who remember him around to read; his article has brought me to tears every time I’ve read it, and I don’t think I’m the only one for whom this article will be poignant.

Angry Geek, I still don’t know who you are, but if you want to get a drink and bemoan the rising cost of drinks at the Union Bar, I’d love to meet you.