And so it ends
After four years, my time at Felix is coming to a close. It is difficult to overstate how much the paper has meant to me over the course of my time at Imperial. It has taught me so much and has been a joy to contribute to. I’ll miss the camaraderie of being in the office with the rest of the team, the rush of racing to meet a print deadline, and the satisfaction of making a difference to student life through our reporting.
As I am sure is the case for many of our editors, being a part of Felix kept me going through the toughest parts of my degree. It was something to look forward to through the dreary, unending monotony of problem sheets and coursework. There have been difficult times, yes, but pushing through them has taught me a great deal and brought together the entire Felix team to produce some of our best work.
I came into this year bored with the tired press releases and ‘follow’ stories that have often made the front page in recent years. I intended to overhaul the news section by placing interesting original reporting at the forefront of our coverage – and I think we have managed that this year. Such content takes far more effort to produce, and entails more risk on the paper’s part, but should be the bread and butter of our news content. It is what makes Felix news worth reading.
To focus solely on our news section would be to do a disservice to our exceptional team of editors and contributors. The paper’s other purposes besides news reporting are to provide an outlet for students to improve their writing skills, and to entertain. Our section editors have performed admirably in these respects. The Puzzles section in particular stands out for its quality and breadth. Under the stewardship of the brilliant Stanley Scott, it has grown to encompass an ever-increasing array of brainteasers. Stan’s crosswords could easily be featured in the national papers, and he will be missed sorely by the Felix team as he moves onto a PhD in Germany.
Deputy Editor Zanna Buckland’s contributions over the past few years have been immense. Without her help organising the team last year, the paper would not be in the shape it is today. The Deputy Editor role is a little nebulous, with no real statement of responsibilities, but Zanna has put her stamp on it this year. Most of our section editors have benefited from her experience and advice, and she has always been on hand to help plug the gaps during our inevitable rush to meet the print deadline each issue. Her weekly ‘Outside the Box’ column has been one of the highlights of the paper for its astute analysis and excellent design.
Outside the Box, and indeed the entire paper, owe their smart look and much more to Felix Chair and Film Editor Misha Buzadji. Misha has juggled his considerable work at Felix with a Computing degree and his position as marketing head at DoCSoc. Anyone who knows anything about even one of these activities will understand the herculean task that he has pulled off in making a success of the year. To understand Misha’s vital role in the paper, look no further than this very issue, in which a full 26 pages have been written or designed by him. He has decided to take a break next year and focus on his degree, and who can blame him? I wish him the very best for the future.
Lastly, I’d like to highlight the work of Tarun Nair, a first-year copyeditor who, throughout the year, has gone above and beyond to ensure the paper goes out on time. Copyediting can be a thankless and unseen task, especially when there is only a small team to help you. Over the past few weeks, Tarun’s work behind the scenes has freed me up to publish the breaking news stories that have featured on the front page. Recently, he joined our news team and has written several stories that feature in this week’s issue.
I have singled out a few of our contributors here, but I am grateful to every single one of them – all of our writers, editors, copyeditors, illustrators, and photographers. They have all played important roles in this year’s successes.
I don’t think there is anything else like the Felix community at Imperial, and I’d encourage anybody who is interested to get involved. Many of our contributors are leaving this year, meaning there will be plenty of vacancies. The team is cordial and welcoming – you will make friends and learn so much from them. Being Editor this year has been a great privilege; I am excited to see what the future holds for the paper.
