Changes at Imperial seen through feline eyes

Since its first publication in 1949, Felix has served as an archive of student life at Imperial. Long after campaigns have faded and controversies have passed, its pages remain preserved – physically in the West Basement and digitally on the Felix website. Through various news reports, features, and opinion pieces, the newspaper has chronicled not only how the university has evolved over time, but how those changes were experienced by the students who lived through them.   

For the past two years, Felix has been stewarded by two Editors-in-Chief (EICs): Mohammad “Mo” Majilsi, who led the newspaper during the 2024-25 academic year, and Guillaume Felix, who took over from 2025-26. Between them, they oversaw coverage of protests, strikes, housing concerns, Union controversies, and the growing presence of artificial intelligence in higher education. Their years at the helm coincided with a university in transition. 

Looking back, both editors describe an institution that changed rapidly – and one that, in some respects, stayed remarkably familiar.  

Q: What was Imperial like when you became Editor-in-Chief? 

Every editor inherits a different version of Imperial. Mo stepped into the role during a period defined by political mobilisation and a return to campus life following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Guillaume inherited a university grappling with strikes, economic uncertainty, and the accelerating influence of artificial intelligence.  

Mo: “The first big thing that Imperial was concerned with was the protests regarding Palestine. Students became much more politically active. It also felt like the first proper year after COVID. Student culture was waking up again, and that translated into changes in the Union and student representation.” 

Guillaume: “During my time, the Palestine activism had definitely toned down compared to before. The biggest issue when I came in was staff pay and strike action, followed by the war in Iran. But the underlying theme in everything was AI. Imperial released dAIsy (the College’s generative AI platform), and suddenly, AI was transforming how the university worked.”  

Q: What were students talking about most during your year as EIC? 

As headlines changed, so did the anxieties and controversies looming over students on campus. Both EICs describe a student body increasingly concerned with affordability and employment prospects. Political controversies generated attention, but rent, food prices, and careers affected nearly everyone.  

Mo: “Students in the past 15-or-so years have had less to say about the way institutions operate, and more about their worries over daily controversies. Rise of rent costs was a big story for everyone toward the end of my first term. Then you had Heaven and other nightlife venues closing down. There was also a lot of distrust toward the Union after various reforms. We kept hearing from students who felt decisions were being made without them.” 

Guillaume: “People’s main concern is always money and affordability, whether it be for food, rent, or salary. The job market hasn’t been great over the last couple of years, and students are increasingly concerned about their future. We also saw anxiety this year in student minorities and societies, who felt they were not being consulted on big changes made around campus, like the leasing of Imperial’s Chaplaincy building.” 

Q: What are some facets of Imperial you feel have remained constant over these two years?

For all the changes both editors witnessed, some themes persisted throughout their tenures. With Guillaume watching the stories evolve since before his time as EIC, he comments that over the past two years, Imperial has been adjusting to their new redesign. 

Guillaume: “We’re still in the same sort of post-redesign phase after Imperial’s rebranding and introduction of the Science for Humanity. Since that, the institution has been shifting focus to sustainability, global ambitions, and introduction of AI. Perhaps this is not fundamentally the same, but these issues have remained at the forefront of the University’s goals.  

Q: What articles or stories have most stood out to you?  

Mo: “The Palestinian cause made up a large part of my time as EIC, but the story that stood out most to me was about the Union looking to remove the Deputy President for Finance and Services (DPFS). We had lots of people contacting us about it, and it became emblematic of a wider dissatisfaction with the Union.” 

Guillaume: “The Agartha story, easily. It became the most-read article on the website and brought people to Felix who had never heard of us before. The story was even picked up by other newspapers like The Guardian.”  

Q: Looking ahead, why does Felix still matter as a society? 

 Despite concerns about declining readership and digital disruption, neither editor views Felix simply as a publication. They see it as both a watchdog and a community: a place where students hold institutions accountable and where people explore their creativity together.  

Mo: “We’re one of the checks and balances for students. We help hold both the College and the Union accountable but are also a place where creative students meet like-minded people.” 

Guillaume: “Felix is a place for three things: keeping the university accountable, training people interested in journalism, and entertaining the student body.” 

The conversation I had with Mo and Guillaume eventually ended where many conversations now do, with artificial intelligence.  

Both editors described AI as the defining challenge facing student journalism over the coming decade, both as a subject worthy of reporting and as a force already reshaping the act of writing itself. Despite this, both remain optimistic about the role this newspaper has to offer in future generations.  

For two years, Mo and Guillaume helped document Imperial as it changed around them. They recorded scandals and successes, and most importantly, captured a portrait of what students cared about at a particular moment in time. 

Perhaps that is the most enduring purpose of a student newspaper: to report history, and more importantly, leave behind evidence of what it felt like to live through it.